Afotimber
Godwinson pounced late to land the William Hill Lincoln in a blanket finish and give William Haggas a fifth success in the Doncaster race.
The 15-2 chance was ridden by Cieren Fallon in a field of 22 but looked to have a great deal of work to do throughout the mile contest.
Tony Martin’s Orandi hit the front inside the final furlong, attempting to create history as the first horse to win the Lincoln and the Irish Lincolnshire in the same season.
The Flat is back! 10 horses to follow through the 2025 seasonThe Lion In Winter may not make GuineasHe was reeled in by George Boughey’s Oliver Show close to home and just when that one looked to have done enough, Godwinson showed up.
Fallon produced his mount right on the line to win by a nose with a neck back to the third.
“Every jockey wants to win that race and it’s a great start to the season,” said Fallon, whose father Kieren was victorious in 1993 on High Premium.
Image:
Winning jockey Cieren Fallon
“I was quietly confident this morning that if things went our way we had a chance, his work at home had been very good.
“The race panned out perfectly, we were drawn on the wrong side but I was able to tuck in, I got a lot of cover, they went hard and with the strong headwind I was able to pick up when I wanted and he was tough.
“You have to ride him like that and with the ground drying out, it helped us.”
Haggas is now the most successful trainer in the history of the Doncaster contest and said: “That’s our fifth time, so that’s great.
“It’s nice to win a race like that and we always try to find one. We don’t always succeed but this year we got lucky.
“I hope that bodes well for the new season, it’s a nice way to start.”
Boughey understandably thought Oliver Show had done enough.
“It looked like he’d got it, he’s run a massive race. He came back from Bahrain in great form,” said Boughey.
“He’s a progressive horse, I thought he was probably maxed out but it looks like there might be a bit left.
“I think we’ll work backwards from the Hunt Cup [at Royal Ascot].”
Dancing Gemini shows off winning Mile movesDancing Gemini impressed when strolling to an easy victory in the William Hill Doncaster Mile Stakes.
Roger Teal’s four-year-old finished second in the French 2000 Guineas last year and was making his seasonal debut in the Listed contest, but he looked far from rusty under Kieran Shoemark.
Image:
Spycatcher flies past Iberian at Doncaster
Success came with little strain for the Camelot colt, who took up the lead a furlong from home and was three and three-quarter lengths ahead of Checkandchallenge at the line.
Last year’s winner Charyn went on to dominate in the mile division and Teal, who has always held his charge in the highest regard, hopes to follow suit.
“He ran so well in the French Guineas last year and he was in the Derby, because he’s bred for further – we’d never had a runner in the Derby so let him take his chance,” said Teal.
“That took an awful lot out of him though, and given that we never got to run him on his favoured ground, he never managed to win despite running well.
“I said before the race if he bolted up we’d go straight to the Lockinge. It’s funny, Charyn won this last year and he never won at three either.
“He obviously loves it here because he was very impressive here as a two-year-old, but I think nice ground is the key to him.
“We’ve got some talking to do now because there’s the Group Two at Sandown he could go to [Bet365 Mile] but he could just go straight to Newbury – and it’s local!
“We’ll keep our feet on the floor but he was incredibly impressive there. It all went to plan, I told Kieran to settle him and it couldn’t have gone any better.”
Spycatcher cracks Cammidge codeSpycatcher got his season off to a flying start when taking an eventful William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Cammidge Trophy Stakes at Doncaster.
The seasoned seven-year-old was one of two runners in the race for Karl Burke, who also had Marshman in the Listed six-furlong event.
Image:
Spycatcher flies past Iberian at Doncaster
Spycatcher was the lesser fancied of the two at 4-1, but James Doyle always rode him with confidence.
However, the complexion of the race changed with a furlong to run, when Charlie Hills’ Iberian, winner of the Champagne Stakes at the track as a two-year-old, began a powerful challenge.
Upon hitting the front, though, he veered markedly to his left, knocking into Clive Cox’s James’s Delight who in turn gave Spycatcher a bump.
This seemed to spur Spycatcher on and while Iberian rallied close to home, he went down by a neck.
Burke said: “Watching it live I thought Iberian knocked straight into us, but it was Clive’s horse he knocked first, who then went into us.
“I was honestly thinking of taking him out when I got here because I didn’t think the ground would be soft enough as the ground walks quicker than it rides.
“The lads who rode in the first said it was perfectly safe ground, though, and it wouldn’t do him any harm to run.
“I said to James he’s a scratchy old mover and to ride him to finish, if he’s happy then great, but if it’s not going to happen then we know why.
“Poor old Clifford [Lee, rider of Marshman], he always seems to pick the wrong one when Spycatcher runs!
“I think we’ll have to enter him for the Group Two at York, but he’ll only run if it’s soft enough.”
Pearl Eye awarded Spring Mile win after stewards’ enquiryThunder Roar was a narrowly-beaten favourite in the William Hill Bet £10 Get £10 Spring Mile Handicap last year and this time around was first past the post at 25-1, but the stewards deemed he caused enough interference to prevent Pearl Eye from winning.
The pair both went for the same gap just over a furlong out with Thunder Roar leaning into 50-1 shot Pearl Eye.
As the winning distance was only a short head, the stewards’ verdict went in favour of Darryll Holland’s runner, ridden by Jason Watson.
“I’ve only seen the side on, but they both went for the same gap and the crucial thing is the distance was only a short head,” said Holland.
“If it was anything more than that, would they have thought it had cost him the race? He’s done well regardless from his low draw.
“I know he was a big price, but he ran the other day in cheekpieces and that just put him spot on. He’ll go to Chester now.”
Norman’s Cay edges victory in BrocklesbyNorman’s Cay lined up in the William Hill Top Price Guarantee EBF Brocklesby Stakes as the most expensive juvenile in the race and he just lived up to his billing when prevailing by a nose.
Richard Hannon’s colt cost big-spending Amo Racing 60,000 guineas, which for an organisation who spent millions in the last sales season, is comparatively little in the bloodstock world.
His price, coupled with hailing from the same connections who won the race in 2022 with Persian Force, saw him sent off the 3-1 favourite but David Egan looked in trouble a furlong out.
Jonathan Portman’s Son Of Sarabi, a 25-1 chance, had first run on him and looked like holding on but Norman’s Cay got up in the final stride to win by a nose.
Image:
Norman’s Cay wins the Brocklesby at Doncaster
“He’s always found things quite easy and he’s there in his coat, which a lot of mine aren’t yet, so it made sense to run him,” said Hannon.
“I loved the way he ran on, he looked beaten. Sometimes in the Brocklesby they go flat out from the stalls and fall in a heap, but it actually looked a nice race.
“He’s a nice horse, he’ll get better and he looks like he wants six [furlongs]. We’ve a lot of nice two-year-olds so I don’t know where he’ll end up.
“It’s a slight problem in winning a class two that you have to go somewhere loud or carry a big penalty, but at least this was good money and worth winning.”
Retired TV presenter Robert Cooper was part of the syndicate which owns the runner-up and said: “A nose, can you believe it.
“He was unsold at the sales and cost next to nothing but Jonny [Portman, trainer] said he’d done everything right and there was no reason not to run.”