Maarek lands first Group victory for trainer David Peter Nagle and rider Graham Lee
Jockey, Graham Lee, had a shining moment in the Group 3 Betfred Mobile Lotto Chipchase Stakes, when he guided the David Peter Nagle trained, Maarek, to victory at Newcastle over a distance of six furlongs on 30th June, 2012.
Courtesy of his brisk pace, Maarek was able to bolt through the track. Lee guided him to a 2 length victory over the Mrs. K. Burke trained, Boastful, while the third place was secured by Milton Bradley’s charge, Regal Parade.
Maarek, the five-year-old gelding raced as a joint favourite with Our Jonathan, while he notched the victory, Our Jonathan fell short of expectations, and finished in sixth place, missing the victory by a tremendous margin of 29 lengths.
The trainer was immensely pleased with the performance of his runner, and stated that the runner had a particular liking for the soft ground, which is why he excelled.
He stated:
"He's a very tough horse and he just loves this soft ground. We'll enter him in all the six-furlong Group races coming up while the ground is like this, as he handles it so well.”
Nagle discussed the future of his trainee, and stated that chances are that the son of Pivotal, out of mare Ruby Rocket, will race at Haydock in the Group One Sprint Cup.
Another possibility is that he will be taken to France, but his next start will solely base on how good the ground is at any venue, and if the ground doesn’t suit him, the bay gelding will not run.
Other than saddling the winner, it was a particularly meaningful victory for the trainer, since this was his first Group victory for him. He expressed his delight as he stated:
"He's a horse who keeps improving and it's great to have a Group winner. This is actually my first runner as a fully licensed trainer, as I only got my licence last week. We're based near Aidan, but we have a slightly smaller set-up!"
The jockey also shared the trainer’s joy, since this was his first Group victory of his career.
The rider seems to be well equipped, when it comes to handling the soft ground. He demonstrated his skills once again, when he guided Just Lille and Pintrada to victory at Beverley racecourse on 26th June, 2012, on a surface
that was labelled good to soft.
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