Sky Bet York Stakes |
|
| Group 2, York £100,000 added, 3yo plus, 1m 2f 88y, Class 1 |
|
| Saturday 26th July 2014 | |
1 Sheikhzayedroad 7/1
2 Secret Gesture 6/1
3 Windhoek 6/4F
NR: Sharestan (IRE)
7 ran Distances: nk, nk, 4½l
TIME 2m 6.26s (fast by 0.74s)
Martin Lane gives Sheikhzayedroad (7/1) a peach of a ride to nab the pair of Secret Gesture and Windhoek in the feature at York.
The gallop was hard from pretty early on and that has played into the hands of Sheikhzayedroad.
 |
Sheikhzayedroad pounced late to deny the game front-runner Secret Gesture on the Knavesmire.
Secret Gesture looked like taking the Group Two honours after battling back to see off 6-4 favourite Windhoek and Danadana, but last year's Oaks runner-up had no answer to the late surge of David Simcock's five-year-old.
The 7-1 shot got up in the final strides under Martin Lane to score by a neck.
Simcock said: "The Canadian International has been the long-term plan. We'll find another race before that.
"Hong Kong's an option and he'll go back to Dubai. He'll have his Group Two penalty now so things will be tougher. As he's got older he's become an easier ride."
Lane added: "He showed a lot of bottle. He stayed on very dourly. Five out we were off the bridle, but he's tough and genuine."
Trainer Ralph Beckett said of the runner-up Secret Gesture: "It was a brave effort."
Skybet York Stakes (Group 2)
£100,000 added, 3yo plus, 1m 2f 88y, Class 1
7 ran
Going: Good to firm.
| Horse Trainer |
Jockey Weight |
SP Dist. |
|
| 1 | Sheikhzayedroad D M Simcock |
Martin Lane 9-3 h |
7/1 Winner |
| 2 | Secret Gesture R M Beckett |
J P Spencer 9-0 |
6/1 nk |
| 3 | Windhoek Saeed bin Suroor |
K Fallon 9-3 |
6/4 f nk |
| 4 | Producer Richard Hannon |
S M Levey 9-3 |
12/1 4½ |
| 5 | Zambucca (SAF) Miss Gay Kelleway |
D Nolan 9-3 |
25/1 hd |
| 6 | Danadana (IRE) L M Cumani |
Andrea Atzeni 9-3 |
4/1 1¼ |
| 7 | Long John (AUS) C Appleby |
G Lee 9-1 b |
5/1 1¾ |
| NR | Sharestan Saeed bin Suroor |
P Mulrennan 9-3 |
