Hooray for Sir Mark Prescott in Sirenia Stakes
It may have taken a while to get the tactics right but Hooray is now proving simplicity itself.
Having tried a variety of options with the filly, when she seemed not to be fulfilling her early promise, Sir Mark Prescott decided to take the line of least resistance by just using her speed. The new ploy worked perfectly when she won the Group Two Lowther Stakes at York’s Ebor meeting last month and the same method allowed her to defy a penalty to win the Group Three totepool Sirenia Stakes at Kempton Park.
The action kicked off, quite literally, even before the race started. Signs In The Sand, who had supplanted Hooray as the market leader, was initially reluctant to lad into the stalls and both The Paddyman and Fifth Commandment became so upset in the stalls that they had to be released and then withdrawn from the race.
That left a field of four and although Reckless Reward led from the gates, Hooray was in front quickly for Seb Sanders. The pair looked there for the taking in the home straight, with both Reckless Reward and Signs In The Sand appearing ready to challenge.
But neither could get on terms as Hooray came clear, without Sanders having to ask for much of an effort, as she beat Reckless Reward by three lengths in a new track record. “Well, it felt pretty good on top of her,” Sanders said. “She picked up real well. I thought she quickened well at York but today she’s stepped up again. I think she’s learning her job better and better every time – hopefully she’ll just keep improving that bit more.”
Prescott is never a man to allow himself to get carried away and even now, as he completed the double when Tuscan Gold won the two-mile handicap, his glass was half empty. “I was delighted with her but God was good to us – we were a bit lucky with those withdrawals – but I thought it was her best run today. She’s in the Prix d'Arenberg, in 10 days’ time, and then it would be the Chevely Park.”
Richard Hills has become a master of the front-running ride and gave a master class in the art of winning form the front on Laaheb, trained by Michael Jarvis, in the Group Three totesport.com September Stakes.
Having got himself to the front, Hills then controlled the pace astutely on an easy rhythm as he had his rivals stacked behind. Hills picked up the tempo off the home turn and always had too much in hand to win by three-and-a-half lengths from Holberg.
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