Tag Archive for: Julie Camacho

Raatea enters Royal Ascot reckoning for Camacho team

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Raatea may have earned himself a place on Julie Camacho’s small but select squad for Royal Ascot with victory in the Sky Bet Reverence Handicap at Haydock.

The six-year-old carries the colours of Martin Hughes, a part-owner of the yard’s stable star Shaquille, who is a major contender for Group One honours in Ascot’s Commonwealth Cup.

Raatea is not of that standard, but is undoubtedly a talented sprinter in his own right and following a fifth-placed finish on his reappearance at Newmarket, he stepped up on Merseyside to land odds of 13-2 in the hands of James Doyle.

Camacho’s husband and assistant, Steve Brown, said: “In fairness to Jason Hart, who rode him at Newmarket where he finished fifth in a really competitive race, he said he thought he’d really benefit from cheekpieces and you could see the difference today with how he travelled.

“James said he’d have kicked himself had he got beat as he actually got there too soon and the horse thought he’d done enough.

“There’s no doubt he’s a horse with plenty of ability and he’s done well for us, but we’ve always had it at the back of our minds that he could have done a touch better.

“We’ll have a chat with Martin and see what he’d like to do, but the ability is there to be taking part in good races. He has his own ideas, but when he’s good, he’s good.

“He’s in the Wokingham at Royal Ascot. He’s obviously got a penalty now, whether that’s enough to get in I don’t know, but I’m sure Martin would be delighted if he could run.

“In fairness, the stiff six at Ascot is his gig as he’s a six-and-a-half-furlong horse really.”

Cumulonimbus (left) and Harry Davies made all the running at Haydock
Cumulonimbus (left) and Harry Davies made all the running at Haydock (Nigel French/PA)

The Charlie Fellowes-trained Cumulonimbus (6-1) led from pillar to post in the Better Betting With Sky Bet Handicap under a well-judged ride from Harry Davies.

The four-year-old made every yard of the running when scoring at Newmarket last month and repeated the tactics on Merseyside, dominating from the front and keeping enough up his sleeve to repel the challenge of the long-absent Live Your Dream by half a length.

“The ground is rattling out there today, it was actually a concern for me but it was no problem for him,” said Davies.

“I managed to get a very easy lead on the front end. I hacked round really until we got to the four-furlong marker and I just sprinted away.

“He’s very gutsy and he’s improving, so it’s great.”

Chartwell House came home in splendid isolation at Haydock
Chartwell House came home in splendid isolation at Haydock (Nigel French/PA)

Chartwell House was an emphatic winner of the Sky Bet Extra Places Every Day Handicap for trainer William Knight and jockey Neil Callan.

The 5-2 shot controlled affairs from the start of the seven-furlong contest and after kicking clear it was all over, with four lengths separating him and his rivals at the line despite Callan easing down.

“He’s actually been a difficult horse, just because he’s strong and he hangs and he’s been a little bit wayward. I think it just because of his nerves,” said the jockey.

“On his first run of the year at Newmarket I could barely hold him and he did well to finish third. I didn’t ride him in his next couple of races, but he’s come here and I think this track suits him because rather than thinking about getting him to relax, you can let him bowl along and enjoy himself.

“He really enjoyed it today, I kicked before they came at him because I didn’t want to give him an excuse to pull up and he stretched out and got the distance well.”

The concluding Betting Better With Sky Bet Sankey Handicap went the way of Simon and Ed Crisford’s Choisya, who gained compensation for a narrow reversal at Goodwood last month by edging out
Venetian to prevail by a short head.



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Shaquille poised to shoot for Commonwealth crown

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Julie Camacho’s Shaquille is Royal Ascot bound after his smart success in the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury.

The Charm Spirit colt has done little wrong in six runs so far, winning five of those outings and looking to takes strides forward each time.

He began this year with a handicap victory at Newmarket, prevailing by two and three-quarter lengths despite a less than perfect run, and he was then a comfortable victor when making the running in the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury.

Having taken that Listed race by two lengths, another step up in class beckons as the colt is likely to to take his place in next month’s Group One Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.

Steve Brown, Camacho’s husband and assistant, said: “He taken his exertions well from the weekend, he’s had a few quiet days but he’ll be back in full exercise by the end of the week.

“The next obvious option is to go to Ascot with him for the Commonwealth Cup, we’re pleased with what he’s doing as he seems to be settling into his racing and showing a bit more maturity.

“He keeps finding a bit of improvement, so at the minute we feel as though that’s the right option. We’ll ask him for a little bit more and see what he’s got to say.

“Saturday will be informative at Haydock (the Sandy Lane Stakes), we’ll see what comes out of that.”

Shaquille made all at Newbury
Shaquille made all at Newbury (Steven Paston/PA)

Shaquille, who was bred by one of his co-owners and is by a Galileo mare in Magic, has impressed connections not only in his ability on the track but also with a constitution that seems to thrive on racing.

Brown said: “The fascinating thing with this horse is that he never comes home tired, he always comes home and says ‘well that was OK, what are we doing next?’.

“He had a long day, he travelled down to Newbury and back in a day and within an hour he’d eaten his tea up and he was ready to do whatever you asked of him next.”



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Shaquille nets Carnarvon prize for Camacho

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Julie Camacho looks set to send Shaquille to Royal Ascot for the Commonwealth Cup after a decisive all-the-way win in the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury.

James Doyle’s mount was completing a four-timer after a couple of novice wins last year and a soft-ground success in a decent handicap at Newmarket to open his three-year-old campaign.

Shaquille was clearly fresh and well, having almost dispatched his rider on the chute from the parade ring to the track and bounced out in the six-furlong contest.

He did not see another horse, with odds-on Noble Style restrained in the early part of the race and Desert Cop, who tracked the leader all the way, fending off the reminder to take second.

It was a wonder that an emotional Camacho even saw the winner, she explained: “I’ve only just arrived. We have had a terrible journey down here.

“It means an awful lot, especially since we’ve had such a rough trip down. It was bit hectic. They shut the A34 and we ended up in Oxford, reversing up streets. It should have taken four hours and we left at 8.15am.

“Newbury has never been a lucky track for us. It is very competitive, but we have managed to have winners at other tracks.

“When you are so far wrong in the ratings, you wonder if you should be here, but he showed he does deserve to be.

“He did it well and he’s a homebred, so it means a bit more.”

She added: “He has taken a while to pull him up. At Newmarket he did everything wrong and still managed to win. He must have some engine to do what he did at Newmarket. It wasn’t the plan to make all, but if nothing wanted to go on, there was no point in fighting him.

“We will go home and think about Ascot, but I think the plan will be to go there.”

Aidan O’Brien was thinking in terms of a Derby trial for Bertinelli (9-2), but decided instead to head to the BetVictor London Gold Cup – a decision which proved justified as Ryan Moore’s mount stayed on nicely to land the 10-furlong prize from Bold Act and Exoplanet in a head-bobbing finish.

The Ballydoyle hander said: “It is lovely race to win at a lovely track. It is a great distance for three-year-olds and it’s just perfect – a perfect situation for Ascot, we thought it was a lovely run-in for the horse.

“I’m absolutely delighted. Ryan gave him a beautiful ride.”

Bertinelli (left) winning at Newbury
Bertinelli (left) winning at Newbury (Steven Paston/PA)

Bertinelli could now be set for Royal Ascot, with O’Brien adding: “Ryan was obviously discussing with the lads to see what they want to do, but that would be an option (King Edward VII Stakes), or he could go for the mile and a half three-year-old handicap (King George V Handicap)

“He is a big horse and he’s still a baby who I think is going to be way better next year, so the key to him is not to over-face him this year.

“He is like his dad (Justify), he’s massive, with a big stride. He is a beautiful mover and I’d say he would have really appreciated the ground, but he is a very big horse, so I think we just have to be gentle with him now.

“If we go to Ascot, it will be on the lesser side. I think we should keep the bar as low as we can for him. He’ll fill into his frame.”

Bear Force One (22-1) came with a rattle to land the BetVictor Handicap under a fine ride from Oisin Murphy.

Bear Force One struck gold under Oisin Murphy
Bear Force One struck gold under Oisin Murphy (Steven Paston/PA)

The Roger Teal-trained seven-year-old had won at Kempton over a mile in April, but had a bit to prove on his subsequent showing at Ascot.

However, he relished this quicker ground to score with a bit to spare. Teal said: “It has been a frustrating week at York, but coming nearer to home has helped.

“Oisin has given him a peach, let him go through the gears. He just kept it simple. He doesn’t like getting too much cover, but Oisin let him fill up his lungs and he had enough in the tank to pull away at the end.

“He doesn’t handle the hotter weather so we might put him away and come back towards the backend. He’s a horse who gets affected by the environment – pollen and stuff.

“He can lose his form, as he did last year. So we decided to get him in early, have a spring campaign and then maybe go for the London Mile Final in September.”

William Buick
William Buick (John Walton/PA)

William Buick then enjoyed another victory on the card as he followed up his Lockinge triumph with a win in the Connect It Utility Services Handicap aboard Shobiz.

Trained by Charlie Hills, the 8-1 chance travelled at the head of affairs and battled to a one-length success over the 5-1 favourite, Seamus Durack’s Sir Thomas Gresham.



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