Dewhurst win for Parish

Parish Hall: Dewhurst winner

Jim Bolger won his fourth Dewhurst in six years with 20-1 outsider Parish Hall at Newmarket on Saturday.

Teofilo kicked off a run of three consecutive successes in the race for Bolger in 2006 and it was a son of his that won this year's renewal under Kevin Manning.

Parish Hall was always prominent next to the rail and found plenty for pressure to see off the late charge of Power (15-8 favourite).

Aidan O'Brien's Power took some time to get going under Ryan Moore but he finished with a late rattle to take second, with Most Improved (6-1) third.

Parish Hall had disappointed in the Phoenix Stakes after winning his maiden but was not beaten far in the Futurity Stakes behind Dragon Pulse.

Given Dragon Pulse had chased home Power in the National Stakes, Bolger and Manning were quietly confident of a bold show.

Sound

Bolger said: "He's run into soft ground a couple of times and that's no good to him, he can't handle that.

"He's up there with my three previous winners of this race (his sire Teofilo, New Approach and Intense Focus) and that will be it for the year. I'm not sure he'd come back for the Guineas but he has as good a chance as New Approach had of staying a mile-and-a-half.

"He's a very sound horse and I'd be thinking of Epsom for him - and after that the Curragh."

Sky Bet rate the winner as a 25-1 chance for the Derby and 2,000 Guineas.

Aidan O'Brien was "delighted" with the runner-up as was Brian Meehan after his Most Improved finished third.

"He's a very nice horse and for a moment I thought he was going to win but he just flattened out at the finish. He's lacking a bit of experience having gone from two runs in maidens to the deep end and I'm very impressed by him.

"I'll talk to the owner about plans and I've no idea what they'll be at this stage but on breeding I'd say he'll be a middle-distance horse next year."

The disappointment of the race was Ektihaam who finished last. His trainer Roger Varian said: "Perhaps the horse showed his inexperience today.

"I don't think he's had much of a race. We got tight for room in the last two furlongs and Richard (Hills) quite rightly didn't give him a hard race after that. We probably won't run again this year."

Hills added: "I was never comfortable with him, he was off and on the bridle throughout the race. He's still a bit immature."