Tangerine Trees stands tall at Beverley
It was enough to have form-book students and statistic followers burning their note books.
Tangerine Trees was rated at 26lbs inferior to the best in the field for the Violet And Eddie Smith Memorial Conditions Stakes at Beverley. And those who were looking at stable form for a reason to back the gelding received precious little encouragement as Bryan Smart had saddled 34 runners in September without cause to walk into the winner’s enclosure.
Tom Eaves had Tangerine Trees in front form the stalls and held on to beat Captain Dunne by two-and-a-quarter lengths, with Tax Free in third. "He's always had ability, but the visor has probably helped him concentrate," Smart said.
Tangerine Trees only cost £6,000 and took to his career earnings to nearly £38,000 but is unlikely to ever be as much of a bargain as Makfi. The colt, who cost his owner just 26,000gns last October, has already won over £500,000 and his trainer, Mikel Delzangles, will be hoping for another pay day in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday. “He’s in very good form. He worked yesterday and I think that he horse is at his best,” Delzangles said.
Makfi, who confirmed himself to be a major player when he beat Goldikova and Paco Boy to win the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deuaville last month, has had varied success in two runs in Britain this year. He was a surprise winner of the 2000 Guineas – although the win in the Jacques le Marois proved that it was no fluke – but Makfi then disappointed when he finished only seventh in the St James’s Palace Stakes.
The Dubawi colt was found to be suffering from a throat infection at Ascot and Delzangles has no fears about running on the track. “No, except for the fact that the horse wasn’t well at Ascot last time and he may have a memory of that. But he didn’t run well at Ascot because he was sick and no other reason. He won’t be sick on Saturday so I think he’ll do much better than last time.”
Makfi is also entered for the Group One Emirates Airline Champion Stakes, at Newmarket next month, but Delzangles is setting his sights further afield for Makfi’s swansong before he is retired to stud at the end of the season. “His main objective should be the Breeders’ Cup and I don’t think he’ll go to the Queen Elizabeth and the Champion Stakes before he goes to the Breeders’ Cup,” Delzangles said.
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