A review of the action from Pontefract
Last Updated: 20/10/14 5:57pm
A review of the action from Pontefract where the highly regarded Prince Gagarian delivered on his early season promise.
Prince Gagarin delivered on his early-season promise with an authoritative display in the totepool EBF Stallions Silver Tankard Stakes at Pontefract.
Ed Dunlop's juvenile had been highly tried since winning at Newmarket on his second start, but the well-bred son of Dubawi had failed to fire at York in the Acomb Stakes.
Having shown a little bit more spark last time out, he was sent off the 4-1 co-favourite for the Listed contest and was always going well for Adam Kirby.
He took over at the head of affairs a furlong out and was not hard pressed to beat Teofilo's Princess by two and a quarter lengths, but quite how many of the eight runners handled the testing ground is open to debate.
Prince Gagarin certainly did, though, and as a half-brother to Elusive Pimpernel, a Pattern win will be on the agenda next season.
Dunlop said: ``He did it well. We've always thought a lot of him, but we were left confused after his run in the Acomb.
``In the end we put that down to the speed they were going on very fast ground and he just didn't know what to do. Thankfully, Ryan (Moore) looked after him.
``His comeback run in the nursery was good, but he just needed it a little bit and it set him up nicely for today.
``It showed he was up to winning a stakes race as a two-year-old which, given his pedigree as a half-brother to Elusive Pimpernel and being by Dubawi, was very important.
``He'll be put away for the year now and we'll train him for some nice races next year.
``I think he's done enough for his first season, Mrs Patino (owner) wanted him to just have the one more run and it's a nice note to go away on.''
Andrew Mullen has enjoyed a fruitful 24 hours and he signed off for the season with a winner on Michael Dods' Ocean Sheridan in the Bet toteplacepot On All UK Meetings Maiden Auction Stakes.
Mullen rode Caspar Netscher to victory at Woodbine in Canada on Sunday evening, jumped straight on a plane home, landed at Heathrow and travelled up to Pontefract.
Yet again he was seen to good effect, coming with a strong late run on the 4-1 chance, to beat Regal Missile by a head.
The rider has brought an early end to his campaign as he is booked in for an operation on a troublesome hip on Tuesday. He hopes to return to the saddle in January.
David O'Meara may have been out of luck on Champions Day, but Doc Hay made sure the winners kept on flowing for the Nawton handler.
O'Meara won some decent races with the seven-year-old before Brian Ellison took over, although he began showing some wayward tendencies and the former picked him up out of a seller.
On just his third start back for O'Meara, the 8-1 chance returned to winning ways in the totequadpot Four Places In Four Races Handicap.