Show of Bravery saves the bookies

BRAVERY got up in a photo-finish to win the Betway Lincoln at Doncaster and saved bookmakers an estimated £15 million pay-out.

Oh This Is Us, the runner-up, had been backed down to 7-2 favourite by punters after his jockey, Ryan Moore, ran up a treble in earlier races.

Danny Tudhope made what may have been the race-winning move when he brought Bravery, a 20-1 shot, from stall 20 to race with the low-drawn horses on the far side of the track.

Moore had Oh This Is Us ready to take the lead a furlong out but the bookmakers’ prayers were answered when Tudhope brought Bravery widest of all to win by a neck, with Oh This Is Us another neck ahead of Donncha.

The winner, who is trained by David O’Meara, was bought from the Aidan O’Brien stable for 44,000 guineas after finishing fourth in last year’s Irish 2000 Guineas but then losing his form.

“He wasn’t over dear,” O’Meara said. “He’s won his cost back today but it’s a drop in class for him for what he had been doing. He competed in Listed and Group races for Aidan.”

Ballet Concerto had missed the cut for the Lincoln by one but won the consolation race, the Betway Spring Mile, for Sir Michael Stoute and Moore, who had won the first race on the card, the Listed Cammidge Trophy on the Richard Hannontrained Tupi.

Moore was on a roll now and delivered a ride that brought a smile even to his sometimes stony face when Kool Kompany got up in the final strides to win the Listed Betway Doncaster Mile by a short-head.

Kool Kompany, who was back with Hannon after been sold to race in Australia, could run next in the Group One Lockinge Stakes at Newbury next month.