Haynes to aim higher with Nottingham victor Fix You

Listed honours on trainer’s radar.

Alice Haynes’ Fix You could have bigger days ahead following a bloodless victory at Nottingham.

The Newmarket-based handler shot to prominence with her stewardship of Lady Hollywood last season and she seems to have found another talented sprinter in a similar mould for owners Amo Racing.

The daughter of Night Of Thunder made a winning debut on soft ground at Thirsk as a two-year-old and although not seen after finishing down the field in a French Listed contest second time, the 15-8 favourite built on her reappearance at Kempton to double her tally in the Racing TV Profits Returned To Racing Handicap.

Fix You will now go searching for black type while conditions remain suitable, with Navan’s Committed Stakes (April 22) and a six-furlong assignment on the all-weather at Chelmsford mooted as possible options.

“She needed her run at Kempton and I thought she would win, but the six probably just caught her out being a bit ring rusty,” said Haynes. “I thought 77 was a great mark for her and this was a great opportunity to get her in.

“It’s the ground that makes all the difference to her, she loves the soft ground and the dig in it.

“There’s a race in Ireland we could go to at the end of next week, a stakes race chasing the soft ground and trying to get a bit of black type early. She’s a nice filly, she’s exciting for the owner who is a good supporter of our team.

“We could try to look for something over five in England if the rain stays or we could go for the Chelmer Fillies’ Stakes at Chelmsford (April 27) over six. That is a Listed race and we will try to get her some black type as we think she is well capable of that.

“She’s nearly as straightforward as Lady Hollywood, they are two cracking fillies. We are always trying to find another one like her.”

John and Thady Gosden’s Derby entrant Torito continued his education by breaking his maiden in testing conditions in the Bet At racingtv.com Novice Stakes.

Sent off the 1-4 favourite following the late withdrawal of Roger Varian’s Exoplanet, the Kingman colt bettered his encouraging debut third in a Newbury maiden in the hands of Robert Havlin.

“His family have enjoyed that ground, but it is a tough first run of the season coming back and having to go through that,” said Havlin.

Torito ridden by Robert Havlin wins the Bet At racingtv.com Novice Stakes at Nottingham Racecourse
Torito ridden by Robert Havlin wins the Bet At racingtv.com Novice Stakes at Nottingham Racecourse (Joe Giddens/PA)

“He probably got left two and a half (furlongs) out, which was far enough out for him. Certainly the last half a furlong he got tired and he ran nearly a similar race last year at Newbury – came there cruising and then just paddled the last half a furlong.

“Although it looks as if he didn’t hit the line that strong there, maybe he is one who does want stepping up in trip and ride him a bit more patiently on better ground.”

Havlin was also on the scoresheet aboard Dean Ivory’s Molly Valentine in the racingtv.com Fillies’ Handicap, while Jack Channon’s Sera Dawn confirmed course form over Fair Wind to open her account in the Darley EBF Novice Stakes.

There was also a winner on the card for local handler Roy Bowring who sent out Nine Elms (7-1) to land the Watch On Racing TV Handicap, while Marco Ghiani got his new job as retained rider to owner Peter Harris off to the perfect start when guiding Eyetrap (13-2) to victory in the Every Race Live On Racing TV Handicap.

“He couldn’t have done any better,” said Harris about Ghiani’s winning start.

“I have a great relationship with Adam Kirby, and still have, but I needed somebody to ride the fillies as well as the colts, and he won some good races as an apprentice.”

Handler Jane Chapple Hyam was also delighted to see the association get off to a victorious start and is ambitiously dreaming of a 2024 Melbourne Cup tilt with the Ulysses colt.

She said: “We knew we would get the distance, the trip was no problem. We were a little concerned about the heavy in places but he is bred to stay and maybe that is why he did it.

“I see him running in mile-and-a-half, mile-six handicaps, maybe one day next year a Melbourne Cup – the dream’s there isn’t it.”

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