The Foxes swoops for Huxley glory
From his position in stall one, Oisin Murphy got the perfect run round aboard the son of Churchill, always travelling smoothly and in the ideal spot to pounce at the business end of the Group Two event.
The champion jockey angled out the 13-8 favourite rounding the home turn and he had plenty of horse underneath him to gallop on to score by a length and three-quarters from Alice Haynes' 40-1 outsider Cairo.
It was the perfect way for the Andrew Balding-trained five-year-old to build on an opening run of the year in Qatar in February, with a host of big-race options now available.
Class is permanent ✨
The Foxes surges away in the Ire-Incentive, It Pays To Buy Irish Huxley Stakes 🥇#ITVRacing | @ChesterRaces | @oismurphy | @AndrewBalding2 pic.twitter.com/12LmOYyBEy
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) May 9, 2025
Murphy told Sky Sports Racing: 'He was superbly prepared by everyone at home as it wasn't completely smooth sailing from Doha to here and Andrew is going to be delighted with that.
'He was push button and one of the easiest rides you will have round here. It's all down to the work at home and he wasn't always that easy to ride or have that gate speed, but it has come together over the last few starts and that was a joy to be a part of.
'Andrew was happy for me to do whatever and it is important to have big winners for owners King Power Racing, they invest a lot into the sport and it's great to ride for them and have winners for them.
'Andrew will have a think about what he could run in at Royal Ascot and we also had a Group Two winner the other day in Bellum Justum and they kind of fit in the same category. They are both 10-or 12 furlong horses and one is four and one is five, so Andrew will have a think.'
The trainer's wife Anna Lisa Balding added: 'We're absolutely delighted and you need a lot of luck as you always do round Chester. He had a good draw but we needed a good pilot and Oisin did a brilliant job.
'The horse has been in brilliant form at home and Maddy, one of our assistants, rides him every day, she loves him and has done a super job with him.
'He picked up half a million pounds for going to Qatar and finishing second and he's a very bonny horse who loves his job and really deserved that today.'
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