Double Rush Heads One-two For Charlie Hills At HQ
Double Rush led home one-two for trainer Charlie Hills in the curtain-raising bet365 Handicap on Craven Stakes day at Newmarket.
A winner on the all-weather at Wolverhampton little bit over a fortnight back, Double Rush was a 9-4 favourite to follow up on his handicap launching in the hands of Jason Watson and overcame stablemate Bob Mali by a length and a quarter.
Hills said of the winner: "He won his amateur extremely well in a great time at Wolverhampton and I think he's going to be a nice, enhancing three-year-old through the season.
"A few of our horses weren't right last season, so he had a good mark actually. He probably didn't deal with the track that well today and a flatter track will fit him much better.
"There's an important handicap at York a week or two before Royal Ascot and we might intend him for that, but we'll see how he enhances and take it step by action."
John and Thady Gosden rapidly followed up their win in the feature Craven Stakes by saddling Swiss Lightning (2-1 favourite) to take the Rossdales Maiden Fillies' Stakes in determined style.
Double Rush winning the opening race at Newmarket on Wednesday (Mike Egerton/PA)
Making simply her second start, the Lordship Stud stud-owned daughter of Night Of Thunder revealed an incredible attitude to come out on top in a thrilling three-way finish.
"We offered her an experience of the racecourse at the end of last year, however it was heavy ground and she didn't like it, she was a bit weak and the jockey cared for her and she has actually succeeded today as it wasn't the strategy and there was no rate, it was a messy race - she looked a bit chewy early on but settled into it.
"That was over seven and it quite felt like we should stay at seven and do not return to 6 and not increase to a mile, so we'll have a great look. I wouldn't wish to rush her back from that as she's had a tough sufficient race, however you have actually got to be pleased with her.
"She revealed an excellent attitude because she hit the front, then wasn't sure what she was suggested to be doing, however she didn't offer up. Ryan (Moore, on Richard Hannon's runner-up Stellenbosch) had the rail which's a huge benefit with these inexperienced fillies."
Stallion Ten Sovereigns had the one-two in the Live Racing At bet365 Handicap as Harry Charlton's Ten Pounds (5-1) saw off Tom Clover's 5-4 favourite Fifty Nifty in the hands of Trevor Whelan.