Double Rush led home one-two for trainer Charlie Hills in the curtain-raising bet365 Handicap on Craven Stakes day at Newmarket.
A winner on the all-weather at Wolverhampton little over a fortnight ago, Double Rush was a 9-4 favourite to follow up on his handicap debut in the hands of Jason Watson and got the better of stablemate Bob Mali by a length and a quarter.
Hills said of the winner: “He won his novice very well in a good time at Wolverhampton and I think he’s going to be a nice, improving three-year-old through the season.
“Some of our horses weren’t right last season, so he had a nice mark really. He probably didn’t handle the track that well today and a flatter track will suit him better.
“There’s a valuable handicap at York a week or so before Royal Ascot and we could aim him for that, but we’ll see how he improves and take it step by step.”
John and Thady Gosden quickly followed up their win in the feature Craven Stakes by saddling Swiss Lightning (2-1 favourite) to take the Rossdales Maiden Fillies’ Stakes in determined fashion.
Making just her second start, the Lordship Stud stud-owned daughter of Night Of Thunder showed a tremendous attitude to come out on top in a thrilling three-way finish.
“We gave her an experience of the racecourse at the end of last year, but it was heavy ground and she didn’t like it, she was a bit weak and the jockey looked after her and she has done well today as it wasn’t the plan and there was no pace, it was a messy race – she looked a bit chewy early on but settled into it.
“That was over seven and it very much felt like we should stay at seven and don’t go back to six and not go up to a mile, so we’ll have a good look. I wouldn’t want to rush her back from that as she’s had a tough enough race, but you have got to be happy with her.
“She showed a great attitude because she hit the front, then wasn’t sure what she was meant to be doing, but she didn’t give up. Ryan (Moore, on Richard Hannon’s runner-up Stellenbosch) had the rail and that’s a big advantage with these inexperienced fillies.”
Stallion Ten Sovereigns had the one-two in the concluding Watch Live Racing At bet365 Handicap as Harry Charlton’s Ten Pounds (5-1) saw off Tom Clover’s 5-4 favourite Fifty Nifty in the hands of Trevor Whelan.
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