My Cloud overshadows the rest in Royal Hunt Cup

Leader Live

4 hours ago

Roger Varian's charge was sent off the 3-1 market leader for one of the betting highlights of the week and was ridden with plenty of confidence by Silvestre de Sousa.
The 30-strong field split into three groups and while My Cloud was clearly in front on his side of the track, Bullet Point was running him close on the other side, with the favourite edging in front of the 11-1 second by three-quarters of a length, with Bopedro taking third at 50-1.
My Cloud had won over the course and distance on his penultimate start and Varian said: 'The horse likes it here and we all do, we all enjoy winners at this meeting.
'Patience has been key and he had a few niggles as a young horse. We couldn't get as busy as we would have liked on the racecourse aged two and three and he only really got going late last year.
'He's done well this year which is a great team effort at home. There's a lot of people to thank but mainly his owner who has been the most patient of everyone.
'I was at pains to tell Silvestre not to be in a rush with him, as races on the straight mile can develop late, and this is a horse with a lot of class who moved through the race well.
'We will have to hope he keeps improving and progressing and that was a mighty performance for an inexperienced horse. We hope he could progress out of handicaps one day, but there won't be a rush to do so.
'He's had three races now so I think we will regroup, enjoy today and then work out a plan.'
The Windsor Castle Stakes brought day two of the meeting to a close and for the second time the Listed prize went to Eve Johnson Houghton, this time with Havana Hurricane (7-1).
The Oxfordshire-based trainer saddled Chipotle to strike gold 2021 and her latest contender was prominent in the market after supplementing a successful debut at Goodwood with a runner-up finish behind Maximized in the Woodcote at Epsom less than a fortnight ago.
Ridden by Charles Bishop, the Havana Gold colt quickened up smartly to grab the lead inside the final furlong and was well on top at the line, with Dickensian best of the rest in second.
Johnson Houghton's thoughts immediately turned to her late father, Fulke, who died in February this year at the age of 84.
She said: 'I'm missing my dad, he'd have been proud. He'd be the first person I'd ring.
'Didn't he (Bishop) give him a beautiful ride? He got slated for his ride at Epsom, unfairly, and he gave him an absolute corker; couldn't be more proud of my jockey.'