Also on the day, Look Back Smiling provided Gemma Tutty with a career highlight in the William Hill Epic Boost Spring Mile whilst Montassib swooped late to win the Cammidge Trophy Stakes
Saturday 23 March 2024 17:44, UK
Mr Professor was too clever for the rest with a power-packed display in the William Hill Lincoln at Doncaster.
Sent off at 33/1, the Dominic Ffrench Davis-trained five-year-old was drawn in stall two but ended up more towards the middle after David Egan - celebrating a big winner so soon after becoming number one rider for owners Amo Racing - asked his mount to quicken a furlong and a half from home.
Lattam was a length and a half back in second, with Navagio two lengths further away in third, but there was never any danger to the winner once he had flown.
Fozzy Stack's Chazzesmee was the well-backed 5-2 favourite, chasing an unprecedented double after winning the Irish equivalent last weekend, but while he moved with some menace, he could never quite get into it, eventually just being edged out for fourth by Alpha Crucis.
But there was huge disappointment for David Menuisier, with last year's winner Migration planting himself in the stalls as the gates opened.
Ffrench Davis said: "I think a lot of it has to do with the ground, it's very tacky and holding and he travelled through it well.
"Two out, he was going supremely well and David didn't really want to go on as soon as he did, but it's very hard to make ground up in that sort of ground and he quickened up nicely and kept going.
"We knew he was very fit and would like the ground, so we were hopeful. His draw in stall two didn't look great, but it worked out well.
"I think he seems a very happy horse now, he had been out to Bahrain before we got him but he prefers to get his toe in. He bolted up at Goodwood one day for us, his form has been solid.
"It's great to win this, it's the first big handicap of the year and these are the races you have to aim to win.
"For horses like him, I hope this rain continues, but we've plenty of horses who want better ground.
"I suppose we'd have to look at the Spring Cup next but he does have to get his toe in, so the word soft would need to be in the description. He's obviously well handicapped, so you'd have to have a look at a race like that.
"It's a fantastic start for David, he won the first two-year-old race at the Curragh last week and we were hoping to win the Brocklesby but that didn't work out - thankfully, this makes up for it."
The mercurial Look Back Smiling provided Gemma Tutty with the biggest success of her training career when winning the William Hill Epic Boost Spring Mile at Doncaster.
Bought out of Ed Dunlop's stable by Nick Bradley for what now looks a snip at £10,000, the four-year-old was defying a career-high mark of 83.
A winner in heavy ground at Town Moor last October, he had conditions to suit once more and was delivered perfectly by 5lb claimer Brandon Wilkie.
The only worry was that under pressure he drifted into Jamie Spencer on the 5-1 favourite Thunder Roar, bidding to give Tony Coyle and Kaine Wood a first winner since the start of their new joint venture. The stewards left the original result alone, though.
Tutty said of the 17-2 winner: "As you could see in the final furlong, he's not the most straightforward and he doesn't make life easy for his jockeys.
"That's another fantastic run at this track though, so we're going to have to look at coming back here.
"He doesn't do a stroke at home. In his work, we put the least experienced jockeys on him and just play catch me if you can, then he just keeps going and going."
She went on: "He won three races last year, but I suppose in racing like he does, it's protected him from the handicapper. It's just a shame he needs the ground this soft because some of those big handicaps in the summer would be perfect for him.
"We've had a really good start to the year, we've targeted the All-Weather Championships, so we've had more runners than we'd normally have and they've been running well, but you can't have a better start to the turf season than this.
"It's my biggest win, I suppose, we've got about 20 horses in and the staff have worked so hard all winter, the staff have been up and down that motorway all winter, so I can't thank them enough.
"Nick Bradley has a few horses with me now, so it's nice to repay the faith he has shown in me."
Two nice types for the future pulled well clear in the William Hill Epic Value Maiden Stakes, with the previously unraced Moon Over Miami coming out on top in a protracted duel with firm favourite Harper's Ferry.
Sent off a 10-1 chance, Ralph Beckett was on hand to welcome back the gelded three-year-old, who found plenty for Hector Crouch despite showing signs of inexperience.
"He's a nice horse but he's just really immature," said Beckett.
"We didn't do much with him last year, as we just didn't think he was ready to run. We gelded him and put him away.
"He's a horse who should get two miles on pedigree but he's quite hard on himself, so he won't be out quickly."
Cieren Fallon produced Montassib to perfection in winning the William Hill Cammidge Trophy Stakes at Doncaster.
Content to sit at the back of the field until just over a furlong out, Fallon weaved his way through on the William Haggas-trained 4-1 chance to beat 3-1 joint-favourite Marshman by a neck, with the other market leader Orazio another length and a quarter back.
It did look like Marshman had done enough after hitting the front, but his supporters were sunk by Fallon's late surge, on a horse who ended last season with victory in the valuable Coral Sprint Trophy at York and is now a Listed winner.
It was Fallon's first winner since returning from a lengthy injury.
He said: "Last year, he was a frustrating horse for me because I felt I should have won the Ayr Gold Cup on him, but we at least ended the season with a win at York.
"I rode him work the other week and I said to the boss he'd improved again, he'd got quicker. He was such an easy ride today, anyone could have won on him.
"I'm very lucky that I was looked after well at Oaksey House, they've spent a lot of hours with me, I took my time as I was off for four and a half months, I didn't want to come back too soon, I wanted to make sure I was 100 per cent.
"I've been back riding out the last three weeks and the boss has put me on some quiet horses to give me some confidence that way. I had a spin yesterday and I feel great, I feel better than ever and I don't feel like I've lost any race-sharpness at all.
"I'm in a really great position, I'm very lucky to be riding horses like this."
Assistant trainer Maureen Haggas said: "I thought Cieren gave him a lovely ride - it was a bit testing about a furlong out, but he got there.
"He was a talented two-year-old, then early the following year he had a problem with his heart, so he had the whole year off.
"He's really done nothing but improve since then, he got his act together at the end of last year and he's carrying on now. I think he needs a bit of cut to be seen at his best.
"We thought he was quite big today, as he had a good blow in his work, but he doesn't look like he's had much of a race today.
"He's a lovely horse, one of those lovely people, so straightforward."
Silvestre de Sousa made the best possible start to the new turf season when teaming up with Roger Varian's Charyn to win the William Hill Doncaster Mile.
The former champion jockey has only recently returned from a 10-month suspension picked up in Hong Kong for breaching betting rules.
De Sousa, 43, has been getting his eye in on the all-weather recently but will have been thrilled to pick up the first Listed race of the season on the Group One-placed Charyn.
Last year's winner Astral Beau made another bold bid for Pam Sly but she had no answer close home to the 2-1 winner, who streaked three and a half lengths clear under hands and heels riding.
"He's a lovely horse, he just felt a little bit lazy out there," said De Sousa.
"He's ended up picking up really well. There wasn't much of a pace, so I just rode the race to suit him."
With David Egan taking up his role with Amo Racing this season, Varian will be employing a new team of jockeys, with De Sousa in line to pick up plenty, along with James Doyle.
"That was a nice start to the season. Last year, he put up some really good efforts in the Irish Guineas, St James's Palace Stakes and Sussex Stakes against some top opposition," said Varian.
"He was a Group Two-winning two-year-old, he's always been a nice horse and had some big questions asked of him last year, hopefully this can be his year.
"He looks to have done well through the winter, he's a stronger horse this year and we were always keen to come here just to try and get a win on the board and build him back up again.
"I was worried about the ground, as while he has run some good races on testing ground, he's at his best on a sounder surface. I think he'll go on any ground.
"I'd like to go to Sandown for the Group Two (Bet365 Mile) and then the Lockinge."
On the jockey situation, Varian added: "We're in a good position. Some of our owners have their own jockeys, James Doyle is going to ride quite a few for us when available.
"Silvestre has been in riding work, I've got Jack Mitchell to call upon, Cam Noble, Raul de Silva, Aiden Keeley, so I've got a good team and they are all in every morning putting in the work, so hopefully they'll all get opportunities.
"Silvestre is a good jockey, we like him a lot, we've known him a long time."
Dylan Cunha put a feather in the cap of his training career in Britain as Zminiature landed the William Hill EBF Brocklesby Stakes at Doncaster.
Traditionally the curtain-raiser for the Flat season, this time the juvenile contest - won 12 months ago by Persian Force, who went on to prove very smart - was the second race on the Town Moor card.
A Group One-winning handler in his native South Africa, Cunha is now based in Newmarket, and in this 16-1 winner he looks to have a nice colt on his hands.
Given a patient ride by Rhys Clutterbuck, the Territories youngster moved smoothly through runners to pick up long-timer leader Paddy's Courage inside the final furlong, before keeping on nicely to hold Bob The Bandit and Indication Ember by a length and a short head.
Cunha said: "It was expected. We really fancied him. He's small but he's tough and does everything right. It's nice to get a good early two-year-old winner.
"I said to the owners halfway through the race 'it's been a great experience, he's learning to race', as it looked like he was going to be fourth or fifth.
"We took him to Chelmsford for a gallop last Monday, we did all the work that needed to be done.
"I've got to thank the Sarkar family, they were the first owners in the UK to support me, so to pay them back with a Brocklesby winner is massive.
"His name is Zminiature because he's tiny, he's only up to my chest!
"We started with three horses 18 months ago but we're up to 50 now, 25 of those are two-year-olds. It's been hard work, 18-hour days, but I've got to thank the team at home, I just conduct it all.
"There's a conditions race at Chester and a Listed race at Sandown, then after that we'll take stock.
"I'm pleased for Rhys, I don't think he gets the opportunities he deserves but he's quite softly spoken and in this game you've got to make a bit of noise and talk yourself into jobs, but it meant I was able to get him. He's a great jockey, I love him."
