Betfred Geoffrey Freer Stakes |
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| Group 3, Newbury 14:35 £60,000 added, 3yo plus, 1m 5f 61y, Class 1  |
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| Saturday 15th August 2015 | |
1 Agent Murphy 11/4
2 Windshear 8/1
3 Red Cadeaux 14/1
NR: Felix Mendelssohn (IRE), Gospel Choir, Havana Beat (IRE)
6 ran Distances: 5l, 4½l, 2¼l
TIME 2m 54.39s (slow by 6.89s)
Agent Murphy wins the Betfred Geoffrey Freer Stakes giving Jimmy Fortune a first success since he returned from injury
The winner showed he is a horse heading in the right direction when gaining his first victory in Pattern company with an authoritative success at Newbury.
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The lightly-raced Brian Meehan-trained four-year-old looked a cut above the opposition in readily drawing clear to post an impressive success in the Group Three contest over an extended mile and five furlongs.
Oisin Murphy tried to draw on Pallasator's assured stamina by heading straight to the front in a bid to take the sting out of his rivals.
While the move accounted for favourite Romsdal, with the John Gosden-trained runner beaten soon after turning for home, it was not enough to see off the strong travelling winner, Windshear and globetrotting veteran Red Cadeaux.
Passing the two-furlong pole Jimmy Fortune sat almost motionless aboard the well-supported 11-4 shot to effortlessly take control of matters.
Although Windshear briefly threatened to go with the winner, his effort soon came to nothing with five lengths separating the pair at the post, giving Meehan a Group-race winner for the second successive Saturday and Fortune a welcome first winner since returning from injury on Thursday. Red Cadeaux was not disgraced in third.
Meehan said: "He was always going to get further and I am very pleased with him. The ground is drying out all the time, but he has improved so much and it is great to have Jimmy win a Group Three for us.
"I think he is growing up and maturing. He is a late developer, but he looked like a Group Two horse today that is going to get better.
"The Irish St Leger (at the Curragh on September 13) has always been the long-term plan and this was the perfect race for it."
Fortune added: "He travelled really well and it was never in doubt really. He is a horse on the up and is constantly improving.
"The Irish St Leger will be ideal for him."
Betfred Geoffrey Freer Stakes
£60,000 added, 3yo plus, 1m 5f 61y, Class 1
6 ran
Going: Good to Soft (Soft in places)
| Pos | Dr | D | Horse SP | Jockey Weight | Trainer | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | (6) | Agent Murphy 11/4 | J Fortune 9-5 |
B J Meehan | 4 | |
| 2nd | (8) | 5 | Windshear 8/1 | P J Dobbs 9-5 |
R Hannon | 4 |
| 3rd | (4) | 4½ | Red Cadeaux 14/1 | G Baker 9-5 |
E A L Dunlop | 9 |
| 4th | (5) | 2¼ | Pallasator 4/1 | Oisin Murphy 9-5 |
Sir Mark Prescott | 6 |
| 5th | (1) | 2 | Ayrad (IRE) 11/2 | G Lee 9-5 |
R Varian | 4 |
| 6th | (7) | 49 | Romsdal 9/4f | James Doyle 9-5 |
J H M Gosden | 4 |
| NR | (3) | Felix Mendelssohn (IRE) 14/1 | Jim Crowley 9-5 |
D M Simcock | 4 | |
| NR | (2) | Gospel Choir 11/4 | Non Runner 9-5 |
Sir Michael Stoute | 6 | |
| NR | (9) | Havana Beat (IRE) 14/1 | Non Runner 9-5 |
A M Balding | 5 |
