Betway Yorkshire Cup |
|
| Group 2, York 15:15 £160,000 added, 4yo plus, 1m 6f, Class 1  |
|
| Friday 13th May 2016 | |
1 Clever Cookie 5/2
2
Curbyourenthusiasm 15-2
3 Second Step 10/11F
NR: Flying Officer (USA)
5 ran Distances: ½l, nk, 6l
TIME 3m 1.12s (slow by 4.12s)
Clever Cookie hangs on to win the Yorkshire Cup for Peter Niven and PJ McDonald
 |
A smart hurdler earlier in his career, Peter Niven's eight-year-old has proved a most durable performer on the Flat in the last couple of years and this success saw him build on previous victories at Listed and Group Three level.
It was Glaring who set a slow pace in the early stages of the contest, reduced to five runners when favourite Flying Officer bolted before the start and was withdrawn, before Second Step and Andrea Atzeni went for home over two furlongs out.
They briefly looked to have the race in safe keeping, but PJ McDonald, stepping in for Danny Tudhope after he was injured in a fall at the track 24 hours earlier, was nursing his mount, a 5/2 chance, into contenton and got the better of Second Step inside the final furlong.
It was then Curbyourenthusiasm (15/2), held up in last for most of the way, who produced a dramatic late burst down the outside of the pack to get involved in the finish, but Clever Cookie had enough in hand to score by half a length.
McDonald said: "It's a massive feeling for me as horses like this for me to ride are few and far between. To be able to show that if you give me the animal I can get the job done is a great confidence boost.
"I was worried for the first half of the race we were going too slow. The only saving grace was he was completely asleep underneath me.
"When I gave him a little squeeze to pick up, he changed his legs and I thought he wasn't going to like the ground, but when he knuckled down he really got to the line well.
"I followed Andrea (Atzeni on Second Step) - he was the one I wanted to follow when Frankie came out. Things worked out today, it's super."
Betway Yorkshire Cup (Group 2)
(British Champions Series)
£160,000 added, 4yo plus, 1m 6f, Class 1
5 ran
Going: Good to Firm
| Pos | Dr | D | Horse SP | Jockey Weight | Trainer | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | (2) | Clever Cookie 5/2 | P McDonald 9-1 | P D Niven | 8 | |
| 2nd | (1) | ½ | Curbyour-enthusiasm (IRE) 15/2 | D Sweeney 9-1 |
D M Simcock | 5 |
| 3rd | (3) | nk | Second Step (IRE) 10/11f | Andrea Atzeni 9-1 |
L M Cumani | 5 |
| 4th | (4) | 6 | Suegioo (FR) 15/2 | D Nolan 9-1 |
R A Fahey | 7 |
| 5th | (6) | 8 | Glaring 10/1 | S De Sousa 9-1 |
Mrs A J Perrett | 5 |
| WN | (5) | Flying Officer (USA) 13/8 | L Dettori 9-1 |
J H M Gosden | 6 |
