Posts Tagged ‘dick turpin’
Hughes to play waiting game
Richard Hughes will adopt his customary waiting tactics on Dick Turpin in Tuesday’s Juddmonte International Stakes at York.
Richard Hannon’s consistent three-year-old was supplemented for the prestigious 10-furlong Group One contest on Wednesday, with owner John Manley forced to fork out £50,000 for the pleasure of seeing him attempt the trip for the first time.
However, after victory over a mile in the Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly, connections have high hopes of stretching his stamina.
“They asked me for my opinion. It’s a very brave decision by John and it’s a credit to him, it’s really made it a proper Group One,” said Hughes.
“We were thinking of running him over 10 furlongs in a Group Two in France on Sunday with a 7lb penalty but my reasoning was if you are not going to stay 10 furlongs, you may as well do it against the big boys.
“John was very happy to supplement. He asked me if he’d stay and I said I think he will, but I couldn’t put my hand on my heart and say he’ll definitely stay and also ‘it’s not my money, it’s yours’.
“John was quite happy to make the decision on his own behalf with the advice that we’ve given him. I’ll ride him to get the trip and if he has a turn of foot over a mile-and-two, he’s going to be a serious horse.”
Godolphin have two chances with Cutlass Bay and Cavalryman, with the latter also having the option of the Prix Gontaut-Biron at Deauville on Saturday.
“It is possible that Cavalryman could run in the Juddmonte International Stakes. He is in good form,” said Godolphin racing manager Simon Crisford.
“He pulled a muscle at Royal Ascot and didn’t run any type of race there, but prior to that at Epsom he ran well. Hopefully he will come back and have a good second half of the season.”
Group One glory for Turpin at last
Richard Hannon’s Dick Turpin finally gained the first Group One success of his career with a stunning display in the Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly.
French Guineas and Derby winner Lope De Vega was sent off a short price, but he struggled to get past his pacemaker three furlongs out and when Richard Hughes sent Dick Turpin after him the result was never in doubt.
He showed an electric turn of foot to streak five lengths clear of the chasing pack and it was left to Siyouni to run on into second, with Clive Cox’s Xtension just behind in third.
Godolphin’s Frozen Power was never involved, while Lope De Vega was eased right down inside the final furlong.
Second in the English and French 2000 Guineas as well as the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, Dick Turpin was certainly not winning out of turn and Hughes was ecstatic with the result.
He said: “I’m absolutely delighted for the horse. He deserved to win a Group One – he’s run some brilliant races. You get horses like that which never get to win one and finish second all the time, but it’s great now he’s broken his duck. The pressure is off.
“We went a very fast gallop and I kicked him on at least two furlongs out because I knew I’d stay well. I said after the race he’ll probably get 10 furlongs because they weren’t catching me. He killed them off very quickly.
“It was fast ground today and he’s better with more of a cut. I was probably four or five lengths further in front of Xtension than I was in the Newmarket Guineas, so the form is rock-solid.
“We said to the owners we’ll take it race by race and he’ll tell us when he’s ready to run again. He’s been on the go a while, but he looked so well, so we said ‘why not go’.
“The only thing we wouldn’t do was run him on firm ground, but the French water well and do a very good job.”









