Weatherbys Super Sprint
Newbury 16:10 £250,000 added, 2yo only, 5f 34y, Class 2
Saturday 16th July 2016

1 Mrs Danvers 9/2J
2 Stormy Clouds 20/1
3 Clem Fandango 9/2J
NR: Dontforgettocall, White Royale (USA)
23 ran Distances: 1¼l, 1¼l, nse
TIME 1m 1.19s (slow by 1.79s)

Mrs Danvers wins the Weatherbys Super Sprint for Jonathan Portman and Luke Morris

Mrs Danvers
© Racehorse Photos

Local trainer Jonathan Portman saw a long-term plan come to fruition as Mrs Danvers gained a decisive victory.

The two-year-old grey filly, 9/2 joint-favourite for the five-furlong feature following a pair of victories on soft ground, revelled on the good to firm going as she took up the running over a furlong from home before forging clear to score by a length and a quarter under Luke Morris in 1m 1.19s.

20/1 chance Stormy Clouds (Richard Hannon/Kieran O'Neill) emerged from the chasing pack to take second, with the other joint-favourite, Scottish raider Clem Fandango (Keith Dalgleish/Andrew Mullen), finishing third in the 23-runner cavalry charge and 50/1 shot Diable D'Or (Eve Johnson Houghton/Edward Greatrex) in fourth.

Mrs Danvers, by Hellvelyn, cost just £1,000 when bought in at Tattersalls Ireland Ascot Sale in February, meaning that she was allotted joint bottom-weight of 8st for the Weatherbys Super Sprint, with the weights of runners being decided by their auction price. She won £122,925 for her connections and is unbeaten now in three starts.

Portman, who trains in Lambourn, explained: "It's lovely when a plan comes off - this was the plan in February and here we are. The plan was here and then to come back to Newbury next month for the Listed Bathwick Tyres St Hugh's Stakes (August 12).

"People will tell me to run in a Group race now but there is plenty of time for that when the ground gets softer. She has got the action for the faster ground and it's fantastic."

Morris added: "Mrs Danvers got a lovely tow down the middle and put the race to bed nicely. I probably got there a bit sooner than ideal and she wasn't doing a great deal in front.

"She is equally as good on quick ground and I would be disappointed for connections if she wasn't a black-type filly."

Weatherbys director Nick Cheyne, who is also a member of the Turf Club syndicate that part-owns Mrs Danvers, said: "The Turf Club have half a dozen horses in training this year and I told Jonny Portman a few months ago to find us a nice horse and that we would like to lease it with him.

"Jonny rang me and said that he might have found a lovely filly but he wanted two weeks to give her a bit of work and then he would know whether she was good enough for us. You can't get better than that from a trainer and, when he rang us back, we took 50 per cent of her.

"There are over 1,000 members of the Turf Club, but only around 90 of them are in the syndicate, so it is very exciting for everybody. Jonny is now going to have to speak at our next dinner because he is a very wry, amusing man. He is a fantastic trainer and great fun to have a horse with."

Weatherbys Super Sprint
£250,000 added, 2yo only, 5f 34y, Class 2
23 ran
Going: Good to Firm