Double Rush Heads One-two For Charlie Hills At HQ

Double Rush led home one-two for trainer Charlie Hills in the curtain-raising bet365 Handicap on Craven Stakes day at Newmarket.


A winner on the all-weather at Wolverhampton little bit over a fortnight ago, Double Rush was a 9-4 preferred to act on his handicap debut in the hands of Jason Watson and got the better of stablemate Bob Mali by a length and a quarter.


Hills said of the winner: "He won his beginner effectively in a great time at Wolverhampton and I think he's going to be a good, improving three-year-old through the season.


"Some of our horses weren't ideal last season, so he had a great mark actually. He most likely didn't manage the track that well today and a flatter track will suit him much better.


"There's a valuable handicap at York a week or so before Royal Ascot and we might intend him for that, but we'll see how he enhances and take it step by action."


John and Thady Gosden quickly followed up their win in the feature Craven Stakes by saddling Swiss Lightning (2-1 preferred) to take the Rossdales Maiden Fillies' Stakes in figured out fashion.


Double Rush winning the opening race at Newmarket on Wednesday (Mike Egerton/PA)


Making just her 2nd start, the Lordship Stud stud-owned daughter of Night Of Thunder revealed an incredible mindset to come out on top in a thrilling three-way finish.


"We offered her an experience of the racecourse at the end of in 2015, but it was heavy ground and she didn't like it, she was a bit weak and the jockey looked after her and she has succeeded today as it wasn't the plan and there was no rate, it was a messy race - she looked a bit chewy early on however settled into it.


"That was over seven and it quite seemed like we need to remain at 7 and do not go back to six and not go up to a mile, so we'll have an excellent appearance. I would not wish to rush her back from that as she's had a hard sufficient race, however you have actually got to be delighted with her.


"She revealed an excellent attitude because she hit the front, then wasn't sure what she was implied to be doing, but she didn't quit. Ryan (Moore, on Richard Hannon's runner-up Stellenbosch) had the rail which's a big advantage with these unskilled fillies."


Stallion Ten had the one-two in the concluding Watch Live Racing At bet365 Handicap as Harry Charlton's Ten Pounds (5-1) saw off Tom Clover's 5-4 favourite Fifty Nifty in the hands of Trevor Whelan.