Star quality

Keeping thin enough to star in your sixties comes hard, and the recently sadly deceased George Melly once inquired of Mick Jagger why the rock supremo’s face was so lined. ‘Laughter lines,’ replied the Rolling Stone.

Keeping thin enough to star in your sixties comes hard, and the recently sadly deceased George Melly once inquired of Mick Jagger why the rock supremo’s face was so lined. ‘Laughter lines,’ replied the Rolling Stone. ‘Nothing’s that funny,’ replied Melly. But, facial creases or not, Mick Jagger still pulls in the millions because he has star quality. On the racing scene we have been yearning for a British sprinter with enough star quality to beat off the Australian challenge and at last our cravings were satisfied when Sakhee’s Secret took the six-furlong Newmarket July Cup last Friday, resisting the late challenge from the 2,000 Guineas second Dutch Art in Europe’s richest sprint race.

British-owned and bred by the experienced Bridget Swire, British-trained by Hughie Morrison and even steered home by the British jockey Stephen Drowne, it was a sweet home victory after all the celebrated sprint successes in recent years by the likes of Choisir, Takeover Target and Miss Andretti from Down Under. We now have our own equine Lewis Hamilton.

It was an extraordinary success. Sakhee’s Secret is only a three-year-old and he was not only tackling a Group One race for the first time, he was also running in his first Group race of any kind against horses who had amassed 28 Group victories between them. Not surprisingly with £375,000 on offer there were challengers from Germany, France and Ireland.

‘Financial Advice’ said the logo on Steve Drowne’s breeches, and having admired Sakhee’s Secret’s powerful muscularity in the paddock I should have taken it.