IRE-Incentive, It Pays To Buy Irish Huxley Stakes |
 |
|
| Group 2, Chester 14:35 £130,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 2f 70y, Class 1  |
||
|
||
1 The Foxes 13/8F
2 Cairo 40/1
3 Liberty Lane 5/1
6 ran NR: Deepone Distances: 1¾l, 1¾l, nse
Time: 2m 9.21s (slow by 0.51s)
The Foxes wins the Group Two Huxley Stakes at @ChesterRaces!
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 9, 2025
A smart performance from the son of Churchill for @AndrewBalding2! pic.twitter.com/nzeL5qnbio
The tight turns of Chester demand poise, precision, and a touch of luck – and The Foxes ticked every box in a commanding success.
Breaking from the inside draw, Oisin Murphy made full use of the prime berth, dictating matters with the minimum of fuss aboard the son of Churchill. Travelling with notable fluency throughout, he was always well-positioned to strike, and when the moment came turning for home, Murphy barely had to ask.
Shifting out into clear daylight rounding the bend, the 13-8 favourite picked up smartly and asserted in professional fashion, drawing clear to win by a length and three-quarters from Cairo — a 40-1 outsider who belied his odds with a fine effort in second.
It was a smooth, well-executed return to British soil for the five-year-old, who had picked up a lucrative runner-up prize in Qatar earlier in the year. Speaking to Sky Sports Racing, Murphy praised the team effort behind the scenes:
“He’s been beautifully handled at home — it wasn’t the easiest route from Doha to Chester, but everything came together today. He was push-button and a real pleasure to ride. He hasn’t always been straightforward, but he’s matured with each run.”
The success marked another notable result for King Power Racing, and trainer Andrew Balding now faces the enviable task of plotting a path towards Royal Ascot, where The Foxes may line up alongside stablemate Bellum Justum — also a recent Group Two winner.
“They’re similar types,” Murphy noted. “Both ten to twelve furlong horses, one four, one five — Andrew will weigh things up.”
Anna Lisa Balding added further praise for the stable staff:
“He’s been in tremendous order at home. Maddy, who rides him every day, has done a wonderful job. He loves his work and he deserved that today. Oisin gave him a perfect ride — you need everything to fall right at Chester, and today it did.”
With form, fitness, and tactical sharpness all aligned, The Foxes now looks set for another crack at top-level company — and on this evidence, he won’t be out of place.
Huxley Stakes
(For The Tradesman's Cup) (Group 2)
£130,000 guaranteed, 4yo plus, 1m 2f 70y, Class 1
6 ran
Going: Good
POS. (DRAW) FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY
1 (1) The Foxes 5 9-3 Andrew Balding Oisin Murphy 13/8F
2 (5) 1¾ Cairo 5 9-3 Alice Haynes Kieran O'Neill 40/1
3 (6) 1¾ Liberty Lane 5 9-3 K R Burke Ryan Moore 5/1
4 (3) nse Bolster 5 9-3 K R Burke Pierre-Louis Jamin 7/1
5 (2) 1¼ Space Legend 4 9-3 William Haggas Tom Marquand 9/4
6 (4) ½ Certain Lad 9 9-3 Jack Channon George Bass 8/1
NR 4 (7) Deepone 4 9-3 P Twomey NON RUNNER
