Sky Bet Lowther Stakes |
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| Group 2, York 13:50 £250,000 guaranteed, 2yo only, 6f, Class 1  |
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1 Swingalong 25/1
2
Queen Me 20/1
3
Matilda Picotte 11/1
13 ran NR: Miami Girl Distances: nk, 2½l, nk
Time: 1m 10.80s (slow by 0.60s)
Swingalong lands the Group 2 @SkyBet Lowther Stakes at an impressive 25-1 for @CliffordleexLee and trainer Karl Burke pic.twitter.com/CxgPuUdYoF https://t.co/sp6BcaDMs1 via @RacingBetter
— RacingBetter (@RacingBetter) August 18, 2022
Karl Burke was widely expected to land the juvenile Group Two affair with Queen Mary winner Dramatised, but the Clifford Lee-ridden Swingalong had not read the script and struck gold over six furlongs.
Sent at even money, Dramatised – trying the trip for the first time – took the field along on the far side of the track, with Swingalong blazing a trail down the middle and it was clear a furlong from home which of the Burke runners was coming home better.
Queen Me, a 20-1 shot, tried to mount a late challenge inside the distance, but Swingalong was a neck too good, with Irish raider Matilda Picotte taking third as Dramatised dropped away at the line.
Burke said: “She’s got a huge stride and has only just filled into her frame. She’s got a lot stronger over the last six weeks. I know it was a different class of race, but she had them all beat after two furlongs at Ripon and I knew then we were on the right track so I said straight away we’d come here.
“At the time I didn’t think she’d be good enough to beat Dramatised, but the difference was one stayed and one didn’t.
“The Cheveley Park looks the obvious next step, but I’ll talk to connections. I think she will stay an extra furlong, but she’s got a lot of natural speed so I think we’ll use that and not step her up just yet. All dreams are still alive at the minute.”
Of the beaten favourite Dramatised he said: “To be fair to Danny (Tudhope, jockey) all along he had his doubts. He rode her work over six furlongs two weeks ago, but I wouldn’t have it that she wouldn’t stay. Danny was right and I was wrong. She’ll revert back to five furlongs now.
“Until they’ve been over six you never know and Danny was always on the negative side, but we put that to the back of our mind. I was never that keen on the Nunthorpe, but I suppose the only saving grace is that we didn’t find out she didn’t stay in France in the Prix Morny.”
Runner-up Queen Me was remarkably bidding to emulate her dam Queen Kindly, her granddam Lady Of The Desert and her great-granddam Queen’s Logic – all previous winners of the Lowther.
Trainer Kevin Ryan said: “It was a great run and lack of experience midway through the race probably just cost her.
“She’d only had the one start and did it very easy first time. Unfortunately we haven’t been able to get another run into her, which we would have liked, through no other reason than the ground being so firm. We wanted to mind her and run her on nice ground so we waited to come here.
“We’ve always liked the filly and she’ll progress again from that. We’ll go home and sit on the fence, but she’s proved now she’s up to this level and galloped all the way through the line, which is always a good sign.”
Saeed bin Suroor felt ground conditions turned against his Duchess of Cambridge Stakes winner Mawj, who finished a creditable fourth.
He said: “The jockey (Ray Dawson) said the ground didn’t suit her today – it was a little bit loose on top.
“The good to firm ground at Newmarket was good for her and he said on good to firm ground she would win.
“The Cheveley Park is the plan.”
Sky Bet Lowther Stakes (Group 2)
£250,000 guaranteed, 2yo only, 6f, Class 1
13 ran
Going: Good, Good to Firm in places
POS. (DRAW) DIST HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY SP
1 (14) Swingalong 2 9-2 K R Burke Clifford Lee 25/1
2 (12) nk Queen Me 2 9-2 Kevin Ryan Tom Eaves 20/1
3 (6) 2½ Matilda Picotte 2 9-2 Kieran P Cotter W J Lee 11/1
4 (11) nk Mawj 2 9-5 Saeed bin Suroor Ray Dawson 5/1
5 (1) nk Dramatised 2 9-5 K R Burke Daniel Tudhope EvsF
6 (3) nk Maria Branwell 2 9-2 David O'Meara Kieran Shoemark 22/1
7 (8) nse Lady Tilbury 2 9-2 David Marnane Gary Carroll 66/1
8 (9) shd Glenlaurel 2 9-2 Kevin Ryan Andrea Atzeni 50/1
9 (5) ¾ Kerindia 2 9-2 Michael Bell David Egan 25/1
10 (2) 1 Sweet Harmony 2 9-2 Richard Spencer Jim Crowley 50/1
11 (4) shd Lady Hollywood 2 9-2 Alice Haynes Rossa Ryan 10/1
12 (7) 5 Kinta 2 9-2 George Boughey William Buick 13/2
13 (13) 15 Desert Illusion 2 9-2 Ismail Mohammed Cameron Noble 300/1
NR 11 (10) Miami Girl 2 9-2 Richard Hannon NON RUNNER
