Mullins Bay shines again
Mullins Bay is improving fast and Aidan O’Brien’s colt continued his progress with a narrow but decisive success in the William Hill Poker Grand Prix Strensall Stakes at York today.
The four-year-old clearly has a liking for the Knavesmire as he finished second in a hot handicap at the Royal meeting before returning to win the John Smith’s Cup.
He stepped up again this afternoon to successfully bridge the gap between handicaps and Group Three company with a neck verdict over the Godolphin front-runner Andean.
After travelling strongly for most of the way, Mullins Bay moved up to challenge over two furlongs out and the Irish raider got the lead inside the last furlong, but drifted to his right, carrying his rival towards the stand rail.
The stewards announced an inquiry into possible interference but they deemed the incident accidental and allowed the result to stand.
Fallon said: “He’s a lovely horse and Aidan loved him last year, so much so that he pressed for him to stay in training this year and it’s worked out well. He’s won a lot of money now.
“He improved to win the John Smith’s Cup and he’s improved again since. It’s a long way from handicaps to Group races.”
Maraahel, the even-money favourit on the strength of his close third in the Juddmonte International Stakes 15 days ago, came home in the same position, four lengths behind the principals.
His jockey Richard Hills said: “He travelled well into the straight but he didn’t pick up – maybe he had a harder race than we thought last time.”
The win on Mullins Bay was the middle leg of a brilliant 158-1 treble for the six-times champion jockey.
He had been seen to great effect earlier when getting Cross The Line (12-1) home in front in the Trading Trowels Subcontract Brickworks Stakes.
The son of Cape Cross has always been held in high regard by connections and he went some way to confirming that opinion with a narrow success over Basserah.
“We’ve always thought he was a good horse and last year we thought the world of him,” said trainer Alan Jarvis. “Kieren rode him before he ran as a two-year-old and said he’d be a Group horse one day.
“Like a lot of mine he had a throat infection earlier in the season and has taken some getting right.
“We thought he’d win today – we fancied him very much.
“Kieren said the track was a bit cut up, a bit rough today and he would be better on better ground.
“We’ll try and find a nice handicap now before the handicapper gets hold of him.”
Jarvis praised his jockey and added: “I’ve been using the top jockeys for 35 years but Kieren is a genius.”
The Fallon three-timer was completed on Charlie Cool, who was an impressive winner of the EBF Prince Of Wales’s Own Regiment Of Yorkshire Maiden Stakes.
The William Haggas-trained colt quickened well to beat Amwaal by two and a half lengths to earn a quote of 33-1 from VC Bet for the 2000 Guineas and Derby.
“He feels like a real nice horse – a proper horse,” Fallon said.
“He quickened twice and you don’t usually see that and it’s quite exciting when you get one that can do that.”
There was a turn-up in the thinkthoroughbred-thinkireland.com Maiden Auction Stakes when 50-1 shot Missoula, well ridden by Saleem Golam, landed the spoils by a length and a quarter from Gracechurch.
“I couldn’t understand why she was 50-1 because I know she was last at Goodwood but it was softish ground,” said trainer Mark Tompkins.
“She didn’t know a thing that day and she’s radically improved at home since then. She’s not a bad filly and worked really well the other morning – I told everybody I knew to have a few quid each-way on her.”
Wing Collar repeated his course and distance victory of last month in the Patrington Haven Leisure Park Handicap.
Tim Easterby’s four-year-old appeared unsuited by the muddling pace and the course at Chester last time but regained the winning thread under a good ride from Dave Allen.
The 5-1 shot ran on stoutly to beat Viz and the front-running Mandatum by one and a quarter lengths and a neck in the one-mile-six-furlong race.
“He’s just a real tough, staying horse and since David has been riding him he’s got more relaxed,” Easterby said.
“He is actually in the Cesarewitch but David doesn’t know whether it might be just a bit of a rough race for him.
“I’m sure he’d get the trip and it could be an option but I wouldn’t be pressing him too much this year.”
Red Peony maintained the good run of form enjoyed by her trainer Sir Mark Prescott and jockey Seb Sanders with an easy two-and-a-half-length win over Ebtikaar in the Garrowby Handicap.
Simon Walker was crowned winner of the Bollinger Champagne Challenge for an unprecedented third year in a row after today’s final.
However, he managed only third place in the York leg, which was won in great style by Scott Dobson on Jake Black, but it was enough for him to clinch the title with 36 points.
