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Saturday 22 November 2008

The turf

Head over heart

There was much talk in advance about it being a somewhat sub-standard Eclipse this year. I suspect that the rest of Mount Nelson’s career will prove that to have been a churlish response. Certainly it lacked nothing in entertainment value.

Henry Cecil, as graceful in defeat as he is when winning, confessed that he thought Phoenix Tower had won. And the crowd could not have had a more thrilling finish. In fact there were six photo-finishes on the seven-race card. Another who thought he had won, only to be denied by the camera verdict, was Charlie Hills, son and assistant to Barry Hills, whose Prime Defender was denied by a neck by Frankie Dettori on Ancien Regime in the opening sprint.

Since Prime Defender is one of this column’s Ten to Follow a 12–1 victory would not have gone amiss. But he is knocking at the door now. After the flat patch which often assails them around this time of year, Barry’s horses are coming back into tune, his American Art, too, going down by just three quarters of a length in the Sodexo Handicap.

Another top trainer who had a quietish Royal Ascot by his standards was Mark Johnston, whose Lovelace, after four unplaced efforts this season, won the toteswinger Stakes at a tasty 18–1 after taking the lead just a hundred yards out under Jimmy Fortune. The trainer confided afterwards that Jamie Spencer, who had won on the Royal Applause colt three times last season, had declared that he would love to try riding him from behind. ‘It looks like he was right,’ said Mark. But not right about everything. Spencer had been offered the ride on Lovelace at Sandown but opted instead to take the mount on Flipando. He finished sixth.

More articles from: Robin Oakley | this section

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