Euchen Glen proves better than ever at Newbury

PA Sport Reporters
October 24, 2020 4:57 pm

Goldie’s in-form seven-year-old prevails in Group Three.

Euchen Glen is proving to be better than ever as a seven-year-old – and confirmed that impression with victory in the Pravha Stakes at Newbury.

Jim Goldie’s stable star won the John Smith’s Cup at York in 2018, but injury then kept him off the track for more than 700 days before he returned this season and went on to claim victory in a valuable contest at Haydock in September.

He had last been seen causing a surprise in the Cumberland Lodge Stakes on the Knavesmire – a race in which Logician was the hot favourite – and he was sent off at 9-2 to defy his Group Three penalty in a race better known as the St Simon Stakes.

Moving into third place rounding the bend, Paul Mulrennan sat motionless for much of the journey up the straight – before getting the perfect response when he asked his mount for an effort.

A cosy length and three-quarters was the margin of victory over Natural History, and Goldie – who decided against running at Ascot’s Champions Day meeting to wait for this event – said: “He’d surely have gone close to winning at Ascot, looking at that!

“We needed GBP 20,000 to supplement (at Ascot), though, and waiting for this gave him an extra week. He’s certainly an improving seven-year-old.

“Whether he runs again (this season) will depend on the handicapper – in the old days, you’d have gone for the November Handicap with him.

“He’s won that with a penalty, so it just depends how much he goes up – (but) the temptation is to strike while the iron is hot.”

Without the travel restrictions in place because of the coronavirus pandemic, Euchen Glen might have been in a different hemisphere – rather than merely a few hundred miles south from Goldie’s Scottish base.

“I know he goes through bad ground, but he did win a John Smith’s Cup on good to firm,” added the Renfrewshire trainer.

“We were originally thinking the Melbourne Cup this year – he should be in quarantine now, but because of covid we abandoned it.

“Maybe we should train him for next year’s race – he’d get in now – but should we aim him at the Cup races here?

“I don’t know – we’ve a thousand dreams at the minute for next year.”

Mujbar (5-1) ploughed through the heavy ground to take the Molson Coors Beverage Company Stakes, more familiar in its guise as the Horris Hill.

Fourth last time out in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster, the Charlie Hills-trained youngster got into it from two out and really stuck his neck out for Dane O’Neill to score by a length from the gallant Percy’s Lad – who had been in the firing line throughout.

Love Is You continued her progression with victory in the Racing TV Stakes, registered as The Radley Stakes.

Successful over six furlongs on her debut at Ascot in September, the Roger Charlton-trained filly took the step up to seven and Listed company in her stride.

Briefly engaged in a tussle with Gift List, the Kingman filly asserted more than a furlong out under Jason Watson, and was well on top at the line for a three-and-a-half-length victory as the 9-4 favourite.