A review of the action from Salisbury
Last Updated: 04/09/14 8:59pm
A review of the action from Salisbury where Hugo Palmer gained a second Group race victory of the week.
Hugo Palmer's second Group-race winner arrived in quick succession thanks to a narrow victory for New Providence in the Country Gentlemen's Association Dick Poole Fillies' Stakes at Salisbury.
The young Newmarket trainer's reputation continues to grow, with his high-class colt Aktabantay giving him his breakthrough in last Saturday's Solario Stakes, while another promising juvenile stablemate Home Of The Brave targets this weekend's Sirenia Stakes at Kempton.
New Providence (4-1) has had a busy summer, netting more than £60,000 when second in a valuable sales event at the Ebor meeting, and she could yet be pitched even higher after short-heading Richard Hannon's 11-8 favourite Marsh Hawk in an exciting finish to the newly-upgraded Group Three.
Palmer said: "The first main aim was the sales race at York, where she was on the wrong side. William Buick wished he had raced with the winner, and who knows what might have happened then.
"The next aim was to get some black type, and we've achieved that. I didn't put her in the Cheveley Park as she was a maiden at the time, but the owner Chris Humber might want to supplement."
Humber was asked if this was a possibility and said: "Of course. It's entirely up to the trainer."
Division two of the Virginia Walwyn Memorial EBF Quidhampton Maiden Fillies' Stakes looked the stronger and it was interesting to hear Barry Hills immediately nominate a big-race target for Fadhayyil.
The 11-8 favourite was second to Marsh Hawk herself on their debuts at Newmarket last month, and after getting slightly intimidated when Paul Hanagan went for a gap a couple of furlongs from home, picked up nicely to score by a length and a quarter.
Hills said: "She got in a bit of trouble there but has done it well. Everything we've asked her to do at home, she has done easily. I'll have to speak to Sheikh Hamdan (owner), but my immediate thought was to go for the Rockfel Stakes."
Hills has landed the Newmarket Group Two four times before, including with the top-class Maids Causeway.
Hanagan was to double up on the same owner's Felwah (11-4) in the EBF Stallions Breeding Winners 'Lochsong' Fillies' Handicap.
A first-time-out juvenile winner for Dominic Ffrench Davis is not a regular occurrence but it happened in division one via 66-1 bargain-buy Jelly Monger.
The Lambourn trainer said: "She is a nice filly, she works well. I only have one other two-year-old, and that had only been in for two weeks, so I took her to work with a couple of Sylvester Kirk's.
"We paid three grand for her. I think the last time I had a first-time-out two-year-old win was ridden by Richard Quinn, which tells you how long ago it was!
"Jim (Crowley) said she's nice, but don't rush her. We won't have her out in a Listed race in two weeks, but we might find something later on."
Rosalie Bonheur (8-1) defended her unbeaten record in the Quality & Value At Irish Yearling Sales Nursery.
"She's nice - we fancied her first time," said retired jockey John Reid, representing trainer Clive Cox.
"I'd actually ridden her myself. We thought she'd be more suited by seven furlongs. She'll get a mile next year."
Owner John Manley is already in Turkey to watch his classy performer Pether's Moon compete in a valuable event this weekend and missed the Hannon-trained Tom Hark (4-6 favourite) controlling the Whitsbury Manor Stud EBF Stallions Novice Stakes.
Hannon's father, Richard snr, said: "If you look back at his races, the form was very good. He's a nice, genuine horse."
Rawaki (15-8) was another winner for Andrew Balding and the Kingsclere Racing Club when just doing was was required by Thomas Brown in the four-runner CGA 'Persian Punch' Conditions Stakes.
The trainer's mother, Lady Emma, said: "It wasn't a given, given the weights range there, but he has done it classily. He does need that bit of give in the ground."