Jimmi Hendrix calls the tune at Newbury

Simon Milham
April 22, 2023 5:38 pm

Headgear works the oracle on smart handicapper.

Ralph Beckett will consider his options before making any firm plans for Newbury’s BetGoodwin Spring Cup winner Jimi Hendrix, who stayed on well to take the valuable mile handicap under Rossa Ryan.

Things did not go according to plan when fancied for the Lincoln, where he had finished a disappointing 13th of 22.

Jockey Rossa Ryan felt the fitting of blinkers helped his cause as he powered to a three-and-a-half-length victory over Lattam.

Blinkers on, in he goes! 👀
Jimi Hendrix storms clear down the outside of the field in first-time blinkers to land the GBP 70,000 Spring Cup @NewburyRacing under @Rossaryan15.
That’s a double on the afternoon for @RalphBeckett! pic.twitter.com/TQ8sDlBtH3

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 22, 2023

“He is just a bit claustrophobic, hence putting the blinkers on and hence me coming across on my own. It has done the trick, really,” said Ryan.

“He has beaten an Irish Lincoln winner pulling up and he took a lot of pulling up, so I wouldn’t fear going up in trip again with him.

“He has not hit his ceiling and you’d like to think there’d be more to come.”

Beckett, who was recording a double, having taken the Fred Darling with Remarquee, added: “I think he likes this ground to degree. But he’s won on fast ground at the July meeting, so I don’t think it is that important to him.

“But the blinkers today and a bit of space on the wing has really made the difference.

“I’m not sure where we go. The Royal Hunt Cup maybe, with something in between, we’ll have to go away and work it out.”

Golspie/Newbury — Golspie surprised Eve Johnson Houghton (Simon Milham/PA)

Newbury maidens at this time of year are invariably informative, although Eve Johnson Houghton was as surprised as anyone when Golspie (12-1) landed the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Maiden by a length and a half in the hands of Charlie Bishop.

“Slightly unexpected,” said Johnson Houghton. “I thought he would get very tired in the ground. My other horse got very tired on the ground.

“Actually, he quite enjoyed it I think, but he possibly wants further, so it was a lovely surprise.

“We were going to go for a maiden next time!

“He wasn’t very well when we first bought him so gave him loads of time and we were never really going to run him as a two-year-old, and he is still weak, but he’s going to be a nice horse with a bit of luck.”

Klondike/Newbury — Klondike looked a smart recruit in the mile and three-furlong maiden (Simon Milham/PA)

Klondike (7-2), a son of Galileo, who cost 600,000 guineas as a yearling, is bred to be a nice horse.

He overcame abundant greenness under Tom Marquand to take the Too Darn Hot Darley Maiden Stakes by a head for trainer William Haggas.

After his polished and patient ride, where he taught the three-year-old plenty, coming from off the pace to score, Marquand said: “It was a proper William-style run. It is probably as much as you want to see. William likes them to be ridden like that.

“It’s lovely to see a horse like that go and drop down that last half furlong, and actually go and win a race like that.

“You teach them. That is the whole point of their first and early runs, to teach them what their job. We want them all to win, but sometimes emptying the tank isn’t the way they learn the most.

“I gave him a flick a furlong and a half out to get him to straighten up and another flick with half a furlong to go.

“He’s a lovely horse and stays well, and hopefully has a pretty exciting future.”