Tag Archive for: Salisbury

Salisbury lose Dick Poole card for second successive season

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Salisbury has felt the full force of the weather and has been forced to abandon their early-September Dick Poole card for the second year in a row due to waterlogging.

The Wiltshire track lost the seven-race fixture, which has the Group Three juvenile event as its feature, on the day of racing 12 months ago, but this time around the action has been curtailed over 24 hours before it was due to take place with the course failing a 9am inspection on Wednesday following significant rainfall.

Salisbury clerk of the course Jeremy Martin said: “The abandonment is a great disappointment to everyone here and it is actually the second year in a row we have lost our main meeting of the season.

“It is of a consequence of around 60mm of rain in the last six days and of course we raced on Friday August 29 on ground that was practically soft.

“Although we railed a lot of it off, there is still plenty of the course that we can’t avoid like either side of the fibresand crossing, the dips and the lower areas of the dips between the four furlong marker and the two and a half.

“The ground there is very wet and they are areas which are unstable, and likewise in the last furlong, it can’t be avoided.

“The weather has changed quickly in the last week, we’ve had a lot of rain and there is more forecast throughout today and during the night, with potential for another 10-15mm.

“With that in mind there was no way the areas that were giving me concern were going to get better, they were only going to get worse, so it was in everybody’s interest we made an early decision and people could make other plans.

“We’re very disappointed as it’s a great card. I’ve been here 25 years and prior to last year we had never lost this fixture and now we’ve lost it two years in a row. It’s very disappointing and the rains have definitely arrived with a vengeance after five months of lovely sunny weather.”

Last year’s Dick Poole was rearranged for Salisbury’s Friday evening fixture just over a week later and officials are hopeful a similar arrangement could be made this time around.

Martin continued: “In terms of rescheduling the Dick Poole, I need to have a conversation with the BHA, there is the option of moving it to next Friday if everybody is willing to pull together.

“That will be something I will be working on today and it worked last year so let’s hope we can make it work this year.

“Last year when we rearranged we had a nice winner in Tabiti and next Friday is a seven-race card so hopefully the Dick Poole can be added to it.”

Morris Dancer shows off winning moves at Salisbury

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William Buick teamed up with John and Thady Gosden to ride a Listed race double at Salisbury through Morris Dancer and Miss Justice.

The victory of Morris Dancer in the three-runner British Stallion Studs EBF Stonehenge Stakes was more expected, but nevertheless he was sent off a 11-10 chance with A Bit Of Spirit the 5-6 favourite.

Morris Dancer had pushed Zavateri close at Goodwood in the Vintage Stakes and back down in grade had little trouble in winning by four lengths.

Buick said: “It was a quick turnaround from Goodwood where he had shown signs of inexperience.

“The way he jumped from the stalls that day, we were too far behind but he still ran a huge race.

“It’s lovely to see him back it up here today and I was really happy with what he did, he’s improving with all his racing.

“He’s learning on the job but is very straightforward, you can place him anywhere and I do think he’s improving.

“We wanted a tow into the race, it was a fair run race and you can take a bit out of it, everyone had their shot.

“I don’t think he’d mind a bit of juice in the ground but he gets the job done. He stayed a mile but I think he’d also be happy back at seven furlongs.”

Miss Justice’s win in the British Stallion Studs EBF Upavon Fillies’ Stakes was a bit more of a surprise as she had been busy on the all-weather and looked to have a bit to find on the figures but she was still only an 11-2 chance.

The four-year-old had to survive being caught badly short of room before the turn for home and the persistent challenge of Ralph Beckett’s Revoir but battled back to win by a head.

“She’s been a filly we’ve always liked and has a brilliant pedigree, being by Justify and out of a sister to Timepiece,” Thady Gosden told Racing TV.

“She’s been a bit unlucky this year but won well at Southwell last time out, albeit she was back in trip today.

“She got badly cut up out in the country but the jockey seemed more annoyed than her!

“It’s fantastic for her owners to win this today and we’ll just enjoy that.”

Spirit willing ally for Cox in search of Stonehenge prize

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A Bit Of Spirit will bid to regain the winning thread when he returns to the familiar territory of Salisbury to step up to a mile in the British Stallion Studs EBF Stonehenge Stakes on Wednesday.

Clive Cox’s talented youngster impressed at the Wiltshire track when defying a penalty there on his second start, and after being narrowly denied when upped in class for Ascot’s Pat Eddery Stakes he now tries his hand once again at Listed level, against just two rivals.

Although low in numbers, however, the race is not devoid of quality and Cox has the utmost respect for John and Thady Gosden’s Vintage Stakes runner-up Morris Dancer, who looks set to present a stern challenge in a race the Lambourn handler won with Cobh in 2020.

“Obviously there’s only three runners, but there is healthy competition and Morris Dancer was a very respectful second in the Group Two at Goodwood,” said Cox.

“I’m very happy though that my fellow is in good form and he ran a blinder at Ascot. He’s a course winner at Salisbury as well so I’m relishing the opportunity to run him and fingers crossed he can run well.

“We always thought he could take the step up to a mile and this seems like a sensible opportunity on a course he has won at. He’s hit the line really well each time he has run, so I see no reason not to go to a mile and I really hope it is in his compass.”

The Stonehenge Stakes is one of two Listed events on the Salisbury card, with a field of nine assembled for the British Stallion Studs EBF Upavon Fillies’ Stakes.

Ralph Beckett’s Revoir was not disgraced in the Oaks on her penultimate start and is fancied to be one of the leading players, with Owen Burrows’ Azaniya going in search of a hat-trick after wins in a Newmarket novice event then a Windsor handicap.