Two of our three-year-olds got the new year off to a flying start by making a winning return to action on the All-Weather.
Hamaleel began her season by scoring at Kempton Park on 28th January in the colours of long-standing owner Salem Rashid Bin Ghadayer.
Clearly benefitting from her winter break, our daughter of Palace Pier took a mile handicap for Hollie Doyle, making all the running. She had split subsequent winners over the same course and distance in September and enjoyed returning to the right-hand track.
There was also a winning return for Evenepoel earlier in the month when he took a six-furlong Chelmsford City maiden for Luke Morris. Stepping up in trip following his debut last year, SAS Thoroughbreds’ son of Elzaam was too strong for the favourite in the Polytrack sprint.
Middleham Park Racing were also celebrating when their Blue Empress won for the first time at Lingfield on 7th January. Our talented 7lb claimer Harry Vigors steered her to a breakthrough success in a seven-furlong handicap to confirm the promise of some placed efforts at the Surrey track and at Wolverhampton before Christmas.
Overseas, one of our sprinting stars Spartan Arrow made his debut in Dubai when he contested the Group 2 Blue Point Sprint at Meydan. Ridden as usual by Hollie Doyle, he showed his customary early speed before being bumped and knocked off his stride late on. He runs next in the Listed Jebel Ali Sprint on the dirt at Jebel Ali on 15th February.
Meanwhile, Scarlet Moon has been making solid progress over hurdles, going down by just a nose in a juvenile contest at Musselburgh on New Year’s Day under Ben Poste before stepping into Listed company at the Edinburgh track.
Arbib Bloodstock Partnership’s gelding was beaten only two and a half lengths in third in the bet365 Scottish Triumph Hurdle on the final day of the month with Poste again in the saddle. The horse that beat him previously, the Paul Nicholls-trained Falls Of Acharn, was behind him this time.
Scarlet Moon will point towards the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
By Simon Mapletoft
