JLT Greenham Stakes |
 |
| Group 3, Newbury 15:05 £60,000 added, 3yo only, 7f, Class 1  |
|
| Saturday 22nd April 2017 | |
1 Barney Roy 5/2
2
Dream Castle 9/4F
3 Zainhom 8/1
10 ran Distances: 2l, 4l, hd
Time: 1m 23.08s (slow by 0.98s)
Barney Roy lands the Greenham in impressive fashion
 |
Two Godolphin horses dominated, with Richard Hannon's Barney Roy staying on strongly to beat Dream Castle at Newbury.
The pair pulled a long way clear of the third and with a furlong to run it had looked to be all about Dream Castle.
Dream Castle, a son of Frankel, was sent off the 9-4 favourite and travelled noticeably better than Barney Roy, who was stepping back in distance having won over a mile as a two-year-old.
Oisin Murphy could not find any cover on the Saeed bin Suroor-trained Dream Castle, though, and he was racing on his own for much of the way and was keen into the bargain.
James Doyle had to get stuck into the 5-2 winner when Dream Castle went clear, but the response from the Excelebration colt was immediate and he ended up a clear-cut winner by two lengths, with a yawning gap of four lengths back to Zainhom.
Hannon said: "He has relaxed enormously, as he was a little bit keen, and in fairness that is more or less down to Sean Levey.
"I was a bit worried coming back from a mile to seven and you can see why, as he just took his time getting going.
"I thought he was in trouble four down then he went 'whoosh'. I've liked him for a long time, though.
"He has got a chance of going to the Guineas. He will get a trip as well now that he is more relaxed. I did say in the summer he might get a Derby trip, whether he gets that far I don't know.
"I definitely think he will stay further, but a strong-run mile will suit him well."
Bin Suroor said of Dream Castle, who made his racecourse debut at Doncaster earlier this month: "I think he was too keen in the race. He is a horse that needs to settle. His options are open and we will talk to Sheikh Mohammed.
"There are options in the French and English Guineas, and even the Irish Guineas."
Angus Gold, racing manager to Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, said of the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Zainhom: "He wants easier ground and further. Jim (Crowley) and Sir Michael were happy enough. He is a great big, heavy horse that wants ease in the ground.
"I don't think he has ever had the speed to be a real genuine miler, as I am sure he wants further. We are certainly not thinking of the Guineas on that. We will let the dust settle then talk to Sir Michael.
"Wherever he goes he will want a bit of juice in the ground."
JLT Greenham Stakes
£60,000 added, 3yo only, 7f, Class 1
10 ran
Going: Good to Firm
| Pos | Dr | D | Horse | Jockey Weight | Trainer | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | (1) | Barney Roy 5/2 | James Doyle 9-0 |
R Hannon | 3 | |
| 2nd | (8) | 2 | Dream Castle 9/4f | Oisin Murphy 9-0 |
S bin Suroor | 3 |
| 3rd | (9) | 4 | Zainhom (USA) 8/1 | Jim Crowley 9-0 |
Sir Michael Stoute | 3 |
| 4th | (4) | hd | Kings Gift (IRE) 25/1 | P Mulrennan 9-0 |
M Dods | 3 |
| 5th | (3) | 2½ | Via Serendipity 20/1 | Josephine Gordon 9-0 |
H Palmer | 3 |
| 6th | (6) | ½ | Sea Fox (IRE) 33/1 | J F Egan 9-0 |
P D Evans | 3 |
| 7th | (5) | hd | Make Time (IRE) 17/2 | J Fortune 9-0 |
D Menuisier | 3 |
| 8th | (7) | 4½ | Mr Scaramanga 25/1 | Harry Bentley 9-0 |
S Dow | 3 |
| 9th | (10) | ¾ | Lord Cooper 100/1 | Renato Souza 9-0 |
J Santos | 3 |
| 10th | (2) | 14 | War Secretary (USA) 9/2 | R L Moore 9-0 |
A P O'Brien | 3 |
