Michael Hills comes through in critical moment
The critical moment for any race is the winning post and a hundred yards out in the bluesq.com Thoroughbred Stakes it looked like another winner for Ryan Moore.
But Michael Hills is a canny rider on a front runner and he proved that when Critical Moment held on by a rapidly diminishing head from Desert Myth. Hills bounced the colt out from the stalls and then managed the tricky balancing act of keeping his position without using up too much of his horse’s resources too soon.
Passing the furlong pole it looked as though the plan had worked but then Moore managed to get Desert Myth going. This horse had been considered a Derby contender, until that myth was exploded in the Derby Trial at Lingfield in May, but the reality now was that Moore was bearing down on the leader.
But Critical Moment (pictured far side), who has been a improved horse since being dropped back to a mile, held on with Field Of Dream coming through for third. Charlie Hills, assistant trainer to his father, Barry, said: “He had a good draw and the plan was always to go out and make it. He's really improved and has got a very good cruising speed - they went quite quick early on. It looked like we were going to hold on in the last 50 yards and then the Ryan Moore surge came but he managed to hold on.
“We'll look at the Strensall Stakes at York’s Ebor meeting next month. We weren't too sure of his trip early on. He ran in the Craven over seven furlongs and then we tried him at Chester in the Dee Stakes over a mile-and-a-half. He didn’t stay there and now we know he’s a mile horse.”
Jimmy Quinn may tip the scale well under eight stones but he is no lightweight when it comes to looking after himself in the track and he came through a few tight moments with Roxy Flyer to win the Play Britain’s Got Talent Bingo At Meccabingo.com Handicap.
A slow break left Quinn trapped on the rail at halfway with a lot of horses’ tail ends between him and the winning post. But he did not panic and, as the field fanned out in the home straight, Quinn made his move. Everything was working out until the gap between Wadnaan and Shimmering Moment suddenly began to close in front of Roxy Flyer.
Try and switch wide and the race would be lost, so Quinn took the bold route and squeezed between the two of them deftly, and credit to a willing horse, as they won by a length from Shimmering Moment.
“The pace was solid. I wasn’t smart on my feet I wanted Paul Hanagan’s line, who was in front of me, but I was happy because they went strong,” Quinn said. “And then early in the straight the other horses were kicking down the outside, and I’m stuck in a bit of hole, but I’d saved lot of ground. The last furlong I got a bit tight for there in a few spots but she’s brave and she kicked through them and she won quite nicely in the end.”
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