HAVING moved into a new yard only on Monday, Richard Fahey has probably not had time to hang the pictures that relate the progress he has made during the first decade of his training career. That is just as well, however, as he will now wish to reserve a prominent place for the photograph of Lady Bear winning the William Hill Mile at Goodwood yesterday.
After all, he was not present himself, having instead saddled runners at Thirsk, so giving himself more time to unpack the tea chests at Musley Bank, near Malton. His new stable is only a short drive from Butterwick, where his string had burgeoned from 18 to 85, and his horses have clearly made a seamless transition.
Lady Bear struggled with the early gallop but Paul Hanagan resolved not to forfeit the advantage of his high draw and persevered on the inside. The rail here can be a double -edged sword for jockeys, but this time it proved an unmitigated advantage. The mare was able to take a short cut through the field and led inside the final furlong, scoring by just over a length from Faithful Warrior. “She’s a grand, tough sort and this has been the plan for a long time,” Fahey said.
“She must have the right ground, we took her out of the Royal Hunt Cup for that reason. It’s great to have a first winner from the new yard, and all the better in a race like this.”
Zonergem had been withdrawn at the start after giving Richard Hughes a nasty scare in the stalls, rearing up and getting tangled up in the adjacent gate. It was ironic to reflect that the jockey, minutes previously, had pictured the frantic competition into the home bend and said that “on this track, sometimes you just have to shut your eyes and hope”.
Advertisement
He ended up so dry in the mouth that he gave up his final mount through dehydration, but nonetheless managed a double on the day. He rode a deft race from the front on Tantina in the listed Oak Tree Stakes, in the process maintaining the good form of Barry Hills.
Though unraced a month ago, the Distant View filly has now won three times already. “She ought to improve as time goes on,” her trainer said. “Seven furlongs is her trip, and I wouldn’t want to go a mile at the moment.” Hughes later won the juvenile maiden on Psychiatrist, trained by his father-in-law, Richard Hannon.
Kieren Fallon also rode a double, on Blue Tomato in the nursery and Researched in the Glorious Rated Handicap. Despite earning a 7lb penalty, the latter is now among the leading fancies for the Tote Ebor Handicap, where the extra distance should suit him well. He has also been entered for the Melbourne Cup.
On another long afternoon for the bookmakers, the Theo Fennell Handicap also found a worthy winner in Tiber. The ring will be looking for relief in the big sprint today, as the favourite even managed to get up in the consolation race for those who missed the cut. Undeterred, once trained by Dandy Nicholls, thwarted no fewer than a dozen of his former stablemates to deny Zuhair in a photo. The action was all on the far rail and things do not look very auspicious for those drawn low today.