Family Fun Day at Dunstall Park meant a
combination of children’s entertainment and the usual array of exhilarating
racing, proving to be a match made in heaven. Pony rides, inflatable
attractions and appearances from Peppa Pig kept the little ones happy whilst
the parents took in the delights of the action on the Tapeta.
Rain threatened to dampen the spirits
of the racegoers before and during the first race, but the weather soon
brightened up and followers of Richard Fahey were left with more reasons than
just the improving conditions to celebrate. The Harry Dunlop trained Pouliche
attempted to steal the race from the front, with the drop back to five furlongs
looking like it would work the magic for connections for most of the way. In
the end though, Penwortham was a very worthy winner. No more than mid pack up
to the last turn, Fahey's charge travelled fantastically with jockey Tom Eaves
pretty much motionless as the colt streaked through to win in the final
furlong. Having received my praise for a great front running ride on Sands Chorus
in last week's blog, Eaves showed his versatility here and he is undoubtedly
always one to watch at Wolves. The debutant Baltic Histoire proved to be one of
the best backed horses in the race and, despite well-liked jump jockey Robert
'Choc' Thornton joining the owners Apple Tree Stud in the parade ring due to a
long-held relationship with them, the filly ultimately disappointed by
finishing dead last.
The second race was a claimer and
proved to be a competitive affair, not least in the market with several horses
close at the top of the betting. It was Roaring Rory, as opposed to a clutch of
four rivals at shorter odds, which won at 4/1. Leading throughout, the
gelding held off the challengers with a well-timed move by Jacob Butterfield to
push on as they rounded the final bend. The winner got into a bit of a bumping
match with Hot Stuff for one or two strides but there was no foul play and no
enquiry was called. Favourite Thee And Me stayed on late but didn't quite have
enough to reach the winner. A strong contingent of winning owners cheered him
home which was brilliant to see. In fact, the photographer struggled to fit
them all into the winners’ enclosure photo!
The next race took the form of a
fascinating maiden. The strong favourite was Our Joy, arriving at Dunstall off
the back of a run at Royal Ascot where the filly was as short as 9/1 at the off
in a strongly-contested maiden. Even having considered this, it is not often a
Godolphin horse is overlooked for favouritism, especially with retained jockey
William Buick making the trip for the one ride aboard Spennithorne. It was the
'boys in blue' who took the race in the end, Buick riding to perfection. He got
the horse well positioned straight out of the stalls, following the pacesetters
and then kicking on round the bend to win with consummate ease. Buick's move
into such a good position actually kept Adam Kirby on Our Joy, next to
Spennithorne in the stalls, further out wide than he would have liked. At The
Races pundits said remarked that it could almost be said that the move from
Buick and the effect that it had on Our Joy's position won the race in the
first 100 yards. The enigmatic Silvestre De Sousa was second on Caitie for Paul
Cole and 80/1 shot Ice Dream outran it's odds for Tom Dascombe and Richard
Kingscote to finish third.
Racecourse regulars could be forgiven
for thinking that the feature race was a case of déjà vu. Old Wolverhampton
favourite Reggie Bond brushed aside a 3lb rise in the weights for his previous
course and distance win to take first place. Promising young jockey George
Chaloner wound him up and then let him go at the perfect time to scoot clear of
another course regular in Berlusca by three and a half lengths. It is clear
that Reggie thrives on the Tapeta and it is fitting for this win to coincide
with the first anniversary of the new surface being laid. Favourite She's
Gorgeous looked well within a chance under Freddie Tylicki for James Fanshawe
with a couple of furlongs left but soon weakened and perhaps could not handle
the added burden of a 10lb rise in the weights.
The fifth race was the longest of the
day at one mile and four furlongs. De Sousa would have fancied his chances
aboard the Chris Dwyer trained Noguchi, holding the gelding up in third behind
the pacesetters. No such luck though as Noguchi was soon struggling with four
furlongs of the trip left to run. Born To Be Bad at the front was followed by
Trimoulet who looked relatively comfortable all the way and won the day once
released up the inner rail under Tom Queally. The winner posted an impressive
time, 1.68 seconds less than the standard time for the trip at the track.
Sweetheart Abbey came off the pace late for Kirby and turned out to be the
closest threat to the victor but it was a convincing win in truth.
I was taken by the performance of Luca
Cumani's Handbell at Wolves last month, pondering the question of 'Where Next?'
Representing owner Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum in the same colours as King
George winner Postponed, the filly returned to the scene of its win for a tight
handicap involving five runners. However, perhaps this question was all the
more pertinent as outsider of the field Lady Estella shocked the odds-on
favourite to win the day. Handbell was under pressure and struggling in the
last furlong or so and Lady Estella flashed down the outside of the field,
fending off an inside rail challenge from You're My Cracker. The market,
placing Handbell at 4/6, equally suggested that much was expected of her after
the previously-mentioned impressive maiden win at Dunstall but Marco Botti's
horse, under a top ride by Mark Monaghan, brought Handbell back down to earth.
In the final race, previous course
winners Bread and Cisco Boy were the top two in the betting. Both jockeys in this
apprentice handicap, Ross Atkinson and Rachel Richardson respectively, sought
to track the pace set by front runner Dad’s Girl under Robert Dodsworth. Bread
went first trying to pick off the field and Cisco Boy had an effort up the
inner rail but it was Kodiac Lady, a maiden up to this point, who stayed on
nicely under 7lb claimer Hollie Doyle. Pacolita ran on behind as Monaghan tried
to achieve a double and Chances Are ran on far too late for Louis Steward to
trouble the winner. Again much was expected after Bread's previous winning
performance under De Sousa a mere four days before and the odds clearly showed
that. However, a poor draw in 7 may have meant that too much energy was used up
in order to get the horse across towards the rail and this may well have proved
critical.
Finally, a special mention must be given to Don’t
Touch, again trained by Richard Fahey. Arriving at Wolverhampton last month as
an unbeaten horse, having won a Class 5 maiden at Newcastle and Class 4
handicap at Haydock, it was apparent that this gelding was quickly climbing the
ranks when lining up for a Class 3 handicap. Backers would have been worried at
first as the gelding dwelt through the start of the race before taking closer
order. That being said, the final two furlongs were mightily imposing and
eye-catching. Soon making headway just over a furlong out, Tony Hamilton pulled
off the perfect ride to lead inside the final furlong and scoot home with more
authority than the half a length victory suggested. Fast forward to Saturday’s
Great St Wilfrid Handicap at Ripon, the key day on the calendar for the
racecourse. This again represented a step up for Don’t Touch in the form of a
thirteen runner Class 2 Handicap no less. Almost a carbon copy of the Dunstall
win, this performance was even more striking. Following the leaders on the
stands side, Hamilton again rode the horse to challenge with around a furlong
left, culminating in a remarkable move to flash home to lead in the final
stride. A perfectly timed effort, it is well worth watching the replay if you
missed it on the day. Constituting yet another #WolvesForm story, the next
steps taken by Don’t Touch will no doubt prove to be compelling viewing
whatever the result.
