Tag Archive for: Jamie Spencer

Yah Mo Be There swoops late to land Rose Bowl in style

Yah Mo Be There swooped from last to first to land the Ire-Incentive – Pays To Buy Irish Rose Bowl Stakes in good style at Newbury on Friday.

Trainer Richard Spencer and owner Phil Cunningham had hoped the son of Mohaather could follow in the footsteps of their Rajasinghe and strike in the Coventry Stakes after finishing a narrow second at York on debut.

Royal Ascot did not go to plan for the well-regarded youngster and with sights lowered to Listed level, he was slowly away from the stalls as the northern pair of Kevin Ryan’s I Got Soul and Karl Burke’s Jungle Drums set the early fractions.

However, jockey Jamie Spencer was simply waiting for the perfect moment to strike and approaching the two-furlong pole he began manoeuvring the 9-2 second favourite into a position to challenge.

He eventually unleashed his mount to make a winning run, coming through to lead with a degree of ease inside the final furlong and then surging a cosy length and a quarter clear of Jungle Drums who kept on gamely for second.

Richard Spencer was thrilled to see the colt not only shed his maiden status but also highlight his top-class potential, with a move up to seven furlongs and Doncaster’s Champagne Stakes highlighted as a next port of call.

He said: “I was pleased he was able to put that unlucky run at Ascot when he got hampered behind us. It was a good run at York on debut and we thought he’d go to Ascot and run a very big race and he just had no luck. But today he has got back on track and has shown us what we’ve seen at home.

“They didn’t go very quick and I think you can upgrade the performance because they didn’t go quick early and he has then quickened off a very slow pace to win very well. He only got one flick to do so and he is an exciting horse.

Trainer Richard Spencer was delighted with the performance of Yah Mo Be There
Trainer Richard Spencer was delighted with the performance of Yah Mo Be There (David Davies/PA)

“We’ve held him in high regard all winter and throughout the spring we thought he was very nice. I think we are only going to see better from him when he steps up to seven furlongs later this season and hopefully a mile next year.

“We have two by Mohaather in the yard and they both have very good minds and show us good ability so we are pleased with the purchases and hopefully the sire can show us he can produce some nice horses with his offspring.

“All being well, if he comes out of it well, I would say the Champagne Stakes would be where he heads next.”



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Pretty Polly appeals dismissed by Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board

Two appeals concerning the finish of the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh have both been dismissed by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board.

The Group One contest produced a messy conclusion as the George Boughey-trained winner Via Sistina drifted across the track in the final furlong, impeding the placed horses in winning by two lengths under Jamie Spencer.

Ben and Sir Martyn Arbib, who own Hughie Morrison’s second-placed Stay Alert, appealed against the raceday stewards’ decision not to revise the placings, but the IHRB dismissed that claim.

Spencer was given a six-day ban for his ride, with the jockey asking the IHRB appeals panel to reconsider the severity of the suspension.

However, that was also dismissed with Spencer ruled out on July 15, 17-20 and 22.

The suspension means he misses the ride aboard Khaadem in Saturday’s July Cup, with Rob Hornby booked to ride the 80-1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes winner at Newmarket instead.



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Via Sistina in cruise control for Pretty Polly triumph

Via Sistina led home a one-two for the British raiders when storming to a Group One triumph in the Yulong Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh.

Trained by George Boughey, the five-year-old arrived in Ireland having seen her impressive Newmarket win over Al Husn franked at Newcastle in the Hoppings Stakes, and the mount of Jamie Spencer was sent off the 6-4 favourite to give the Saffron House handler a first Irish win.

Spencer was in no rush aboard the progressive daughter of Fastnet Rock and had Via Sistina anchored alongside fellow raider, Hughie Morrison’s Stay Alert, in the early stages as Trevaunance and Above The Curve disputed matters at the head of proceedings.

Via Sistina proved much the best
Via Sistina proved much the best (Brian Lawless/PA)

There was little change in the order until the runners straightened for home, when both Ronan Whelan aboard Stay Alert and the big-race favourite began to plot a route to the front and it was Via Sistina who made the eyecatching progress when shown daylight by Spencer.

With energy to burn she was soon alongside Above The Curve disputing the lead with a furlong to run and although hanging right and causing interference to both the Rosscarbery and the eventual third Above The Curve in the process of making her challenge, she was full of running at the finish as she crossed the line with a two-length advantage over Stay Alert.

A stewards’ inquiry was called due to the interference in the aftermath, but the result remained unaltered as Spencer bagged Group One victories on successive Saturdays following last week’s shock success in the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes aboard Khaadem.

James Spencer speaks with winning connections
James Spencer speaks with winning connections (Brian Lawless/PA)

Speaking before the officials handed him a six-day ban for careless riding, Spencer said: “I had a plan to jump smartly, get up behind Ryan (Moore, on Above The Curve) third or fourth. She didn’t jump and my first thing was to get out and don’t get stuck down the fence. I was on about Plan E at that stage.

“She leaned in a bit early in the straight and obviously halfway down the straight, but she was much the best. I only had to give her one flick and she had her ears pricked the last furlong.”

As well as a first winner in Ireland for Boughey, it was the first time Via Sistina has struck at the highest level and options look open with Coral going 3-1 from 7-1 for the Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, while Paddy Power gave quotes of 5-2 from 4-1 for Newmarket’s Falmouth Stakes and 10-1 for the Yorkshire Oaks.

Delighted owner Stephen Hillen said: “It doesn’t happen like that very often.

“That’s probably as fast a ground as she wants to run on. Jamie said they went really quick, he said he missed the break and was a bit far out of her ground.

One for the family album
One for the family album (Brian Lawless/PA)

“She’s that big she wears a rug for stalls entry and when you wear a rug they are always a bit slow away.

“He was a bit further back than he wanted to be, but he just said when she comes good she’s just much better than them.”

On plans, he said: “She’s very versatile, I think she can go a mile to a mile and a half. She likes going in a straight line as well so she could go to the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket.

“After that there is the Nassau and she’ll be in most of the big races. She’s in the Yorkshire Oaks and the International at York.

“You wouldn’t be risking her on anything with ‘firm’ in it.”



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Via Sistina oozes class in Dahlia Stakes cruise

Via Sistina was a runaway winner in a strong renewal of the Howden Dahlia Stakes for jockey Jamie Spencer and trainer George Boughey.

The strapping daughter of Fastnet Rock, reportedly the biggest horse in the Newmarket yard, had won a Group Three at Toulouse in November, having finished runner-up on her first start for the yard in a similar contest at Newmarket.

Formerly with Joseph Tuite, the five-year-old was back down in trip to nine furlongs for her seasonal debut and relished the soft ground, travelling sweetly throughout the Group Two contest.

As the field split into two groups early, Spencer sat motionless on the far side as last season’s Falmouth winner Prosperous Voyage set the pace, and he was still on the bridle when the pace quickened.

With two furlongs to race Via Sistina, sent off the 5-2 favourite, was asked to quicken and she strode clear in tremendous fashion to score eased down by six lengths from Al Husn, who got the better of Astral Beau by half a length for the minor honours.

Boughey said: “She’s done very well over the winter and Jamie said he had them covered all the way.

“The ground is so key to her – she’s got a hell of a turn of foot in soft ground. Her work is good on decent ground, but when it’s soft I haven’t got anything to go with her, so this hasn’t come as a huge surprise. When the rain started to fall we were pretty happy.

Via Sistina in full flight
Via Sistina in full flight (Nigel French/PA)

“She’s done it with consummate ease there. She’s not so free now, she’s able to relax and that’s going to enable her to get better and better.

“Even at the back end of last year we were talking about the Prix de l’Opera on Arc day as a realistic possibility. It’s been soft for the last however many years on Arc day and we’ll work back from that.

“The Pretty Polly on Irish Derby day is possibly the next step and she’s not sort of pace, so I think she’s pretty versatile trip-wise.

“I don’t really know what her trip is, but the softer the ground the better for her really.”



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