Spycatcher bookends his season in style at Doncaster

Spycatcher’s campaign came full circle when he landed the Virgin Bet Supports Safe Gambling Wentworth Stakes in clinical fashion at Doncaster on Saturday.

Successful in France recently, Karl Burke’s ultra-consistent seven-year-old was in winning action in the Cammidge Trophy over course and distance on the opening day of the Flat turf season and duly recorded his third win of the year back on Town Moor on the final day of term.

Devouring the soft ground in the hands of Pierre-Louis Jamin, the 4-1 shot travelled strongly into contention and stormed two and three-quarter lengths clear of the running-on Zoum Zoum.

Spycatcher, who is owned by Highclere Thoroughbreds, has now won nine times from 40 starts.

Burke was in Germany to watch Convergent in a Group One, but said: “That was brilliant. I just managed to watch it here in Germany and I was delighted. He’s a Group One horse on that ground, he absolutely ploughs through it.

“If we managed to get him into a Group One and it comes up that ground he’d run a big one somewhere next season.

“We were going to put him away after his last run, but with the ground the way it is and him bouncing out of that race so well, we said we’d roll the dice.”

Jamin said: “I rode him at Chantilly the last day. We know he likes this ground but he was coming into this today with a penalty.

“We thought with it being the end of the season and giving the weight away it might have got the better of him today, but we tracked the pace and when the gap opened we kicked on.

“He’s so well right now it’s a shame there’s no more races for him. I think he was meant to be done after France but Karl thought he was so well and he’d have his ground at Doncaster, why not – and he was right.”

Jamin was riding in place of regular pilot Clifford Lee who is currently sidelined with a neck injury and he added: “I think he moved to James Cook in Middlesbrough two days ago.

“I actually went to see him on Wednesday in Edinburgh as I was riding at Musselburgh. I think he’s doing well and we’re all thinking of him, hopefully he’ll be back soon.”