SPARTAN ARROW is set to step into Group company after becoming one of three Listed winners overseas for the yard during a productive June.
Hambleton Racing’s sprinter graduated from handicaps to win the Prix Hampton at Chantilly, earning rich praise from his rider Hollie Doyle who described him as the fastest horses she’s ever ridden, with the exception of our superstar Bradsell.
A winner at Epsom before finishing second in the valuable Dash there at the start of the month, the five-year-old will now take a further leap in class in the Group 2 King George Qatar Stakes at Goodwood at the beginning of August.
Fellow speedster Kylian achieved international black type of his own at the beginning of the month when he dominated the six-furlong Casino Baden-Baden Silberne Peitsche in Germany, justifying favouritism under top international jockey Adrie de Vries.
And June was bookended by three-year-old Eternal Elixir’s Listed win in the Premio Estate – Memorial Arturo Brambilla over a mile at the San Siro in Milan under a fine ride by Hollie. Despite a slow start he was two and a quarter lengths clear of Endo Botti’s runner-up Kabir at the line, supplementing his Group 3 second in Germany on his seasonal re-appearance in April.
Hambleton Racing’s colours were back in the winner’s enclosure at Doncaster on 28th June when Grand Traverse held favourite Daring Legend to bounce back to form in a seven-furlong handicap. Ridden prominently by Hollie, it was only his second run back from over a year off the track.
Hollie made the long journey north to Carlisle on the eve of Royal Ascot to win a six-furlong maiden on Hambleton’s two-year-old Dapper Charm, who had finished second on all three previous starts.
Another juvenile who made a strong impression was Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum’s grey Shaatir who bolted up in a Lingfield Park novice for Hollie before finishing mid-division in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.
With Hollie on duty at the Royal Meeting, William Cox stepped in to guide Twilight Son two-year-old Duskaura home in a fillies’ maiden over the minimum trip at Ripon. Owned by Henry Sambor, the £62,000 breeze up purchase by Blandford Bloodstock built on two seconds at Yarmouth and Catterick.
At Wolverhampton the previous week, Laura Coughlan was in the saddle when Emaculate Soldier won a mile and a half handicap. It was his second consecutive win on the Tapeta track following success over further there in April.
Archie’s wife and leading amateur rider Brodie Hampson continued in fine form with four more wins including a landmark success for Saxon Gate at Chepstow on 16th June. Her hard-fought win on Blue Yonder in a 10-furlong handicap was our 800th winner.
Brodie struck three days earlier on one of the yard favourites Tempus in a mile amateur riders’ handicap at Goodwood, supplementing the veteran’s win in Jersey the previous month. Just 24 hours earlier, Brodie was in winning form again on Alazwar at Newbury.
Another Jersey winner Persian Phoenix was in the winner’s enclosure with Brodie at Lingfield in mid-June, taking a 10-furlong handicap on the Polytrack. A winner at Les Landes in May, she powered home unchallenged to justify favouritism in the Marco Polo silks.
By Simon Mapletoft
