Bewitched casts spell in Bengough Stakes at Ascot
The name O’Brien has dominated Ascot’s major Flat fixtures for more than 40 years.
In the last decade it has been Aidan O’Brien who at times has appeared to be an almost permanent fixture in the winner’s enclosure. Before that it was Vincent O’Brien and it was his son, Charles, who was by the winner’s spot after Bewitched won the Group Three Models 1 Bengough Stakes.
Victories in two Listed races and a Group Three this season meant that the filly had to carry a penalty but the bigger encumbrance for Johnny Murtagh was the need to deliver his challenge as late as possible. Richard Hughes had to do the same with the well-backed Redford, the winner of both the Ayr Gold Cup and Challenge Cup last month, but Redford never looked likely to take a leading role in the race while Murtagh was riding a horse who seemed to have something in hand as she beat Genki by three-quarters of a length.
“She’s not the easiest in that she has to be dropped in front on the line, but Johnny’s struck up a good relationship with her,” O’Brien said. “It’s not easy for a three-year-old filly taking on those older horses all the time – and especially with her penalty. So she’s done really well this year and, hopefully, next year she can go on to greater heights.”
Having been put up 10lbs for the third of his hat-trick of handicap wins in the summer, Vulcanite showed that he can reach greater heights when he won the ladbrokes.com Handicap. The colt, who had been off the track for 84 days, was up with the pace as Jim Crowley had to kick away from his high draw to avoid taking the long way round for the whole 12 furlongs.
That meant that Vulcanite raced rather keenly but still found plenty in the final furlong as he beat Sirvino by three-quarters of a length to break a losing streak at Ascot for his trainer, Ralph Beckett, that stretched back 50 runners and nine years. With a face of a man who just one the jackpot Beckett said: “I’ve got a monkey off my back.”
For Crowley it was another major handicap winner on successive Saturday’s, following the win on Credit Swap in the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket. “He’s a nice stamp of a horse and I think the boss has done a great job; he’s been off for three months,” the jockey said. “We thought a lot of him at the start of the year and he’s proved us right every time. I had to ride him quite handy from my draw. We’ve been trying to drop him out and get him settled so he was a bit keen today. But he still finished out his race well.”
Ed McMahon’s two-year-olds have been in cracking form this year, with a 29% strike-rate, and there is quality to go with the quantity. Temple Meads had already provided McMahon with the biggest winner of his career when he won the Group Two Mill Reef Stakes last month and there is still a thought of what might have been if the saddle had not slipped when he ran behind Dream Ahead when he was stepped up to Group One class for the Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket last week.
However, this is not a one-horse yard and Electric Waves added to her Listed race win at Newbury in August with a Group Three victory in the Sodexo Prestige Cornwallis Stakes for Richard Mullen. “You could rule out Doncaster. She ran very well but she got very, very worked up beforehand. Ed left no stone unturned today – he saddled her in the stable nice and early – it’s the most relaxed I’ve ever known her. And one she hit the lids I knew that was it – she just seems to be getting better and better each time she runs.”
There are still a few people who still believe that Clive Brittain has flipped his lid when he runs an outsider in a big race – and the trainer simply delights in proving them wrong. He did so again when Abjer floored the fancied runners in the Group Three Jaguar XJ Autumn Stakes and Brittain is already thinking about which 10-furlong prize might be there for the taking next season.
Any offers the Kentucky Derby?
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