Night Raider crowned in Palace House at Newmarket

It was two years ago that Night Raider (9-1) finished down the field in the Betfred 2000 Guineas but today at Newmarket, as a five-year-old, he did win on Betfred 2000 Guineas Day in the Group Three HKJC Palace House Stakes over the minimum distance of five furlongs.

Partnered by James Doyle, the son of Dark Angel proved half-a-length too strong for last year’s winner and 5-2 Favourite Rumstar. 

Winning trainer Karl Burke said: “He’s a high-class horse and we always knew he had a huge engine. He won his first two races over seven furlongs on the all-weather and we then tried to turn him into a miler and ran him in the Guineas, but he was just too keen, too free and too fractious.

“Gelding has really made him and brought him on. He is 10kg lighter than last year and I thought he looked tremendous in the paddock.

“I thought if he jumped quick and got into a rhythm he’d handle the undulations, which he did.

“He was a bit fractious in the stalls last year as a full horse, but the gelding has calmed him down a bit.

“He’s been working nicely – he does a lot on his own, as you don’t need to work him with other horses. 

“That’s a great result for Wathnan Racing and Richard Brown, who has always had huge faith in him.

“I think it would be Royal Ascot now. He is also in at York, but that might come too quickly for him. I think he’d stay six furlongs.”

The day began with a deserved victory for Wathnan Racing’s Flora Of Bermuda(7-2) in the Listed Oddschecker Ellen Chaloner Stakes over seven furlongs. 

The five-year-old Dark Angel mare had not entered the winner’s enclosure since July 2024 but has been placed multiple times since in Group One company. Today she got up on the line under James Doyle to score by a head from Rosy Affair.

Winning trainer Andrew Balding said: “I wasn’t sure we’d got up but it was a great ride from James, and he timed it just right. 

“I’d hope she’ll improve through the year, and we will keep having a go at those Group Ones – hopefully one day she’ll get the luck.

“I think we’ll going to (Royal) Ascot now.”

The Balding team went on to enjoy a 6.5-1 double when the second race of the day when Double Rush (Shane Foley, 4-6 Favourite) followed up on his success at the Craven Meeting just over a fortnight ago with a commanding two and a quarter length victory in the £100,000 Betfred Handicap over six furlongs.

Andrew Balding said: “He is a high-class horse and that was smooth – I enjoyed watching that. 

“It was much the plan to come here after he won here last time. It was an early closing race and we were well in.

“It’s an important meeting to have winners at and so the team were keen to do it. 

“The field cut up a bit, but we were thrilled with the way he did it and we could quite possibly look at a Group race now. He will probably also have an entry for the Wokingham – we’ll see what the handicapper does on Tuesday.”

Having spent earlier periods of his career as apprentice jockey to the late Michael Jarvis and assisting David Loder, Terry Kent who now trains on Hamilton Road in Newmarket, enjoyed one of the biggest wins of his career when Erzindjan (7-2) emerged victorious under Ray Dawson in the £100,000 Betfred Suffolk Handicap over nine furlongs. 

Kent said: “He needs to be held on to but loves passing horses and has some great form. 

“He had two very good runs last year – one in the Cambridgeshire and one in the John Smith’s. I love York so like to go there if I can.

“His form was outstanding, not just for me but also for the trainer he was with in Dubai as well. If he ran up to that that level today, then we thought we had a live chance.

“It’s nice to have a winner today and hopefully we are going in the right direction. I’ll speak to his owner Mohammed Al Suboosi and see where we go from here.”