Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes
Group 2, Newbury 14:15 £75,000 added, 2yo only, 6f 8y, Class 1
Saturday 19th September 2015

1 Ribchester 13/8F
2 Log Out Island 9/2
3 Raucous 11/4
6 ran Distances: 1¼l, 4½l, 2½l
TIME 1m 14.39s (slow by 3.89s)

Ribchester becomes the 15th individual Group winner for Iffraaj as he leads home a Godolphin 1-2

Godolphin's purchase of Ribchester paid an immediate dividend when the Richard Fahey-trained runner headed a Godolphin one-two in the Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes.

Ribchester
© Racehorse Photos

Log Out Island, representing Richard Hannon and ridden by Andrea Atzeni, broke well and led the field for much of the six-furlong contest. He battled on after being headed approaching the furlong-marker by Ribchester, who quickened strongly after being held up in last of six by James Doyle.

Ribchester, running for Godolphin for the first time, opened up a clear advantage to score by a length and a quarter over Log Out Island in 1m 14.39s on ground described as good to soft, soft in places, with four and a half lengths back to Raucous in third.

Richard Fahey commented: "I think that Ribchester is on the way to being a nice horse. You can imagine how shocked I was when he was beaten at Doncaster on debut - we thought that he would win there - but he is a big baby and it's amazing how a race can bring horses on.

"It was a brave shout to run him in the Gimcrack Stakes but his second verified where we thought the horse was. Today has just confirmed it.

"He is not a horse that will have a lot more racing this year. He is a big frame of a horse and a big baby, so we will get him home and make a decision from there.

"If I have a horse for the 2000 Guineas (Group One, 1m, April 30, 2016, Newmarket) it is definitely him. He is a good quality horse who will get better with time and anything he does this year is a bonus."

James Doyle added: "I was pleased with Ribchester. Richard told me he liked the horse and that I should settle him in and pick him up late on.

"It was a professional performance. He ran around a little bit at York but it was only his second run and he was much wiser today.

"When I picked him up, he ran straight to the line and pricked his ears - I moved him up earlier than ideal because I was just worried that he might get stuck in this ground a little bit.

"He actually surprised me because he coped with the ground quite well. I have definitely picked him up too soon because he pricked his ears in the last half-furlong and wasn't doing a tap.

"It was a nice performance. He's a big, raw type with plenty of scope and I would imagine that he will be much better next year. He is one to look forward to."

Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes (Group 2)
£75,000 added, 2yo only, 6f 8y, Class 1
6 ran
Going: Good to Soft (Soft in places)

Pos	Dr	D	Horse SP	Jockey Weight	Trainer	Age
1st	(3)		Ribchester (IRE) 13/8f	James Doyle 9-1	R A Fahey	2
2nd	(4)	1¼	Log Out Island (IRE) 9/2	Andrea Atzeni 9-1	R Hannon	2
3rd	(1)	4½	Raucous 11/4	P Cosgrave 9-1	W J Haggas	2
4th	(2)	2½	King Robert 11/2	R Kingscote 9-1	B Smart	2
5th	(6)	19	Whitman 7/1	Dane O'Neill 9-1	M Johnston	2
6th	(5)	20	Salt Lake Sooty 150/1	R Winston 9-1	D P Quinn	2