Get comes home well Ahead at Haydock

Listed strike for Clive Cox’s filly.

Get Ahead stamped her class on the EBF British Stallion Studs Cecil Frail at Haydock.

Clive Cox’s filly was the 7-4 favourite to strike Listed gold for the first time, having finished third twice at this level last season and again on her reappearance at Bath last month.

She was unable to land a telling blow when sixth in the Group Three Palace House Stakes at Newmarket three weeks ago, but showed her true colours returning to a sounder surface on Merseyside.

The daughter of Showcasing, a half-sister to 2000 Guineas hero Chaldean, travelled strongly throughout the six-furlong contest in the hands of Richard Kingscote, who always appeared confident he had matters well in hand.

Once asked to extend, Get Ahead readily quickened up to grab the lead and she was ultimately good value for the official winning margin of a length and a quarter, with Kape Moss best of the rest in second.

Cox said: “I’m very pleased, she’s a really nice filly and she’s got a lot of speed, so I’m pleased she’s stretched out to the six furlongs well today.

“She’s coming on all the time and maturity has been the answer to her really. She’s a half-sister to Chaldean and it’s a privilege to train a filly with such a quality pedigree.”

Clive Cox was delighted with Get Ahead's victory
Clive Cox was delighted with Get Ahead’s victory (John Walton/PA)

When asked about future plans, the trainer added: “Now she’s won a Listed race, we can explore a bit higher. She’s always shown a lot of promise, but with maturity, especially for the fillies, when it’s working for you it’s extremely pleasing.

“We’ll try to stay on the right side of the fence now, she likes quicker ground and it was great that Haydock provided that today.”

Cox and Kingscote were completing a double on the card following the earlier success of Spirit Of The Bay in the curtain-raising Tyldeseley Handicap.

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