LUCYMAI, who loves it at Chelmsford, won the valuable fillies’ handicap over 7f at the Essex track yesterday, to make it win number four for the year, her fifth course and distance career success and her sixth win at the track in total.
Going off the 3/1 favourite in the seven-runner field which included Carolinae, who beat her convincingly last time out in a Listed event at Chelmsford, the 5yo daughter of Multiplex was given an enterprising ride by stable apprentice Jack Duern.
The filly was allowed an uncontested lead after a furlong and Lucymai, who loves to dominate, was in her element in front and kicked several lengths clear two from home, putting the race to bed. Too far ahead of her six rivals, she was ridden out and won by a length and a half from Rock On Baileys. Carolinae was back in fifth, a further three lengths behind.
Lucymai has an incredible strike rate at Chelmsford. In her ten races over course and distance, she has won five and been second twice and placed third once, in two and a half years’ racing. In 23 races, she has won over £100,000 in prize money and has won or been in the first three in 61% of her races since first landing the odds at Kempton as a juvenile at 50/1 on her debut in 2015. Jack Duern gets in particularly well with the mare, having ridden five of her seven wins to date.
Congratulations to owner Roger Beadle, a long-time supporter of the yard for whom this was a welcome winner. The horses have been running well but have been hitting the woodwork of late with six of the previous eight runners finishing in the first four.
Hopefully, Lucymai’s win will trigger more success for the yard which has 26 winners on the board for 2018.