Nottingham report: future looks bright for Time To Take Off

Danny Tudhope feels that Time To Take Off (10-3) could prove to be one to follow next year, after she made an impressive winning start in the PricedUp EBF Slip Anchor Maiden Stakes over five furlongs at Nottingham on Thursday.

The daughter of Starman was slightly weak in the market at post time but she travelled eye-catchingly well throughout under Lee, before finding plenty to hold off the challenge of the fast-closing Atticum in the closing stages. 

James Tate’s charge doesn’t have any fancy entries just yet, but the winning jockey feels that connections could have a nice prospect on their hands. 

Speaking after the race, he said: “She feels nice and James was pretty bullish about her. She’s going to be lovely, she did it very professionally and travelled into the race lovely. She got a bit tired towards the end but you’d expect that first time out. 

“I said to Phillip Robinson that she feels like she’s got a bit of class around her, so it was a good performance.”

Phillip Robinson, Racing Manager for the winning owner Jaber Abdullah, added: “She’s been working with 80-rated horses and going as well if not better than them, so we thought it would take a decent one to beat her today. 

“We were pretty confident, I’d have been surprised if she’d have got beat today. I was a little bit worried about the ground, she wouldn’t have wanted it to have gotten any softer. 

“I think she’ll be one for next year. She’s got a nice pedigree and will get further in time, she’s still got a bit of growing to do so she’ll be more of a project.”

The race was part of the PricedUp Grassroots Finals Day at Nottingham, which aims to provide opportunities for horses operating below the highest level to compete for substantial prize money. 

And it certainly proved to be a fruitful day for the Eve Johnson Houghton-trained Kesta (5-2 favourite), who showed an excellent attitude to win the £30,000 PricedUp Daily Sports Boosts Grassroots Series Final Nursery Handicap over six furlongs. 

Kesta has had a busy campaign so far but he has been productive, showing a good attitude to hold off the attentions of the Jack Channon-trained Who Is Alice for a three quarter length success. 

The son of Kessaar cost his connections just £5000 and he has provided an eight-fold return on investment in just 11 career starts, with his third victory of the season taking his earnings above the £40,000 mark. 

The winning owners The Woodway 20 were represented on the day by Chris Atkinson and John and Claire Whitworth, who commented: “He’s a superstar, he’s such a tough little thing and so genuine. He’s only a little two-year-old, but that’s 11 runs now and he’s still tough as old boots. 

“He cost us £5,000, so he’s paid us back already! That’s Eve though, she buys some good horses at good prices. 

“Everything he does now is a bonus and he’s never let us down. He’s taken us to some nice courses along the way too.

“We have two in the syndicate at the moment, the other one has won one race, so it’s great. There’s 20 partners in the syndicate and every year we all own 5% of three two-year-olds and we’ve had a phenomenal record with it.  

“We’ve been to Royal Ascot in the past, winning the Windsor Castle Stakes with Chipotle, and they’re all cheap horses relative to the results we’ve had.”

The winning jockey Charles Bishop added: “He’s another cheap purchase that Eve has done well with. He’s not the biggest but he tries exceptionally hard, one day at Windsor he dead heated just because he refused to get beat. 

“He travelled into that very well today and he’s extremely genuine. I was very happy to just sit in behind, I was drawn in stall one so I was worried I might get stuck on the wing, but I was able to get a nice run in behind the leaders.”

Meanwhile, the opening PricedUp.Bet EBF Oh So Sharp Maiden Fillies' Stakes was won by the Ralph Beckett-trained Lady Roisia (5-6 favourite), who justified strong market support to win on her second outing. 

The daughter of St Mark's Basilica showed a nice attitude to hold off the attentions of the fast-closing Enchanted Queen late on and the winning jockey Hector Crouch feels there could be more to come from her yet. 

He said: “It was strong form from Leicester, obviously she was entitled to take a nice step forward. She moved into contention well here today. 

“I thought she would go and kick clear but just showed a bit of greenness inside the furlong. She just rolled around a little bit, so she’s value for a little bit more. 

“She’s looking at the big screen on the inside and she was left alone out in front with just over two to run, so she’s done well.”

It ought to be an interesting drive home for trainer Jessica Macey, after the unfancied Jenever (33-1) caused an upset in the Download The PricedUp App Grassroots Series Final Sprint Handicap at the expense of her husband Lewis Edmunds. 

Macey saddled both Jenever and the better fancied Blind Beggar (12-1) for the £30,000 contest over six furlongs, but it was the first-named who broke smartly from the stalls. 

Travelling well throughout, the six-year-old found plenty under George Wood to gamely see off the challenge of the Charlie Hills-trained Hoodie Hoo - whose owners include Sir Alex Ferguson - by a head. 

And speaking after the race, Macey revealed that she had sent Wood out with plenty of reason to believe that his charge could outrun his odds. She said: “I’m over the moon. If one of them won I’d have been happy, I didn’t mind which one! 

“On his best form I knew he was capable of winning something like this, but something has to fall right. He’s a bit older and wiser and perhaps needed a change of headgear, he didn’t try particularly hard last time so I think the blinkers have made all the difference. 

“He was a big price but he’s done it well and it’s what I said to George (Wood), I said just because my husband (Lewis Edmunds) was on our other horse (Blind Beggar), don’t think you’re on our second string because you’re not. This horse has just as much chance. 

“The other one had been in better form of late, so it was the obvious choice for Lewis, but luckily I’m in the horse box for the drive home!”

The race was part of the seven-race PricedUp Grassroots Finals Day, which aims to provide opportunities for horses operating below the highest level to compete for substantial prize money, with a total prize fund of £166,000 on offer across the card.

Each of the five Final races in the series were worth £30,000 on the card and one yard to take full advantage of the money on offer was the Tony Carroll team, who struck with Annexation (7/1) in the PricedUp.Bet Grassroots Series Middle Distance Final Handicap over a mile and a quarter. 

The nine-year-old arrived here on the back of a victory at Bath on Tuesday and is clearly thriving at the moment, benefitting from an excellent ride from Jack Doughty to deny the Daniel and Claire Kubler-trained Ciara Pearl in the dying strides. 

That victory was Carroll’s 99th of the calendar year, a figure he also achieved 12 months ago. He said: “He won nicely at Bath on Tuesday and got a bit of confidence, so it’s a great performance from him today. It’s a great prize and a good bit of placing!

“He’s come without a penalty, unfortunately the boy who won on him the other day (Matt Slater) couldn’t do the weight so Jack’s rode him and it’s a great ride. 

“We were panicking a bit in December last year but we got to 100 winners, so we’re a long way ahead of schedule this year and we’ve one more to go.” 

While Carroll still needs one more victory for a milestone, it proved to be a notable day for 17-year-old jockey Warren Fentiman, who notched up his 50th career winner on Orangesandlemons (16-1) in the final race, the PricedUp Grassroots Series Mile Final Handicap. 

Fentiman is just 17 years of age but has enjoyed a fine campaign in just his second season in the saddle, striking with his 44th winner of the calendar year on the Edward Bethell-trained three-year-old who prevailed by a neck.

Speaking after the race, he said: “She’s kept her cool from the horse beside her, she was just getting a little upset but she’s stayed cool and she’s jumped out nicely. 

“She’s travelled away and when I’ve asked her she had every reason to stop, but she kept on going and tried her little heart out. That’s 50 winners for me, which is good as I’ve been waiting about a month for that!”

Elsewhere on the card, Jo Mason produced a well-timed ride to strike on the Dylan Cunha-trained Expressionless (13-2), who found plenty to win the PricedUp The Flat Grassroots Series Stayers' Final Handicap over a mile and three quarters. 

The five-year-old had to pass all seven of his rivals to get to the front and Mason was thrilled with his performance. 

She said: “What a legend. I spoke to Dylan (Cunha) before the race and he said I’d absolutely love him. He was a little bit slow into his stride, so I had to drop him out. You’re always a bit susceptible to them going quick, which they didn’t and he was so chilled out which made my life a lot easier. 

“He was going so well that we started creeping into it, we got to two furlongs out and we still had a handful so all credit to the horse. He’s been on his own for a furlong and a half and he’s really stuck to his task. 

“This day is great and it’s a really good opportunity. You’ve got to have races like this to run in and take part in, so to get a nice winner like this is great.”