Brigid's Cloak seeking new high at York
Trained by Johnny Murtagh and owned by the Nick Bradley Racing Club, the Havana Grey filly got off the mark on the all-weather at Dundalk in April and has done little but improve since.
A run over six furlongs at the Curragh in May yielded another win, after which she was the runner-up of a premier handicap over a five-furlong trip at the same track earlier this month.
'She's a gorgeous filly who we've really liked since we bought her, Havana Grey is obviously a very good stallion,' said Bradley.
'When she won for the first time this year she was just winning in turn, but she's absolutely come on a lot since then.
'Johnny's putting her improvement down to her behaviour at the course, she's been great recently and she's getting better and better.
'She's gone up 2lb after finishing second last time. It wasn't an easy decision to run her here, but the money is very good and my owners love having a runner – hopefully a winner – at York.
'It's a nice race and I do think she'll win off her mark. Whether that's on Saturday or not, we'll find out.'
Also involved is Roger Teal's Hucklesbrook, a winner last time out at Leicester after starting his campaign off over six furlongs at Ascot.
'I think he needed the race at Ascot but he ran a solid race. He came forward for that at Leicester – he did very well, won nicely,' said Teal.
'Hopefully, if he brings that form to the table, then you'd put him in the mix. I don't think he's really ground dependent – he's pretty versatile. He's got a nice draw in the middle there, I think, so we're hoping for a big run from him.'
Of the boosted prize fund offered on the Knavesmire, Teal added: 'They are very few and far between, so it's nice we can have a crack at bringing home a nice pot if we can. But it's going to be a very competitive race, so it's not going to be easy.'
Also in the mix is Ollie Sangster's Tuco Salamanca, who has had a busy and fruitful year already when adding a string of placed efforts on turf to three wins on the all-weather.
Those performances have provided plenty of encouragement to owners Pompey Ventures syndicates, whose founding partner Owen Haly said: 'We're delighted he got in the race as it's a big pot and a nice flat, straight track should suit him.
'He owes us nothing, but I hope there is more to come from him and it wouldn't surprise me to see him run well at a nice price.'
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Hucklesbrook survives horsebox drama to win York feature
Roger Teal's bay was ground to a halt en route to the track as the horsebox he was travelling in broke down, with Teal then required to rescue him in the yard's second lorry to ensure he did not miss his date on the Knavesmire. The six-hour trip clearly took no toll on the gelding, who joined forces with York local Joanna Mason as a 16-1 shot among a field of 18 vying for the winning prize pot of nearly £65,000. His one-length victory proved the jockey booking to be a shrewd one as Mason pinged him out of the stalls and the pair never looked to be in trouble at any point thereafter. 'He was great, he won very nicely at Leicester the last day and he'd come forward in his work,' said Teal. 'We were quite bullish he'd run a big race here. He got a nice draw in the middle and that was Joanna's first ride for me. 'When the weights first came out he had 8st 8lb and it was hard to find a rider, but Joanna is a good Yorkshire girl and she knows this track like the back of her hand. 'She's a very good rider and it's all worked perfectly.' Reflecting on his mechanical drama Teal said: 'This morning I had to get from the gallops back to the yard to pick up the second horsebox, and then race down and pick him up when the box he was on broke down. 'Luckily he didn't fret, but he's had six hours on the horsebox and he's done that very well considering.' Owners Rae and Carol Borras were in attendance to witness the victory, and the former quipped: 'Have you ever heard of the phrase 'all's well that ends well?''
South Wales Guardian
3 hours ago
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Hucklesbrook survives horsebox drama to win York feature
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