Double Rush Heads One-two For Charlie Hills At HQ

Double Rush led home one-two for trainer Charlie Hills in the curtain-raising bet365 Handicap on Craven Stakes day at Newmarket.


A winner on the all-weather at Wolverhampton bit over a fortnight earlier, Double Rush was a 9-4 favourite to follow up on his handicap launching in the hands of Jason Watson and overcame stablemate Bob Mali by a length and a quarter.


Hills stated of the winner: "He won his novice extremely well in a great time at Wolverhampton and I believe he's going to be a good, improving three-year-old through the season.


"Some of our horses weren't best last season, so he had a great mark really. He probably didn't manage the track that well today and a flatter track will match him much better.


"There's a valuable handicap at York a week or two before Royal Ascot and we could intend him for that, but we'll see how he improves and take it step by step."


John and Thady Gosden quickly followed up their win in the function Craven Stakes by saddling Swiss Lightning (2-1 preferred) to take the Rossdales Maiden Fillies' Stakes in identified fashion.


Double Rush winning the opening race at Newmarket on Wednesday (Mike Egerton/PA)


Making simply her second start, the Lordship Stud stud-owned daughter of Night Of Thunder revealed a significant to come out on top in an awesome three-way surface.


"We gave her an experience of the racecourse at the end of last year, however it was heavy ground and she didn't like it, she was a bit weak and the jockey looked after her and she has done well today as it wasn't the strategy and there was no rate, it was a messy race - she looked a bit chewy early on but settled into it.


"That was over seven and it quite felt like we must remain at seven and do not go back to 6 and not go up to a mile, so we'll have a great look. I wouldn't wish to hurry her back from that as she's had a tough enough race, but you have actually got to be pleased with her.


"She revealed a terrific attitude since she hit the front, then wasn't sure what she was indicated to be doing, but she didn't give up. Ryan (Moore, on Richard Hannon's runner-up Stellenbosch) had the rail which's a big benefit with these unskilled fillies."


Stallion Ten Sovereigns had the one-two in the concluding Watch Live Racing At bet365 Handicap as Harry Charlton's Ten Pounds (5-1) saw off Tom Clover's 5-4 favourite Fifty Nifty in the hands of Trevor Whelan.