Jel Pepper spices up Newmarket for Oliver Cole

Jel Pepper proved too hot for the opposition, as he landed a huge bounty on a fine afternoon for trainer Oliver Cole at Newmarket.

Cole, who solely took over the licence at his family’s Whatcombe base in June, enjoyed a 22-1 double in the first two races on the card and was particularly thrilled with the game performance of the Valmont-owned youngster.

Sent off the 4-1 second-favourite in the hands of Colin Keane, he was always in control of matters on the stands side and was ultimately too spicy for Karl Burke’s 3-1 favourite Half Sovereign, who cut a lone figure trying to add to her impressive CV on the far side.

A length and three-quarters separated the duo as they passed the post on opposite sides of the track, with Jel Pepper’s handler now eyeing a move back into stakes company before the end of the season after netting the £96,551 on offer to the winner of the £150,000 Tattersalls October Auction Stakes.

Cole said: “Thanks to Anthony Ramsden (of Valmont) for supplying the horse, I’m very lucky to have him first and foremost.

“The horse has done very well and is a very tough horse. He’s got his confidence now and I just feel he is back to his best.

“We kept it simple today and gave him plenty of daylight. There was too much of a wall of horses at Doncaster and he ran green as he was not used to being covered up.

“I think we’ve seen him at his best there and he’s a very good horse.”

He went on: “He’ll definitely go back into stakes company and he will probably go to the Horris Hill (at Newbury, October 25) while he is full of confidence.

“He’s in the horses in training sale so I have to now ask if we can keep the horse (for next year).”

Cole’s Princess Rascal could also be headed for stakes company, with the trainer having his eye on Saint-Cloud after gamely landing the opening British EBF Premier Fillies’ Handicap.

Cole said of the 7-2 scorer: “She’s a lovely filly and there’s a Group Three in France on October 26 we might supplement her for after that.

“I’d like to keep her at this trip this year and maybe try a mile and a half next year. She’s got a lot of speed and did it very nicely today.

“She’s very straightforward and she’ll improve.”