CLASSIC STAR broke his duck in emphatic style under stable apprentice, Sophie Ralston, when winning at Chelmsford this evening by three and three-quarter lengths.
The 4yo son of Sea The Moon, one of 11 runners in the 0-60 seven furlong handicap for four-year-olds and upwards, broke well and was always handily placed in third place for much of the contest. The long-time leader, The British Lion had kicked a few lengths clear on the home turn but Sophie and Classic Star went off in pursuit and closed in on the eventual runner-up inside the final furlong. The 7/1 co-fourth favourite asserted his authority and was well in command at the finish.
Congratulations to owners, Cynthia Smith and Radlett Racing who took over ownership of the horse at the back end of last year. The lightly-raced gelding had form in the book to indicate that he was capable of winning at this level and indeed it was compensation for his narrow defeat at Sandown last summer when mugged on the line.
For successful jockey Sophie Ralston, this was back-to-back wins on the yard’s horses following her victory on Nezar at Wolverhampton a week ago. She has had four rides this year, three of them for Harper Lodge Farm and those three rides have produced a second and two wins. Last year, Sophie had seven wins for the yard and ten in total, so she’s well on course for topping both of those statistics. Tomorrow, Sophie travels to Dunstall Park for two outside rides but they’re big-priced outsiders, so she’ll maybe have a little wait until getting back in the Winner’s Enclosure!
The yard had four runners at Chelmsford today and they all ran well with Nicky Baby and Flashy Flyer both fourth and Kadrizzi fifth after a long lay-off, so hopefully, the yard has turned the corner after a quiet spell.