Anmaat is John Smith’s Cup hero on seasonal return

There was nothing bitter about Anmaat’s performance in the 63rd running of the John Smith’s Cup as Owen Burrows’ 5-1 joint-favourite held on gamely to pick up the £103,000 first prize.

Off the track for 287 days since finishing second in the Cambridgeshire last year, the four-year-old defied a mark of 103 to pick up the fourth success of his career.

Outsider The City’s Phantom led the 22-strong field for a long way and there were plenty in contention as the historic 10-furlong contest entered the business end.

But it was the gelded son of Awtaad, ridden for the first time by Kevin Stott, that loomed up looking like the winner at the furlong pole and he showed plenty of tenacity in the closing stages to first win a prolonged battle with eventual fourth Spirit Dancer and then hold off Achelois (second) and the fast-finishing Intellogent (third).

“It was a great effort today by the horse and all my team to get him to win that after 280-odd days. To be able to win such a competitive handicap is a hell of a performance,” Burrows said.

“He was very slow to come to hand anyway, I had him in the Lincoln but he was a woolly as anything. We thought we’d just give him a bit of time as he just had a few niggly little hold-ups, nothing too major.

“We’ve had this race in mind for a while and it’s brilliant that it’s come off. We’ll probably be forced into stakes company now, I’d have thought – we’ll see what the handicapper does, but he won that off 103 so we’ll see and go from there.”

Simon and Ed Crisford’s Without A Fight may have booked his ticket to Australia with a business-like success in the John Smith’s Silver Cup at York.

The five-year-old gelding was a 10-11 chance for the Group Three event, which attracted only three runners with Ed Dunlop’s John Leeper and Mark and Charlie Johnston’s Thunderous the other participants.

Over a mile and six furlongs it was the Crisford-trained runner who prevailed, leaving behind Thunderous and shaking off John Leeper to triumph by three and half lengths under Andrea Atzeni.

Now thoroughly proven at the trip after a prior York success over course and distance, a trip to Flemington for the Melbourne Cup will be the big aim for the bay.

“He’s an improving five-year-old, we wanted to try him over this trip and we did it a few weeks back when he won the Listed race (Grand Cup Stakes) here,” said Ed Crisford.

“It opens up a lot of doors. Today there wasn’t much pace, we thought the Johnston horse was going to go forward but he just really settled today.

“He’s done everything the right way, it was a straightforward win.

“I think at the end of the year we’ll go for the Melbourne Cup and take him down to Australia, he’ll have a summer break, run in September and then probably go there.

“It’s very exciting, to have a horse like this in the stable is great.”

Karl Burke’s Eilean Dubh continued on an upward trajectory when winning the John Smith’s Racing Handicap at 4-1 under Clifford Lee.

The four-year-old is in the middle of his first season with Burke having previously been trained in France and has done little other than improve since arriving in Yorkshire.

A winner over course and distance on the Knavesmire in May, the Vadamos colt was then stepped down to six furlongs when chasing the Sunday Series bonus pot at Pontefract, a race in which he finished 11th.

Back has his optimum trip he was a winner again, striding to a half-length success ahead of David O’Meara’s Blue For You.

“He’s a tough horse, he turns up every time,” said Burke.

“The last time we ran him we were chasing the £100,000 bonus on the Sunday Series (for the first horse to win three races in the series), that’s why we ran him over six because it was the last race to run him in.

“I can’t comment on what they were doing with him in France but since he’s arrived he’s just physically improved and everything’s gone right for him. He’s so versatile with trip and ground.

“We’ll see what the handicapper does on Tuesday, he’s in at Goodwood and I’d imagine he’d go for one of the big handicaps there.”