Betfred November Handicap |
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| Doncaster 15:35 £70,000 added, 3yo plus, 1m 4f, Class 2 |
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| Saturday 8th November 2014 | |
1 Open Eagle 15/2F
2 Aramist 20/1
3 Dashing Star 14/1
4 Communicator 25/1
23 ran Distances: 12l, 1l, 1¼l
TIME 2m 48.22s (slow by 19.22s)
Open Eagle routs the field in the November Handicap at Doncaster
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The winner benefited from an excellent ride from Danny Tudhope as he annihilated the field in the Betfred November Handicap, the final big event of the Flat turf season at Doncaster.
The David O'Meara-trained gelding was a winner at Redcar on Tuesday but made a mockery of his 4lb penalty as he breezed home by 12 lengths.
Tudhope opted to steer a wide path on the 15-2 favourite down the far side of the track as he sought better ground, and it paid off in a big way.
Jamie Spencer, having his last British turf ride before retirement, led the bulk of the field on Dashing Star on the inner, but Open Eagle was travelling with ease throughout, continuing his wider route into the straight.
He moved upsides Dashing Star with a couple of furlongs to run and the distress signals were soon evident from Spencer as Tudhope flicked the reins and Open Eagle shot clear, keeping up the gallop all the way to the line to triumph in jaw-dropping style.
Aramist claimed second, with Dashing Star keeping on for third and Communicator back in fourth.
O'Meara said: "It was super. I said to Danny to be brave - either win or get beaten. History says you can go wide and gain a bit of an advantage here, so from stall 18 it made sense and Danny gave him a great ride.
"There wasn't an awful lot left for him with this being the last day of the season today and he has all winter to recover.
" If we had as good a season as this again, we would be doing well. We've had a great year. It's a huge team effort. We've a great team."
Tudhope added: "It was a great performance. The ground is a lot better out there than the middle of the track. It's been a tremendous season - I'm chuffed."
Nick Bradley, bloodstock manager for owners Middleham Park Racing, said: "The tactics have allowed us to win. He was the only horse to run on that part of the track.
"We figured it out and Danny has done all the hard work. If it works out you're a genius and if it doesn't you look daft. Thankfully for us it worked out."
Betfred November Handicap
£70,000 added, 3yo plus, 1m 4f, Class 2
23 ran
Going: Heavy
| Pos | Draw | Dist | Horse SP Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | (18) | Open Eagle (IRE) (ex4) 15/2f D Tudhope |
8-12 | D O'Meara | 5 | |
| 2nd | (21) | 12 | Aramist (IRE) 20/1 R Winston |
8-12 | G A Swinbank | 4 |
| 3rd | (11) | 1 | Dashing Star 14/1 J P Spencer |
9-6 | D R C Elsworth | 4 |
| 4th | (22) | 1¼ | Communicator 25/1 David Probert |
9-0 | A M Balding | 6 |
| 5th | (3) | 7 | Dark Ruler (IRE) 20/1 J Fanning |
8-10 | G A Swinbank | 5 |
| 6th | (23) | 1¼ | Ardlui (IRE) 20/1 D Allan |
8-13 | T D Easterby | 6 |
| 7th | (16) | 7 | First Mohican 16/1 Louis Steward (3) |
9-10 | A King | 6 |
| 8th | (14) | 1 | Rhombus (IRE) 25/1 Martin Harley |
9-6 | I Mohammed | 4 |
| 9th | (1) | 9 | Old Town Boy 11/1 Jim Crowley |
8-11 | P J McBride | 3 |
| 10th | (15) | 1¾ | Headline News (IRE) 11/1 Jack Garritty (5) |
8-11 | Rae Guest | 5 |
| 11th | (9) | 26 | Latenightrequest 12/1 T Hamilton |
8-12 | R A Fahey | 3 |
| 12th | (2) | 7 | Eurystheus (IRE) 33/1 Alistair Rawlinson (5) |
8-10 | M Appleby | 5 |
| 13th | (13) | 2¾ | Mount Logan (IRE) 10/1 Andrea Atzeni |
9-5 | L M Cumani | 3 |
| 14th | (20) | 13 | Esteaming 16/1 Graham Gibbons |
9-1 | T D Barron | 4 |
| 15th | (19) | 1¼ | Manhattan Swing (IRE) 14/1 D Swift |
9-1 | B Ellison | 4 |
| 16th | (5) | 1¾ | Farquhar (IRE) 12/1 L Morris |
8-13 | P W Chapple-Hyam | 3 |
| 17th | (7) | 15 | Odeon 20/1 G Lee |
9-3 | J G Given | 3 |
| 18th | (4) | 4½ | Treasure The Ridge (IRE) 33/1 Danny Brock (3) |
9-0 | A Reid | 5 |
| 19th | (12) | 9 | Plutocracy (IRE) 12/1 P J Smullen |
9-0 | D R Lanigan | 4 |
| 20th | (17) | 8 | One Pekan (IRE) 20/1 Jack Mitchell |
8-10 | R Varian | 4 |
| 21st | (6) | 13 | Ennistown 33/1 William Buick |
9-10 | C Appleby | 4 |
| 22nd | (8) | 68 | Kings Bayonet 33/1 Hayley Turner |
8-9 | A King | 7 |
| PU | (10) | Sir Walter Scott (IRE) 25/1 R Hughes |
9-5 | L M Cumani | 4 |
