Bettys Hope wins Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury

The winner, who cost £3,000 as a yearling, denied the Richard Fahey-trained trio of Show Me Show Me, Mighty Spirit and favourite Ventura Rebel to take the day’s big race at the Berkshire course.

Rod Millman had won the same race back in 1997 with Lord Kintyre, owned by Malcolm Calvert and ridden by Brett Doyle, but this was a family success with the trainer’s wife Louise owning her and Silvestre de Sousa in the saddle.

It all came right for the champion jockey after a worrying moment in the stalls as the 24 runners took time to load for the five furlong race worth £122,925 to the winner. The rider stuck to the stands’ side from his high draw and virtually raced alone in the final furlong as Bettys Hope ran down outsider Show Me Show Me in the centre to win by a head. Fahey’s other better fancied runners Mighty Spirit and favourite Ventura Rebel were a length and a quarter and half a length behind in third and fourth respectively.

Speaking afterwards, the Devon trainer said: “It was a bit nerve-racking to see her stand up in the stalls and now I’ve now got a sore throat from shouting as well.
“We won the Super Sprint many years ago with Lord Kintyre, and we won some big races with Sergeant Cecil, but as we own this horse my percentage will be like training a £1 million race winner”

De Sousa said: “She was a bit messy in the gates but came back down. She’s only small but is very tough and did it well in the end.”

Millman completed a double on the day after Sufficient stayed on strongly to deny Pure Shores in another photo-finish in the British EBF Premier Fillies’ Handicap. Run over a mile, the winner took the honours by a nose under jockey Jimmy Quinn, with the Mick Channon-trained Pattie in third four lengths further back.

There was also a double on the card for De Sousa who rode the winner in the day’s opener, the bet365 Stakes (registered as The Steventon Stakes)
Here it was the favourite Fox Chairman, trained by Andrew Balding, who came in a length clear of Pondus – ridden by Oisin Murphy – in second, with the Charlie Appleby-trained First Nation a further three and a half lengths back in third.

Withhold again proved he is a stayer worth waiting for as he returned from another long absence to give owner Tony Bloom back-to-back wins in the Marsh Cup. The six-year-old was last seen 269 days ago in the Geelong Cup but this reappearance showed no sign of rustiness as he led from virtually start to finish.

Having been drawn in 12, jockey Jason Watson made his way to the rail and continued to take the shortest way home, sticking the path even in the home straight. Withhold answered his jockey’s every call to register a third big staying handicap having won the 2017 Cesarewitch at Newmarket on his second start for trainer Roger Charlton.

Victory was secured by a length and a half from second-placed Billy Ray, with Coeur De Lion and this year’s Northumberland Plate winner Who Dares Wins making up third and fourth respectively.

There was German winner for the Group 3 rated bet365 Hackwood Stakes as Waldpfad was a convincing winner under the guidance of jockey Andrea Atzeni.
The German horse, trained by D Moser, came in almost two lengths clear of Khaadem, ridden by Jim Crowley, in second and Keystroke in third, with the much-fancied The Tin Man way back in a disappointing seventh