Bet365 Bunbury Cup |
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| Heritage Handicap, Newmarket 16:00 £120,000 added, 3yo plus, 7f, Class 2  |
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1 Biggles 5/1
2 Ropey Guest 11/1
3
Awaal 7/2F
15 ran NR: First Folio, Lethal Levi, Lir Speciale, Snazzy Jazzy, Spangled Mac
Distances: 2l, hd, hd Time: 1m 25.70s (slow by 2.60s)
Ryan Moore produces Biggles perfectly to turn the @bet365 Bunbury Cup into a procession pic.twitter.com/4j2dkSza8a @NewmarketRace for @RalphBeckett https://t.co/PmljTLZUZY via @RacingBetter
— RacingBetter (@RacingBetter) July 16, 2023
The Ralph Beckett-trained Biggles won four times last year on different ground over seven furlongs, with his trainer adding that he had got it wrong when sending him over an extended mile earlier in his career.
Runner-up in the Victoria Cup at Ascot, he returned to the Berkshire track and finished ninth in the Buckingham Palace at the Royal meeting.
However, he never looked in any danger once Moore got into contention on the rain-softened ground and the 5-1 shot had two lengths to spare over Ropey Guest, who was occupying the same position as 12 months ago. Awaal, the 7-2 favourite, was a head back in third.
Beckett said: “He has been a phenomenally consistent horse all his life. I got it wrong a couple of times.
“I was really pleased with the way he was going today. He jumped a bit keen and Ryan had to get him in behind one or two. Ryan thought he would win throughout.
“Rain really helped yesterday and last night. Actually, I’m not sure he needs it now, but he is more effective on it, I was just delighted with the way it worked out. When a horse is as consistent as he is, it is kind of hard to win these sorts of handicaps, isn’t it?
“He’s a model of consistency. I tried a mile and that wasn’t very clever, that didn’t work. He has always been capable of doing this, I just had to place him to do it.
“Maybe he will go to Ascot at the end of the month for the International (Handicap), but that’s quick for him. I don’t know.
“He needs a strong gallop, so do we go up to small fields and stakes races? Will that help? Six or seven (furlongs), really. I’m not going a mile again, but we’ll enjoy today.”
Bunbury Cup (Heritage Handicap)
£120,000 added, 3yo plus, 7f, Class 2
15 ran
Going: Good to Soft
POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (18) Biggles 6 9-3 Ralph Beckett Ryan Moore 5/1
2 (3) 2 Ropey Guest 6 8-12 George Margarson Sean Levey 11/1
3 (16) hd Awaal 4 9-8 Simon & Ed Crisford Paul Mulrennan 7/2F
4 (17) hd Bless Him 9 9-6 David Simcock Callum Shepherd 28/1
5 (15) ½ Accidental Agent 9 9-4 Eve Johnson Houghton Mia Nicholls 40/1
6 (8) 1¼ Star Of Orion 5 8-9 Ralph Beckett Rossa Ryan 11/1
7 (20) ½ Gorak 4 9-8 Charlie Fellowes Kieran Shoemark 25/1
8 (11) ½ Rainbow Fire 5 9-2 Marco Botti Neil Callan 14/1
9 (14) nk Cruyff Turn 6 9-0 6ex Tim Easterby David Allan 33/1
10 (7) hd Montassib 5 9-5 William Haggas William Buick 7/1
11 (19) nse The Gatekeeper 4 8-11 Charlie Johnston Joe Fanning 25/1
12 (1) ¾ Probe 5 9-0 Jennie Candlish Trevor Whelan 14/1
13 (9) ½ Shining Blue 5 9-12 Saeed bin Suroor Rob Hornby 12/1
14 (2) nk Popmaster 5 8-7 Ed Walker Marco Ghiani 9/1
15 (10) 14 Streets Of Gold 3 9-0 Eve Johnson Houghton Charles Bishop 17/2
NR 7 (12) Lethal Levi 4 9-3 K R Burke NON RUNNER
NR 9 (6) First Folio 5 9-2 James Ferguson NON RUNNER
NR 12 (13) Lir Speciale 4 9-0 Roger Varian NON RUNNER
NR 15 (4) Spangled Mac 4 8-12 George Boughey NON RUNNER
NR 18 (5) Snazzy Jazzy 8 8-11 Lawrence Mullaney NON RUNNER
