Rod Millman’s bargain-buy Anthelia bags another big prize

Bargain-buy Anthelia registered yet another success in a dream summer by bravely landing the rearranged Ire-Incentive, It Pays To Buy Irish Dick Poole Fillies’ Stakes at Salisbury.

The Wiltshire track’s feature Group Three event was hastily rearranged having been washed out little over a week ago and there was a fitting winner in Rod Millman’s £6,000 purchase.

Although landing both the Listed Dragon Stakes and Newbury’s valuable Weatherbys Super Sprint over five furlongs earlier in the season, she was yet to match those exploits in two previous attempts at six furlongs.

However, sent off 9-2 in the hands of Lewis Edmunds she erased any stamina doubts with a power-packed finish to edge out Richard Hannon’s Orion’s Belt by three-quarters of a length.

It was Middleham Park Racing who acquired the consistent filly after her winning debut and Tim Palin of the owners said: “We can’t take much of the credit for Anthelia as she was purchased by Rod for £6,000 and he’s steered the ship all the way through the season.

“Whether that be the National Stakes or the Super Sprint and now the Dick Poole, Rod has made the calls.

“It’s worked in our favour the race was delayed by eight days which just gave her a bit longer to get over her York exertions.

“There’s not many £6,000 stakes-winning fillies out there and she has done it twice now, both in the National Stakes and there today.”

Anthelia was cut to 20-1 from 25s by Paddy Power for Newmarket’s Tattersalls Sceptre Cheveley Park Stakes on September 27 and connections now appear keen to let her take her chance in Group One company on the Rowley Mile.

Palin added: “We had a decision to make on Tuesday over whether we left her in the Cheveley Park or not, and we did, and that now looks like a wise and prudent decision.

“It was not easy to get Rod to part with the money it required to stay in there but he agreed in the end and that is probably where we will go next, we’ll roll the big dice in the Group One.

“She’s probably a very valuable filly now and we’ll look forward to having a go at Newmarket.”