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| Heritage Handicap, Epsom 15:15 £100,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus, 5f, Class 2  |
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1 Arklow Lad
7/1
2 Vintage Claret 11/1
3 Lexington Blitz 17/2
4 Stormy Impact 17/2
20 ran Distances: ¾l, ½l, 1l;
Time: 57.36s (slow by 3.56s)
Blink, and you'll miss it!💨
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) June 6, 2026
Arklow Lad takes the Betfred 'Dash' Handicap👏#ITVRacing | @daviesharry_ pic.twitter.com/eFK8aCiQik
Drawn widest of all in stall 20, Mick Appleby’s Arklow Lad broke well enough but was unable to secure the early lead, which instead went to Lexington Blitz as he blazed a trail down the centre of the track in the five-furlong cavalry charge.
Lexington Blitz appeared to have stolen a decisive advantage approaching the final furlong, opening up a clear lead over his rivals as the field chased in behind.
However, Arklow Lad, racing close to the rail under Harry Davies, gradually reeled in the leader and finished strongly to score by three-quarters of a length at odds of 7-1.
Vintage Clarets also finished with purpose to snatch second place, leaving Lexington Blitz to settle for third after his bold front-running effort.
Appleby, who was unable to attend Epsom due to having runners at Doncaster, said: “I had three horses running in the same race at Doncaster, so I had to stay there to saddle them.
“He’s done it very well. To be fair, we were quite confident because he had a good draw, the ground suited him and we know he’s quick.
“I thought he’d run a big race.
“I think he would have won at York last time if we hadn’t decided to switch across the track.
“We’ve had a slightly quiet spell recently, so it’s great to see him get his head in front and give us a big winner.”
Looking ahead, Appleby added: “We’ll assess things and decide where to go next.”
Davies said: “It was fairly straightforward from my point of view. I had a very good draw and managed to hold a nice position on the rail.
“In a race like that you just go for it and see how things unfold.
“I was mainly concentrating on keeping my position, so I wasn’t paying much attention to what was happening in the middle of the track.
“I know he has plenty of speed, so it was important not to commit too soon, especially on that sort of ground.
“I won on him off a low weight at Pontefract and was impressed with him that day, so when I got the call to ride him here it was an easy decision to say yes.”
Betfred 'Dash' (Heritage Handicap)
£100,000 guaranteed, 3yo plus, 5f, Class 2
20 ran
Going: Good to Soft
