Rerouted goes straight to win Somerville Tattersall Stakes
Twins often share the same traits and the Hills brothers, Michael and Richard are no exceptions.
They have become used to being mistaken for one another, to the point that they have stood in for each other in post-race presentations. And their similarity extends to riding talents.
Richard has become recognised as a prime exponent of controlling the race front but it was match by his sibling when Rerouted won the Group Three Somerville Tattersall Stakes. Having claimed the early lead Hills then rode a canny race to keep the pace even which meant that he was not caught out too badly when The Paddyman and Surrey Star challenged.
It took Rerouted a little time to pick up again but he found more for pressure as he nailed Surrey Star in the final strides to win by a short-head. “I wanted to make the running but my horse had his ears pricked and he really wasn’t travelling as well as I wanted him to do,” Hills said. “But it was a good, solid pace all the way through. Then they quickened up, and they got me flat-footed and he stayed up the hill.
“He won well at Haydock [in May] and we really thought he was going to be a Pattern horse; trying to squeeze him to Royal Ascot but it was never going to happen. He ran a bit disappointing at Donny [last time out]. We thought he’d win there and we persisted and it came off.”
Persistence may have paid off but it is likely that Rerouted’s trainer, Barry Hills, may now play the patience card with a view to working towards next season’s 2000 Guineas.“He’s a baby,” the jockey said. “He’s still learning about the game, he’s got lots of natural ability and always worked like a good horse at home. He’s won his Pattern race now so I’d say we’d be looking forward to a three-year-old campaign now.”
Royal Exchange, the uneasy market leader, took time to get into the race and then ran on to finish third for Richard Hughes and his trainer, Richard Hannon, will now turn to Strong Suit, who runs in the Group One Shadwell Middle Park Stakes.
Hannon has already has to rule out two of his top horses – Canford Cliffs and Memory - with a bad scope – from his Herridge yard and is hoping that Strong Suit has avoided such problems based in the neighbouring stable. Speaking on his website, he said: "Obviously, Strong Suit is our big hope - unlike Canford Cliffs and Memory, he is based up at Everleigh, so fingers crossed he will stay clear of any little niggles.
“We have more strength in depth in the youngsters than we have ever had, but if pushed I'd still say that this fellow was the best of them. He had to be special to do what he did at Royal Ascot, but, for whatever reason, he didn't fire in the Phoenix Stakes in Ireland, and the form has to be wrong as we beat the winner [Zoffany] seven lengths in the Coventry. Hughesie is adamant that he is better dropped out, so we will probably revert to those tactics, and, though it looks a hot renewal, we have certainly not lost faith that Strong Suit is the real deal."
Saamidd has already looked the real deal and was confirmed as a supplementary entry for the Dubai Dewhurst Stakes after he worked over seven furlongs under Frankie Dettori, in the company of two older lead horses - Seaway and Taarab - before racing.
The Street Cry colt is unbeaten in two starts, having followed up an emphatic seven-length debut victory in a Newbury maiden in August with an impressive victory in the Group Two Champagne Stakes at Doncaster earlier this month. Simon Crisford, Godolphin’s racing manager, said: “We were very pleased with Saamidd’s work today and we are looking forward to running him in the Dubai Dewhurst Stakes next month.”
When the card started Auden helped put some money back into Sheikh Mohammed’s coffers when he won the NGK Spark Plugs EBF Maiden Stakes for Mahmood al Zarooni.
Ahmed Ajtebi had Auden up with the pace from early on, taking up the running with more than a furlong to run as he readily held off the challenge of Academy. Given that this was Auden’s third start, and has not major entries, it may be safe to assume that he will not be one of the Godolphin academy’s star graduates.
http://www.senore.com/Tangerine-Trees-grows-further-to-win-Rous-Stakes-a30893
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