Tag Archive for: Vintage Stakes

Morris Dancer one step shy of Vintage victory

/in /by

John and Thady Gosden’s Morris Dancer took a significant stride forward when narrowly beaten in the Coral Vintage Stakes at Goodwood.

The Godolphin-owned son of Palace Pier was a winner when last seen in a Haydock novice, but with rivals proven at Group level, he was a 22-1 shot under William Buick.

Those odds meant little to him as he chased home Eve Johnson Houghton’s Zavateri, missing out by just a short head on the line.

John Gosden said: “We are thrilled with him, he has run a great race. He won at Haydock and then just had a little niggle and cough. So we backed off and he has come here off the minimum work and run a great race.

“That’s the July Stakes form, with the winner by an old friend of ours in Without Parole. Morris Dancer is by Palace Pier so it is nice to see your old pals in Group Two races like this.

“William said don’t be frightened to step up to a mile with him and we will do that somewhere.”

Ed Walker is not inclined to lower the sights of Do Or Do Not after his third-placed run under Tom Marquand, the latest in a string of placings in highly-competitive races.

“He’s a star, isn’t he? He just doesn’t know how to win yet, annoyingly!” said Walker.

“I actually thought today he was coming in to win but it was just greenness and whatever you want to call it, he was wandering around a little bit. He seems to find a way of not winning, which is frustrating.

“I think we’ll go for something easier but I don’t think we need to go for a maiden or a novice. The horse who was second in the Chesham (Thesecretadversary) was then beaten at 2-13 in one, it happens.

“There’s nothing to gain, he doesn’t need to win a maiden or a novice.

“He is a really solid horse and we are throwing the kitchen sink at him. He keeps answering. We might just try to find a slightly lower race – not a maiden because there isn’t any point – to give him some confidence.”

Zavateri defies penalty with Vintage performance

/in /by

Eve Johnson Houghton’s Zavateri gamely maintained his unbeaten record when defying a penalty in holding off Morris Dancer in the Coral Vintage Stakes at Goodwood.

A surprise winner of the July Stakes at Newmarket, he was still a fairly generous 8-1 for this Group Two affair, mainly due to the fact he was carrying 3lb more than such promising types as Humidity and Dorset.

Charlie Bishop still had five in front of him with two furlongs to run, but when the gap came he shot through it and while immediately challenged by John and Thady Gosden’s Morris Dancer, he stuck his neck out and had his head in the right place on the line. The Ed Walker-trained Do Or Do Not placed yet again in third.

Zavateri was tough
Zavateri was tough (PA)

“After Newmarket I didn’t know where to go because when you have a 3lb penalty it’s damn hard,” said Johnson Houghton.

“It was either come here or wait until Doncaster, but so glad we did. He had to win his race twice after cutting through them like a knife through butter.

“I put him in the Mill Reef this morning, but that’s out of the question now as we will head for the Dewhurst with the Jean-Luc Lagardere as a back up.

“He’s never had to tough it out at home, but he did today. What a dude he is, just a lovely, lovely horse.

“Dad (Fulke Johnson Houghton) trained (2002 Dewhurst winner) Tout Seul when I was around, and he was brilliant, but this one would be better, I think. There’s nowhere to go now before the Dewhurst so we’ll have to wait for that.”

Zavateri looks the part
Zavateri looks the part (PA)

Bishop added: “It’s a massive performance with a penalty. We’re getting closer, step by step (to thinking about the 2000 Guineas), I don’t know how much more racing he’ll have this year but the Dewhurst will be where we work back from, after that then I think we can talk about the Guineas. He’s seen the seven out extremely well today, headed and rallied and was strong at the line.”