Skip to content

Tarboosh wins the Scarbrough Stakes at Doncaster

Tarboosh wins at Doncaster
Image: Tarboosh wins at Doncaster

The Paul Midgley-trained Tarboosh claimed Listed honours with victory in the bet365 Scarbrough Stakes at Doncaster.

Ridden by Kevin Stott, the 8-1 shot finished with a flourish to get the better of Johnny Murtagh's Irish challenger Urban Beat and Frankie Dettori by a length and a quarter, with 5-2 favourite Dakota Gold a neck further back in third.

Midgley said: "He was good today and when he's good, he's very good. He ran a good race at York, I'm just not sure what happened at Beverley last time - it just didn't happen. We started to think he could be better on flat tracks.

"There's a Group Three for him at Newbury on Ayr Gold Cup day and that is highly likely, I can't believe it's taken us this long to win a Listed race with him.

"He deserves a chance at a big one. I didn't put him in the Abbaye with all the travel problems, but we said if we were lucky enough we could always supplement him, so that is an an option."

Darragh Keenan steered Goddess Of Fire to a surprise victory in the Mondialiste Leger Legends Classified Stakes.

The one-mile contest is usually confined to retired jockeys, with such stars of the sport as Julie Krone, Mick Kinane, Sir Anthony McCoy and Joseph O'Brien among those on the roll of honour.

Latest Racing Stories

However, this year's renewal was confined to professionals only, due to Covid-19 restrictions, with Frankie Dettori among those keen to support a contest that has raised more than £1.1million for Jack Berry House and the Northern Racing college since its inception in 2010.

Despite having been placed on his last couple of appearances at Beverley and Wolverhampton last month, the John Ryan-trained Goddess Of Fire was a 33-1 shot under her apprentice rider.

However, the daughter of Toronado defied her odds with a strong finishing effort to score by just under two lengths from Defence Treaty and Tony Hamilton, with The Throstles third in the hands of Ray Dawson.

Irish-born Keenan was unseated from Goddess Of Fire on his return to the winner's enclosure, and said: "She just spooked at the camera. She can be a bit tricky, even at home. I ride her out every day, so I know her well. I like the filly and I won't hold it against her!

"It's been a while since I had a winner - I've had plenty of rides, but the winners have been dry enough. You just have to keep trying.

"I've been in Britain for just over four years. I work for John Ryan and I'm in there every morning. I ride out for as many people as I can, if they want me.

"I do my best to work as hard as I can and hopefully the results will come in the end and the winners will come more often."

Latest Generation won the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes - the first race run in front of a paying crowd in Britain in almost six months.

Having finished a promising third on his racecourse debut at Sandown last month, Latest Generation was the 8-11 for the curtain-raiser under William Buick and was prominent from the off.

Newcomer Stay Well came with a late run and shaped with plenty of promise, but Simon and Ed Crisford's market leader always had matters in hand and passed the post a length and a half to the good.

Buick said: "He was in front, but we went fractions to suit him, so I'm not sure how hard it was for him.

"At the end of the day he'd only had one run and was in front a long way there, but he's done it well.

"He'll be a nice horse for next year. I don't think you could ask any more from him."

Jedd O'Keeffe ran two in the Each Way Extra At bet365 Handicap and it was bottom-weight Strait Of Hormuz under Andrea Atzeni who came out on top.

"He's doing really and what is crucial to him is a strong pace, you'll see the best of him when he gets it," said O'Keeffe.

"He wouldn't get in the Cambridgeshire this year so we might have to give it some serious thought for next year."

There was a thrilling climax to the bet365 Nursery Handicap, with Terry Kent's recent York scorer Ataser justifying 100-30 favouritism under Ray Dawson with a head verdict over Party Game.

The closing Parkes Bros Roofing Contractors Handicap went to Sound Of Iona who beat her Jim Goldie-trained stablemate Primo's Comet.