Barn Owl flies home in Beverley contest

Molly Hunter
August 28, 2021 4:45 pm

Westwood winner for Roger Charlton.

Barn Owl made all of the running to take the William Hill Silver Cup Handicap at Beverley for PJ McDonald and Roger Charlton.

The three-year-old started as 7-4 favourite for the 10-furlong contest having finished no worse than second in each of his runs this season.

Victory never looked in any doubt from the stalls, as the colt led throughout and quickened on the approach to the line to triumph by three and a half lengths from Titian.

“It was nice and straightforward,” McDonald said.

“The boss (Charlton) said he didn’t mind if I made the running, so once I got him on the front end, he pricked his ears and he got into a nice rhythm.

“I gave him a squeeze at the bottom of the hill and he’s picked up and galloped out through the line lovely.

“I couldn’t pull him up going down the back, so he’s enjoyed himself!”

Piastrella struck at 16-1 in the Irish EBF Fillies’ Novice Stakes under Faye McManoman.

The two-year-old travelled in midfield for much of the race, finding a clear path after switching wide in the penultimate furlong and comfortably pulling away from her rivals.

“We were very pleased with that,” said trainer Nigel Tinkler.

“We’ve always liked her, she’s a lovely, sweet filly and the owner is the breeder and they’re all here.

“That was a lovely ride from Faye too, very good, we’re really pleased.”

Ventura Flame bounced back to form to take the five-furlong Constant Security Handicap for Callum Rodriguez and Keith Dalgleish.

The four-year-old has been busy this term with a string of placed and winning efforts but was not seen to best effect when finishing 10th of 15 in a fillies’ event at York in August.

A return to the Westwood, where she has course and distance form, saw her victorious at 5-1 when crossing the line a neck in front of 2-1 favourite Son And Sannie.

La Rav transferred his all-weather form to the turf when taking the Racing TV Handicap for Joanna Mason and Michael and David Easterby.

The gelding started at 16-1 and travelled in midfield before the penultimate furlong, where he began to make headway before reeling in the 5-2 favourite Arranmore to cross the line a length and a quarter to the good.

“He’s a beautiful, big moving horse,” Mason said.

“He’s got more form on the all-weather but he’s run a blinder there.

“They’ve gone fairly quick early, he’s got a nice split into it and he’s taken his time, we picked them off nicely.

“The first two in front were pushing and he just pulled out and battled all the way to the line.

“He showed a really honest nature there.”

The Beverley Annual Badgeholders Novice Stakes then went the way of 1-7 favourite Fireworks, who took the seven-and-a-half-furlong contest by two lengths for Tom Marquand and William Haggas.