Bangkok registers stylish Trial triumph at Lingfield

Balding runner impresses in Listed heat.

Bangkok stamped his class on the Betway Winter Derby Trial when running out an easy winner at Lingfield.

Andrew Balding thought he had a genuine Derby contender on his hands last spring after he won a trial at Sandown, but his charge ran no sort of a race at Epsom.

While he went on to run several other good races last season, he never got his head back in front, but looked the one to beat on his all-weather debut and was sent off the 13-8 favourite.

Court House made a bold bid, looking to give John Gosden a third successive win after Wissahickon last year and Utmost in 2018, but he looked a sitting duck for the favourite and so it proved.

Rob Hornby asked Bangkok to quicken and the race was quickly over, with Australia colt breaking the track record in the process.

Good Effort took advantage of the late defection of Kachy to win the Betway Cleves Stakes, giving in-form rider Ben Curtis another winner in the process.

Tom Dascombe had hoped to book Kachy’s place on All-Weather Championships Finals Day, but he hurt himself in his box, which the trainer noticed as he was saddling the seven-year-old.

“It’s pretty heart-wrenching. The horse is fine, but he has a swelling on his back leg which he didn’t have yesterday,” Dascombe told Sky Sports Racing.

“He’s kicked the wall or rolled, he’s done something and I spotted it just as we were saddling up.

“He’s almost sound, but you just can’t take a chance. He’ll probably be sound tomorrow, he just needs some ice on it.”

The race itself was a very straightforward for Good Effort, trained by Ismail Mohammed, who made every yard of the running.

The 13-8 favourite came home a length and three-quarters clear of Soldier’s Minute.

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