A humid afternoon was made special by the remarkable coincidence of the winners of the best turned out awards for the first four races all winning their races on the track as well. We also saw the first 100/1 success at the course for many years. The going was good to soft, good in places.
The multiple champion jumps trainer Paul Nicholls opened his account at Brighton in the opening 5f sprint. Two pacemakers set a tremendous gallop, only to inevitably run out of steam coming up the hill. Megan Nicholls switched Whataguy (5/1) off the rails to come around them and hit the front with 75 yards to go. A Sure Welcome ran on well but just too late, and was a length and a quarter down passing the post.
The David Simcock-trained Bredenbury (8/11 fav) was all the rage for the 6f race for two-year-olds and it was plain sailing for her. Stevie Donohoe set a reasonable pace, extended the lead after passing the two pole, and won unchallenged. Course winner Faldetta came in three and a half lengths away, but was flattered by her proximity.
If you could overlook the previous run of Couldn’t Could She, which came too soon after her course and distance victory in May, she deserved to be shorter than her 16/1 starting price for the 1m2f race. She took the lead off the favourite Seaborn at the furlong pole and won fairly decisively by a length and a quarter. She will no doubt be back for a similar contest. Charlie Bennett rode her for Adam West.
The 1m4f amateurs’ race went to Sigrid Hansen (13/2), who had shown a bit of form here before. Never too far from the lead, Miss Hannah Welch steered her through a gap on the rail three out and, under a hands and heels ride, strolled to a six length victory over Orobas. Somerset trainer Alexandra Dunn is on course for her best season and this was her fourth win of the year here. Roy Rocket made modest late progress to finish third, his best run of a so far lacklustre campaign.
The 1m handicap resulted in a short head win for Miss Recycled, a 100/1 “skinner” for the bookies. The 39-race maiden Joyful Dream had been gambled on and looked set to collect when going a length ahead a furlong out, but she was caught on the line by the rank outsider. She’d only run five times in the last two seasons, and on one occasion she had shown enough dash to lead for most of a race over two furlongs further. Trainer Michael Madgwick said the filly had now learned to settle, and his orders to Tom Marquand were to give her a chance. The jockey did that to perfection, and there seems no fluke about this result.
Global Destination (11/10 fav) was the obvious choice for the 7f handicap, on the back of his recent win on easy ground. The Ed Dunlop three-year-old took a narrow lead two out and from there his jockey Gerald Mosse successfully cajoled him along to maintain it. He ran out a three-quarter length winner from Tarrzan, a 20/1 shot who landed a few each way bets.
The final race, over 6f, produced another surprise winner in Nervous Nerys (20/1), who had only finished in the first three once in 15 starts. Cool Strutter tried to make every yard, only to be overhauled by Nerys with three or four strides to go. Pearl Spectre made his run at the same time, but never got level with the winner, who got the verdict by a short head. It was apprentice Amelia Glass’s first ride at Brighton. Alex Hales was the successful trainer.
