Bahrain hat-trick for Gosden
Thursday 11 July 2013
1.40 Newmarket full result:
1 Feel Like Dancing (William Buick) 3-1
2 Jathabah (J Doyle) 33-1
3 Havana Beat (L P Keniry) 5-1
By Racing UK staff
John Gosden secured a hat-trick in the Bahrain Trophy when Feel Like Dancing secured the opening race of the July Festival at Newmarket on Thursday.
The champion trainer saddled Masked Marvel and Shantaram to win the last two runnings of this one-mile-five-furlong Group Three and his latest candidate is as big as 20-1 with Ladbrokes and Paddy Power to follow in Masked Marvel’s hoofprints to go on to win the St Leger at Donacaster in September.
When asked whether the St Leger was the target for Feel Like Dancing, Gosden told Racing UK: “It is in obvious place to head
“Masked Marvel went on and won the Leger. Last year we wanted to go to the Leger (with Shantaram) and it didn’t quite work out.
“Let’s hope that he (Feel Like Dancing) can go there.”
There was little pace in the early stages and jockey William Buick sat just off the leaders. Feel Like Dancing was sent off the 3-1 favourite but he must have traded at far larger in running as Buick was hard at work from over two furlongs out.
Feel Like Dancing was second to Leading Light in the Queen’s Vase over two miles at Royal Ascot last month and his mount responded willingly to fend off the late thrust of 33-1 outsider Jathabah by a neck.
“It is a lovely race and the horse has done it quite nicely. It is good form coming after the Queen’s Vase at Ascot,” Gosden added.
“He will have to take on the Queen’s Vase winner again but he is a young horse and still learning.
“We’ve won a Group 3 and you either go to the Great Voltigeur and then the St Leger or go straight to St Leger.
“We’ll wait to look at Aidan O’Brien’s army, he’ll have something like seven entered.”
Gosden gave an update on Shantaram, who has not raced since running down the field at Longchamp in October.
“He’s training well so fingers crossed he’ll be seen before the end of the season.”
Jathabah has yet to win on turf having won on the all-weather at Lingfield but Clive Brittain was thrilled with his charge’s narrow second place finish.
“I am delighted with the run,” Brittain said, ahead of Rizeena’s run at Newmarket on Friday. “The Park Hill was the race I had in mind and I wanted to run here to see if she got the distance. We could have gone to the Lancashire Oaks last week but I wanted to come her and test her stamina.
“The Park Hill or even the Doncaster Cup will be her longer-term target.”
(Watch all three days of the July Festival live on Racing UK)
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