Armstrong Aggregates Temple Stakes 3r1iu |
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| Group 2, Haydock Park 16:00 £100,000 added, 3yo plus, 5f, Class 1  |
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| Saturday 26th May 2018 | |
135nu
1 Battaash 10/11F
2 Washington DC 16/1
3 Kachy 5/2
11 ran Distances: hd, shd, ½l
Time: 57.36s (fast by 1.64s)
Battaash leaves it late to take the spoils for Hills
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Charlie Hills’ Prix de l’Abbaye last season, and he picked up where he left off.
Giving away a 5lb Group One penalty was going to make it tougher, but a weight of money for local horse Kachy before the off enabled Battaash to go off a generous-looking 10-11 favourite.
Kachy went straight to the far rail and certainly led at one stage, but Dane O’Neill always looked confident and he beat Washington DC by a head, with a short head back to Kachy.
Battaash remains the 5-2 favourite for the King’s Stand next month.
Hills said: “He jumped slowly today, which meant he got a lead, which helped, but they were spread across the track and the race developed away from us.
“He got a bit tired in the last half-furlong, but we’ve left a bit to work on and this was always a prep.
“It was his first run and he hasn’t even come in his coat yet. Giving 5lb to some very good horses was always going to be hard.
“There are a few things we can learn from heading to Ascot, but he’s given some good horses weight and a beating – Kachy is a very good horse.
“Whatever the ground is doesn’t bother him, he’s broken track records and won an Abbaye on soft.”
O’Neill said: “The race developed away from us, which didn’t help.
“He’ll improve a lot for that, he hasn’t even come in his coat yet and it’s a long season.”
Armstrong Aggregates Temple Stakes
(British Champions Series)
£100,000 added, 3yo plus, 5f, Class 1
11 ran
Going: Good
| Pos | Dr | D | Horse SP | Jockey Weight | Trainer | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | (11) | Battaash (IRE) 10/11f | Dane O'Neill 9-9 |
C Hills | 4 | |
| 2nd | (2) | hd | Washington Dc (IRE) 16/1 | W M Lordan 9-4 |
A P O'Brien | 5 |
| 3rd | (3) | s.h | Kachy 5/2 | R Kingscote 9-4 |
Tom Dascombe | 5 |
| 4th | (9) | ½ | Mabs Cross 8/1 | S De Sousa 9-1 |
M Dods | 4 |
| 5th | (5) | 3 | Muthmir (IRE) 11/1 | James Doyle 9-4 |
W J Haggas | 8 |
| 6th | (6) | ½ | Havana Grey 16/1 | P J McDonald 8-10 |
K R Burke | 3 |
| 7th | (10) | hd | Take Cover 33/1 | T P Queally 9-4 |
D C Griffiths | 11 |
| 8th | (8) | nse | Doctor Sardonicus 66/1 | M Harley 9-4 |
Tom Dascombe | 7 |
| 9th | (4) | 1¾ | Mrs Gallagher 20/1 | Josephine Gordon 8-7 |
W Jarvis | 3 |
| 10th | (7) | 1½ | Encore d'Or 66/1 | Tom Marquand 9-4 |
R M H Cowell | 6 |
| 11th | (1) | 16 | Just Glamorous (IRE) 50/1 | David Probert 9-4 |
R Harris | 5 |
