My Cloud overshadows the rest in Royal Hunt Cup
Roger Varian's charge was sent off the 3-1 market leader for one of the betting highlights of the week and was ridden with plenty of confidence by Silvestre de Sousa.
The 30-strong field split into three groups and while My Cloud was clearly in front on his side of the track, Bullet Point was running him close on the other side, with the favourite edging in front of the 11-1 second by three-quarters of a length, with Bopedro taking third at 50-1.
My Cloud had won over the course and distance on his penultimate start and Varian said: 'The horse likes it here and we all do, we all enjoy winners at this meeting.
'Patience has been key and he had a few niggles as a young horse. We couldn't get as busy as we would have liked on the racecourse aged two and three and he only really got going late last year.
'He's done well this year which is a great team effort at home. There's a lot of people to thank but mainly his owner who has been the most patient of everyone.
'I was at pains to tell Silvestre not to be in a rush with him, as races on the straight mile can develop late, and this is a horse with a lot of class who moved through the race well.
'We will have to hope he keeps improving and progressing and that was a mighty performance for an inexperienced horse. We hope he could progress out of handicaps one day, but there won't be a rush to do so.
'He's had three races now so I think we will regroup, enjoy today and then work out a plan.'
The Windsor Castle Stakes brought day two of the meeting to a close and for the second time the Listed prize went to Eve Johnson Houghton, this time with Havana Hurricane (7-1).
The Oxfordshire-based trainer saddled Chipotle to strike gold 2021 and her latest contender was prominent in the market after supplementing a successful debut at Goodwood with a runner-up finish behind Maximized in the Woodcote at Epsom less than a fortnight ago.
Ridden by Charles Bishop, the Havana Gold colt quickened up smartly to grab the lead inside the final furlong and was well on top at the line, with Dickensian best of the rest in second.
Johnson Houghton's thoughts immediately turned to her late father, Fulke, who died in February this year at the age of 84.
She said: 'I'm missing my dad, he'd have been proud. He'd be the first person I'd ring.
'Didn't he (Bishop) give him a beautiful ride? He got slated for his ride at Epsom, unfairly, and he gave him an absolute corker; couldn't be more proud of my jockey.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
4 hours ago
- Scotsman
Lions suffer 54-year first in defeat to Argentina on mixed night for Scots as one man impresses
Pumas upset odds to lift 1888 Cup as four Scots feature in Dublin Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The British and Irish Lions lost an opening match for the first time in 54 years and it would be hard to argue that Argentina did not deserve their win in Dublin. They mixed skill and doggedness and were no respecter of their hosts' fancy reputations as they came from behind at the mid point of the second half to emerge victorious through Santiago Cordero's try, their third of the night. The 28-24 victory meant it was the Pumas who hoisted the 1888 Cup at the Aviva Stadium as the Lions went away to lick their wounds and pack their bags for Australia. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The tour begins in earnest next Saturday in Perth but this preliminary skirmish would have given Andy Farrell plenty to think about on the long flight south. The head coach couldn't help but be impressed by Sione Tuipulotu who marked his first appearance in the famous red jersey with an all-action performance which saw him involved in most of the Lions' best moments. Getty Images Duhan van der Merwe, his Scotland team-mate, had a less satisfactory evening and was guilty of losing possession at a crucial juncture just before half-time which led to an Argentina try for Tomas Albornoz, their outstanding fly-half. Van der Merwe had some dangerous moments during his 65 minutes but, worryingly he was seen with ice on his troublesome ankle after going off. Scotland forwards Pierre Schoeman and Scott Cummings came off the bench and the former had some trademark big carries. Cummings, who only got nine minutes, was busy enough. Ignacio Mendy had scored Argentina's first try and they led 21-10 at the break. But the Lions, who also scored three tries, through Bundee Aki in the first half and a penalty try and Tadhg Beirne in the second, got their noses in front to lead 24-21 before Cordero's clincher. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad There had been pre-match grumblings about Argentina being weakened by the absence of many of their French-based players but they made the brighter start. The pressure was immediately on the Lions who went offside. The Pumas were happy to take the points and Albornoz slotted the penalty. Getty Images We got our first glance of van der Merwe soon after as he dummied and cut inside before being held up in the Argentina 22. The Lions had got themselves into a good position and thought they scored the game's first try only for Luke Cowan-Dickie not to ground the ball after breaking off from a lineout maul. Fin Smith restored parity with a penalty after 10 minutes but Argentina's response was immediate and emphatic. Santiago Carreras delayed his pass perfectly to play in Mendy who cut back inside to score. Tuipulotu tried to drag the Lions back into it but his try was chalked off. Both sides had knocked on in the build-up but Farrell's side weren't to be denied for long and Tuipulotu was a key contributor. The Glasgow centre popped the ball to Fin Smith who shipped it on to Aki. The Ireland centre powered over the line, taking three Pumas with him. It was a strong, strong finish and Fin Smith's conversion put the Lions 10-8 ahead. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Getty Images That was as good as it got in the first half for the composite side. Argentina's kicking game was on point and the Lions were finding it difficult to click. Albornoz added two more penalties, the last one just before half-time. The Lions stole the ball from the restart and it was shipped wide to van der Merwe but the Edinburgh man coughed up possession and Argentina broke away and scored, Albornoz finishing off the move and then converting his own try to put the Pumas 21-10 up at half-time. You have to go back to 1971 for the last time the Lions lost their opening game and they came out in the second half with a determination to avoid a repeat of that 54-year-old anomaly against Queensland in Brisbane. They scored two tries in the opening 13 minutes after the interval. Tuipulotu made a 40-metre break to move the Lions into the danger zone and they won a penalty which they kicked to the corner. Cowan-Dickie was held up on the line but not legally and the penalty try was awarded. The Pumas' lead was down to four points and it was wiped out completely by Beirne's try, the lock being played in by Tomos Williams after Tuipulotu had again made good headway down the left. Fin Smith's conversion made it 24-21 to the Lions but the Pumas weren't done. They were playing with an aggressive intensity which was forcing mistakes form their opponents and the capitalised once again.
North Wales Chronicle
6 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Tributes paid to ‘legend' Kevin Prendergast
Prendergast, who took out a licence in 1963, was the son of the legendary Paddy 'Darkie' Prendergast – the first Irish-based trainer to become champion in Britain in 1963 and who saddled the winners of all the British Classics except the Derby. Prendergast jnr cut his own swathe through the racing ranks, winning the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket with Nebbiolo in 1977 and taking the Irish equivalent twice, most recently with Awtaad in 2016. Like his father, he just missed out on the Derby when Madhmoon was beaten half a length by Anthony Van Dyck in 2019. Both Awtaad and Madhmoon ran in the colours of the late Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum's Shadwell operation and were ridden by Chris Hayes, who had a long association with Prendergast. He said: 'I started out calling him 'sir' and that moved on to boss and we had a very close relationship, especially in the latter years. He was like a father or grandfather figure and we spoke closely and candidly. 'I had the utmost respect for him. You could always ring Kevin at the drop of a hat and vice versa – he would have no problem ringing me even up to last week telling me if I had given one a good ride or a bad ride. I'd always enjoy ringing him up for a chat. 'The term legend is thrown about a bit loosely in this age and generation, but there is no other way to describe him. 'I had a second for him last week (aboard Glory To Be at Cork) and I was desperately hoping that our last ride together as it transpired would be a winning one, but we at least went out all guns blazing. 'I had a good chat with him afterwards and was actually planning to go in and sit on a few horses for him tomorrow so it's a sad day and I'm a little bit numb as I've known nothing but him in racing, it's a real end of an era.' Hayes' first Group One success for Prendergast was La Collina, but it is memories of their Classic success together at the Curragh nine years ago with Awtaad which the 37-year-old treasures most from their long association. Hayes continued: 'La Collina was my first Group One winner for Kevin, but Awtaad was the first horse that was mine – I inherited La Collina from Declan McDonogh. 'Obviously there were also some great days with Madhmoon who came after Awtaad. But Awtaad's Guineas was phenomenal. 'It was the old Curragh and the cheer we got on the way in, I haven't heard one like it since. 'I've been around a while and I never heard a cheer like that before that either and that cheer was all for Kevin and solely Kevin. People say it was for us, but it wasn't, it was for Kevin. 'He's a legend around Kildare and a legend in the racing game and people were 10 deep around the winner's enclosure desperate to congratulate him. 'When I got the news this morning I couldn't help but look back through some pictures from that day in the car. We had some phenomenal times together and today is a sad day.' Shadwell's long-serving racing manager Angus Gold said: 'It's the end of an era and he was one of the great men of my lifetime, we had some wonderful days together. 'He was a huge character firstly, a consummate horseman and the horses invariably won best turned out. He was just a very good trainer. 'It was spectacular to see Awtaad win the Guineas and then he had Madhmoon nearly win the Derby, which he took very phlegmatically. 'The amount of stories he had, I used to love my mornings on the gallops with him. He knew what was going all all around the world as he had daughters living abroad. 'He'd seen it all, been there and done that. I went to see him about two months ago. He hadn't been very well last year but had made a remarkably recovery and was still sharp as a tack.' Born in Australia on July 5, 1932, Prendergast was educated in Ireland but kicked off his racing career back in the southern hemisphere, where he was head lad to top trainer Frank Dalton. He held that position for three years before returning home to establish himself as a leading amateur rider while serving as assistant trainer to his father. After five years, Prendergast decided to strike out on his own in 1963 – and he did not have to wait long for his inaugural success, saddling Zara to win at Phoenix Park in May that year. Pidget was the first to claim Classic gold for him in the 1972 Irish 1,000 Guineas, before going on to add the Irish St Leger to her tally later on that year. After that Prendergast sent out the likes of Conor Pass (1973) and Oscar Schindler (1996 and 1997) to win two more Irish Legers, while Arctique Royal gave him another 1,000 win and Northern Treasure gave him a first Irish 2,000 Guineas in 1976. Add into the mix top-drawer juveniles La Collina, Miss Beatrix, Termagant and Kingsfort and you get a feel for the kind of longevity Prendergast enjoyed. One of the most consistent trainers in the Irish ranks, Prendergast sent out his 2,000th career winner in 2010. As well as Hayes, the likes of Gary Halpin and Declan McDonogh also rode for Prendergast, demonstrating that he was not just an exceptional instructor of horses. The great Kieren Fallon began his riding career with Prendergast, serving as apprentice from 1982 to 1987 before moving on and eventually becoming a six-times champion jockey.
Leader Live
7 hours ago
- Leader Live
Tributes paid to ‘legend' Kevin Prendergast
Prendergast, who took out a licence in 1963, was the son of the legendary Paddy 'Darkie' Prendergast – the first Irish-based trainer to become champion in Britain in 1963 and who saddled the winners of all the British Classics except the Derby. Prendergast jnr cut his own swathe through the racing ranks, winning the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket with Nebbiolo in 1977 and taking the Irish equivalent twice, most recently with Awtaad in 2016. Like his father, he just missed out on the Derby when Madhmoon was beaten half a length by Anthony Van Dyck in 2019. Both Awtaad and Madhmoon ran in the colours of the late Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum's Shadwell operation and were ridden by Chris Hayes, who had a long association with Prendergast. He said: 'I started out calling him 'sir' and that moved on to boss and we had a very close relationship, especially in the latter years. He was like a father or grandfather figure and we spoke closely and candidly. 'I had the utmost respect for him. You could always ring Kevin at the drop of a hat and vice versa – he would have no problem ringing me even up to last week telling me if I had given one a good ride or a bad ride. I'd always enjoy ringing him up for a chat. 'The term legend is thrown about a bit loosely in this age and generation, but there is no other way to describe him. 'I had a second for him last week (aboard Glory To Be at Cork) and I was desperately hoping that our last ride together as it transpired would be a winning one, but we at least went out all guns blazing. 'I had a good chat with him afterwards and was actually planning to go in and sit on a few horses for him tomorrow so it's a sad day and I'm a little bit numb as I've known nothing but him in racing, it's a real end of an era.' Hayes' first Group One success for Prendergast was La Collina, but it is memories of their Classic success together at the Curragh nine years ago with Awtaad which the 37-year-old treasures most from their long association. Hayes continued: 'La Collina was my first Group One winner for Kevin, but Awtaad was the first horse that was mine – I inherited La Collina from Declan McDonogh. 'Obviously there were also some great days with Madhmoon who came after Awtaad. But Awtaad's Guineas was phenomenal. 'It was the old Curragh and the cheer we got on the way in, I haven't heard one like it since. 'I've been around a while and I never heard a cheer like that before that either and that cheer was all for Kevin and solely Kevin. People say it was for us, but it wasn't, it was for Kevin. 'He's a legend around Kildare and a legend in the racing game and people were 10 deep around the winner's enclosure desperate to congratulate him. 'When I got the news this morning I couldn't help but look back through some pictures from that day in the car. We had some phenomenal times together and today is a sad day.' Shadwell's long-serving racing manager Angus Gold said: 'It's the end of an era and he was one of the great men of my lifetime, we had some wonderful days together. 'He was a huge character firstly, a consummate horseman and the horses invariably won best turned out. He was just a very good trainer. 'It was spectacular to see Awtaad win the Guineas and then he had Madhmoon nearly win the Derby, which he took very phlegmatically. 'The amount of stories he had, I used to love my mornings on the gallops with him. He knew what was going all all around the world as he had daughters living abroad. 'He'd seen it all, been there and done that. I went to see him about two months ago. He hadn't been very well last year but had made a remarkably recovery and was still sharp as a tack.' Born in Australia on July 5, 1932, Prendergast was educated in Ireland but kicked off his racing career back in the southern hemisphere, where he was head lad to top trainer Frank Dalton. He held that position for three years before returning home to establish himself as a leading amateur rider while serving as assistant trainer to his father. After five years, Prendergast decided to strike out on his own in 1963 – and he did not have to wait long for his inaugural success, saddling Zara to win at Phoenix Park in May that year. Pidget was the first to claim Classic gold for him in the 1972 Irish 1,000 Guineas, before going on to add the Irish St Leger to her tally later on that year. After that Prendergast sent out the likes of Conor Pass (1973) and Oscar Schindler (1996 and 1997) to win two more Irish Legers, while Arctique Royal gave him another 1,000 win and Northern Treasure gave him a first Irish 2,000 Guineas in 1976. Add into the mix top-drawer juveniles La Collina, Miss Beatrix, Termagant and Kingsfort and you get a feel for the kind of longevity Prendergast enjoyed. One of the most consistent trainers in the Irish ranks, Prendergast sent out his 2,000th career winner in 2010. As well as Hayes, the likes of Gary Halpin and Declan McDonogh also rode for Prendergast, demonstrating that he was not just an exceptional instructor of horses. The great Kieren Fallon began his riding career with Prendergast, serving as apprentice from 1982 to 1987 before moving on and eventually becoming a six-times champion jockey.
