The Foxes swoops for Huxley glory

The Foxes demonstrated his class with a decisive victory in the Ire-Incentive, It Pays To Buy Irish Huxley Stakes at Chester.

From his position in stall one, Oisin Murphy got the perfect run round aboard the son of Churchill, always travelling smoothly and in the ideal spot to pounce at the business end of the Group Two event.

The champion jockey angled out the 13-8 favourite rounding the home turn and he had plenty of horse underneath him to gallop on to score by a length and three-quarters from Alice Haynes’ 40-1 outsider Cairo.

It was the perfect way for the Andrew Balding-trained five-year-old to build on an opening run of the year in Qatar in February, with a host of big-race options now available.

Balding, speaking away from the course said: “We’re delighted with him and he’s a very good horse on his day.

“He had a few niggles mid-season last year but he’s come back strong with a couple of good runs abroad and he looked there like he was somewhere near his best, which is encouraging for the season ahead.

“This horse is effective at a mile and a quarter and a mile and a half really, but we will probably explore mile-and-a-quarter options and possibly look at Royal Ascot.”

Murphy told Sky Sports Racing: “He was superbly prepared by everyone at home as it wasn’t completely smooth sailing from Doha to here and Andrew is going to be delighted with that.

“He was push button and one of the easiest rides you will have round here. It’s all down to the work at home and he wasn’t always that easy to ride or have that gate speed, but it has come together over the last few starts and that was a joy to be a part of.

“Andrew was happy for me to do whatever and it is important to have big winners for owners King Power Racing, they invest a lot into the sport and it’s great to ride for them and have winners for them.

“Andrew will have a think about what he could run in at Royal Ascot and we also had a Group Two winner the other day in Bellum Justum and they kind of fit in the same category. They are both 10-or 12 furlong horses and one is four and one is five, so Andrew will have a think.”

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