Stoute newcomer Passenger enjoys Newmarket stroll

Ashley Iveson
April 20, 2023 2:38 pm

No rush to make plans for smart-looking Wood Ditton winner.

Sir Michael Stoute is keen to let the dust settle on Passenger’s impressive debut in the bet365 Wood Ditton Maiden Stakes at Newmarket before considering the next plan of attack.

A field of eight unraced three-year-olds went to post for what is traditionally a strong contest run over the Rowley Mile, with Passenger an 11-1 shot in the hands of Ryan Moore.

Andrew Balding’s well-supported 5-4 favourite New Business set out to make all the running, but was reeled in by both the William Haggas-trained Kathab and Niarchos-owned Ulysses colt Passenger, who stretched three lengths clear at the line.

The winner does not currently hold any big-race entries and Stoute will take his usual patient approach.

Passenger an impressive winner of the Wood Ditton @NewmarketRace for Sir Michael Stoute and Ryan Moore pic.twitter.com/Mwz0LvAcos
— Ashley Iveson (@AshIveson) April 20, 2023

“He’s very straightforward, he’d done plenty of work and did it very professionally,” said the Freemason Lodge handler.

“He was a little bit noisy before the race, but he was fine once Ryan got on him.

“None of the horses in the race had run, so you don’t know what the opposition is, but we like him and today was finding out time.

“We felt the Wood Ditton over a mile was a nice starting point, but I think we’ll go a mile and a quarter next time.

“We’ve got to sit back and think and give him a couple of pieces of work once he’s freshened up. There are no plans at the moment.”

Once More for Luck (centre) won the opening race at Newmarket (Tim Goode/PA)

One More For Luck was a 28-1 winner of the bet365 Handicap for trainer Ismail Mohammed and jockey Benoit De La Sayette.

Making his first appearance since finishing sixth at 250-1 in the Middle Park Stakes in the autumn, the three-year-old made a successful handicap debut by one and a quarter lengths.

Mohammed’s assistant Jose Santos said: “Last season was a tough season for him, the Middle Park was his seventh race and it was too many races in too short a time.

“He’s a horse who is developing really well. He is in the Group Two at York (Duke of York Stakes) and if he is well he will go for it and if he is successful the next target will be the July Cup.”