Jockey Joe Fanning feels that there could be more to come yet from the improving Chichester, who showed a good turn of foot to win a thrilling renewal of the Stablemate By AGMA Carlisle Bell Handicap at Carlisle.
Dating back to 1599, the Carlisle Bell is the oldest sporting trophy still contested in world sport and the mile prize went to Keith Dalgleish’s yard in Carluke for a second time, after Chichester (11-2) reeled in the front-running Lion Tower under Joe Fanning to prevail by a neck.
And Fanning feels there could be another nice prize in the four-year-old son of Dansili this term.
He said: “That was a nice win. They went a good gallop which suited us as I think he wants a bit further, but we got a nice run into the race and he’s done it well.
“He just does enough when he gets there and these big handicaps seem to play into his hands. Anything up to a mile and a quarter would suit and there should be another nice race in him.”
Fanning was on board for Subjectivist’s emphatic win in last week’s Group One Gold Cup at Royal Ascot and when asked about the day, he said: “He’s been working well all year and we were expecting a good run from him, so it’s great. It’s nice to go down to that meeting especially and have a winner.”
He added that he felt Mark Johnston’s charge had every chance of upholding the form with star stayer in next month’s Goodwood Cup.
He said: “I wouldn’t have swapped him going into that race and I wouldn’t now as I think he’s the proven horse since the back end of last year.
“He should be fine at Goodwood as he’s won a Group Three there and he’s very easy. You can ride him however you want and the ground doesn’t matter.”
Finishing second in the Carlisle Bell was the Roger Fell-trained Global Spirit and jockey Jason Hart said: “He gave me a good spin and we had no excuses in the end.”
Meanwhile jockey Sam James said of the third-placed Lion Tower: “To be honest the blinkers lit him up a bit, and he was a little bit gassy really. At the bottom of the hill I let him stride on again and he was a little bit unlucky to be caught. Maybe if he’d have relaxed a bit at the beginning I could well have won, but he’s run well.”
Yesterday’s seven race card was an excellent one and also included the Cumberland Plate Handicap over a mile and three furlongs, which is worth over £20,000 in prize money and was won in game fashion by the John Mackie-trained Colony Queen at 13-2 under Ben Curtis.
The five-year-old Gregorian mare has only been with Mackie for a couple of months after the retirement of Steve Gollings but she has been in fine form for her new trainer, winning twice, and Mackie revealed that her former handler had been particularly helpful in helping her to settle into her new surroundings.
He said: “Unfortunately Steve Gollings has decided to retire but it’s been to the benefit of our yard as we’ve had a few new inmates. She’d be the best so far and Steve’s done a wonderful job with her and told me everything we need to do.
“He’s still in involved to a certain extent – when we won at Beverley I thought we’d go to Haydock 10 days later as she was bucking and kicking, but Steve told us to wait for a nice prize and that’s what we’ve done!
“I thought she needed the run at Beverley and that she’d come on for it. We were disgusted with the draw in stall 17 but having four non-runners has definitely helped us and Ben has given her a lovely ride.
“We’ll look for a nice race next but it depends what the handicapper does. There’s a good few fillies races around and we’ll probably aim her at one of those.”
Also on the card was the Listed British Stallion Studs EBF Eternal Stakes for three year old fillies over just shy of seven furlongs, which was won in good style by the Ralph Beckett-trained Meu Amor at 3-1.
The daughter of Siyouni was a comfortable two and three quarter length winner over the Irish raider Thunder Beauty and winning jockey Richard Kingscote was pleased with what he saw from the filly – who he was riding for the first time.
He said: “It was straight-forward and she had enough form to say she would be in the mix. The unknown was Cloudy Dawn (15-8 favourite, third) for Mr Haggas, but my filly has done everything well. Back on better ground, she’s shown a good attitude and done that smoothly.”
