Ebro River about to take the Queensferry Stakes at Chester. (JTW Equine Images)
By Tom Williams
As they say with buses, “You wait for one, and then two turn up at once”.
It would appear that victories in racing come in the same way, too.
It was raining doubles at the Roodee as three jockeys and one trainer went home with multiples successes against their names on Saturday.
The party was started by Sam Hitchcott, who managed to bookend the card with victory in the first aboard Liv My Life for trainer Richard Hannon and owners Mr Ian Wright, Mrs Teresa Lyons and Ptnr.
It looked like the crowd assembled at Chester were going to get off to the best possible start, as favourite Etoile D’Alexandre had swept to the lead and gone two lengths clear entering the home straight.
However, the expected flourish to the line failed to materialise, the leader tamely dropping back through the field and not finishing her race in at all the fashion expected. The honour fell to Liv My Life as they swept past along with eventual runner up Desert Master, both doing battle to the line in a finish all too familiar on the Roodee – one of determination and grit.
Sam made it a double on the day by taking the prestigious Group 2 IFAHR Trophy aboard Elkeel Athbah, who simply blew his rivals away and created the biggest roar of the day from the crowd at the Roodee, who all seemed to have backed the daughter of Laith Al Khalediah as they flew up the home straight to a surefire success.
Scintillante was simply scintillating under an extremely confident Hayley Turner as she parted her rivals like the Red Sea and came home a shade cosily as she took the Ultimate Provence Handicap Stakes for trainer Andrew Balding and owner Mr Philip Fox and Partner.
The 3-year-old son of the much lamented Roaring Lion was recording their first victory, building on the promise of a recent second at Newbury 16 days ago.
Hayley doubled up just over half an hour later when taking the Grey Goose Essences Handicap aboard Roman Dragon for local trainer Hugo Palmer and owners Nick Hughes and Owen Promotions Limited.
Whilst every success is celebrated by Michael Owen, the former England footballer and the brainchild of Manor House Stables at Malpas where Hugo trains, it was noticeably Nick who was most taken aback by the victory of the son of Heeraat, who was taking their fourth victory at the Roodee.
Speaking to Sky Sports Racing afterwards, he detailed how it had been Michael who had helped turn his luck around in recent years, with the owner also paying note to the horse’s name, a nod to his beloved football team of Wrexham AFC.
“I couldn’t afford a car at one stage”, he began to disclose.
“It was Michael who said to me one day we’d have a horse together, and it’s Roman Dragon!”
“It’s our fourth time”, reflecting on the win. “It’s so emotional”.
Nick also detailed how he had lost a close friend recently, who was also a Wrexham fan, and throughout all of the flowing of joy from the connections, trainer Hugo took some time to detail a somewhat ambitious plan the part owner had created.
The idea is that Nick aspires “for Roman Dragon to become the winning most horse around Chester”.
Currently, we think he needs (to win) six (races)”.
“We’re two-thirds of the way there, I’m delighted”.
It would appear that the victor will be campaigned around the Roodee more often, with the trainer declaring that “he won off 84 last year, and off 79 here”.
“Maybe we can get another before the season’s out…”
One would certainly hope that there will be not just one or two, but maybe 3 in due course for the football loving owner’s charge to cement a record at his local flat track.
The team at Manor House got their double courtesy of Princess Niyla, who scored under Paul Hanagan in the “Born To Mix Absolut Vodka” Novice Stakes for owners Sustainable Building Services UK Limited.
Their task was made a little easier in the seven-and-a-half-furlong contest at the very start, as Woody’s Angel decided he did not fancy running today, unshipping jockey Laura Pearson at the start as the gates opened. Thankfully Laura appeared none the worst for the upset.
Princess Niyla had been absent from the course for 200 days since a below par effort at Southwell but made up for that effort by cementing the promise of their debut effort to nab stablemate O G Beachwear close home, the latter fading into third behind the fast-finishing Maremma on the inside.
If doubles were of note in victories, then they were also apparent in unseats, as Sam James was unshipped from Think Climate at the start of the seven furlong “Chandon Garden Spritz” Handicap Stakes.
As soon as the gates opened, his mount jinked left and Sam went straight out the side door to terra firma, thankfully none the worst for the blemish.
The race progressed to the crescendo of a victory for the King Of Chester, the evergreen Franny Norton, who stormed home to victory under rapturous celebration from the crowd at Chester, for whom a victory for Franny is as important as a goal for Messi is for Argentina fans in football.
Well backed to the point where it seemed an inevitability that the horse would be successful, the Roger Varian trained Chestnut son of Showcasing was not for catching as they flew to a two and a quarter length victory over Starnberg, who was returning to form after a somewhat disappointing run at Royal Ascot recently.
If one victory for Franny at Chester was not enough to raise the roof, then the victory aboard the Charlie Johnston trained Military Two Step in the Jam Shed Handicap was enough to be heard from the city’s famous Zoo as Franny guided the grey to a three-length victory over the well backed favourite Malakahna.
The winner made smooth headway around the bend leading to the home straight, and only had to be pushed out by the Chester specialist to score, the jockey affording the leisure of a couple of looks around as he sauntered to victory.
