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 little bit over a fortnight earlier, Double Rush was a 9-4 favourite to follow up on his handicap debut in the hands of Jason Watson and overcame stablemate Bob Mali by a length and a .
Hills stated of the winner: "He won his novice effectively in a great time at Wolverhampton and I think he's going to be a great, enhancing three-year-old through the season.
"Some of our horses weren't ideal last season, so he had a great mark actually. He most likely didn't deal with the track that well today and a flatter track will match him better.
"There's an important handicap at York a week or so before Royal Ascot and we might aim him for that, however we'll see how he improves and take it step by step."
John and Thady Gosden rapidly followed up their win in the function Craven Stakes by saddling Swiss Lightning (2-1 favourite) to take the Rossdales Maiden Fillies' Stakes in identified fashion.
Double Rush winning the opening race at Newmarket on Wednesday (Mike Egerton/PA)
Making just her 2nd start, the Lordship Stud stud-owned child of Night Of Thunder revealed a tremendous mindset to come out on top in an exhilarating three-way surface.
"We gave her an experience of the racecourse at the end of last year, but it was heavy ground and she didn't like it, she was a bit weak and the jockey looked after her and she has actually done well today as it wasn't the strategy and there was no speed, it was a messy race - she looked a bit chewy at an early stage but settled into it.
"That was over 7 and it quite seemed like we ought to remain at 7 and do not return to 6 and not go up to a mile, so we'll have an excellent appearance. I wouldn't want to rush her back from that as she's had a difficult adequate race, but you have got to enjoy with her.
"She showed a terrific mindset since she hit the front, then wasn't sure what she was meant to be doing, however she didn't quit. Ryan (Moore, on Richard Hannon's runner-up Stellenbosch) had the rail and that's a big advantage with these inexperienced 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.