Significantly overcame trouble in running with a career-best effort to take the Ayr feature under Joe Fanning for Julie Camacho; he powered past Ramazan, Gweedore and Albasheer in a blanker finish at the Scottish venue
Saturday 23 September 2023 16:34, UK
Julie Camacho's Significantly overcame a troubled passage to take a big pot in the Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup Handicap.
The gelding was rolling the dice again after just missing out on the Portland Handicap at the St Leger meeting exactly a week ago.
The race was a return to six furlongs and at several points it seemed that luck had deserted him once again as his progress was abruptly stopped by other horses in the 24-runner handicap.
He was brought almost to a halt as another horse crossed his path in the final furlong, but showed great tenacity under Joe Fanning to renew his attack and lunge at the line to win by a neck from Ramazan.
"We're thrilled, he's a decent horse and it's a bit of compensation for last week when he ran so well and he just didn't quite make it," said Steve Brown, Camacho's husband and assistant.
"He's a horse that was very good in his younger days when he was produced by Karl [Burke] and he's just slowly working his way back to that level."
Of the decision to run him again a week after Doncaster, Brown added: "There's always a little bit of trepidation because you're never quite sure if they're in the same form, he's just had a quiet week.
"He did a couple of canters and didn't give us any indication that he wasn't well, we were happy to take our chances and I think we had to go for it with him being such a fancied runner.
"I think he'd have been an unlucky loser but it worked out and I'm thrilled for Niall [O'Keeffe, owner], it's his first year with horses with us and it's great to win a big for him."
Ramazan hit the front with two furlongs to run but Fanning could be spotted going well in behind with nowhere to run.
When he eventually did see daylight the response was immediate and while he would have been an unlucky loser, there were plenty of other hard luck tales.
Gweedore finished third but fourth home was Hollie Doyle and Albasheer.
