Boiling Point too hot for Newmarket rivals

Royal Ascot next on the agenda for Roger Varian’s charge.

Boiling Point got the mercury rising just in time to book his ticket to Royal Ascot with victory in the William Hill King Charles II Stakes at Newmarket.

Second to Owen Burrows’ Alyanaabi in the Tattersalls Stakes over track and trip last September, he filled the same spot on his return behind Ten Bob Tony during the Craven meeting.

However, Roger Varian’s colt clearly improved for that early-season pipe-opener, with the 11-8 favourite getting motoring late in the day to hunt down Richard Hughes’ Queen Of Zafeen and then outbattle Bold Style at the finish.

Varian is keen to stick at the seven-furlong distance for now with the Sheikh Mohammed Obaid-owned winner, with the Jersey Stakes at the Royal meeting highlighted as his next target.

Varian said: “He nearly won the Group Three here (Tattersalls Stakes, last season) and he got away with it today, he will be better on good to firm ground.

“I was delighted with my horse and I thought the further he went, the better he was and crossing the line he was a good winner.

“To me he needed every yard of it and he has now had two quick races, but I would quite like to speak to the owner and put him away for the Jersey at Ascot – then we will see if he is a seven-furlong horse or whether we step him up to a mile afterwards.

“Through the winter I always thought he was a Jersey horse and today he has done nothing to dissuade me from that plan. I think the stiff seven furlongs on fast ground at Ascot will really suit him.”

Both Varian and Boiling Point’s rider James Doyle are no strangers to big-race glory, but this Listed win represents the duo’s first important strike together since linking up at the beginning of the season.

James Doyle was successful aboard Boiling Point
James Doyle was successful aboard Boiling Point (Adam Davy/PA)

The Carlburg Stables handler recognised the importance of cementing their relationship with this first high-profile success at the track and also expressed his delight in providing the son of Too Darn Hot’s owner with his second Listed win of the afternoon.

“It’s important and in any new relationship you want success early, so in that respect it is great,” continued Varian.

“It’s lovely to have nice winner for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid as well, who has been a great supporter of me over the years.

“So from both of those points of view and for the team at home, it is great. This is a game about winning and with the law of averages a lot of the time you don’t. But it’s important to win and I’m delighted for James and for the owner.”

Volterra (7-4 favourite) completed a treble for the owner in the closing William Hill Extra Place Races Handicap, adding to Caviar Heights’ earlier success.

Sea Just In Time will have gone into plenty of notebooks with an impressive display on debut for William Haggas.

Sea Just In Time impressed on debut
Sea Just In Time impressed on debut (Adam Davy/PA)

The daughter of Sea The Stars – who holds entries for both the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Irish Oaks – was sent off an 11-2 chance in the hands of Tom Marquand and galloped home in the Darley Maiden Fillies’ Stakes to score by four and three-quarter lengths.

“She’s nice and we’ve always thought she was nice, but she’s done that pretty well, I was quite impressed by her,” said Maureen Haggas.

“There’s no hurry and I don’t know where she will go next, but she will probably need three weeks until she runs again and then we might try to win a Listed race with her and go from there.

“There’s lots of things later in the year, Irish Oaks and things like that. Sea Of Class was second in a maiden here before going on to a Listed race and then the Irish Oaks, so there’s lots of races if she’s good enough.”

Noble Dynasty enjoyed escaping the heat of Meydan for the more dreary conditions on the Rowley Mile when making all in the seven-furlong William Hill Epic Boost Handicap.

Noble Dynasty made a winning return to the UK
Noble Dynasty made a winning return to the UK (Adam Davy/PA)

Charlie Appleby’s charge was fifth in his sole outing at Meydan, but was back to his best to register his sixth career success at odds of 5-1 in the hands of William Buick.

Appleby said: “He needed it at Meydan and he travelled into the race well, but to be fair the conditions and race set-up was good for him today. He loves to get his toe in and he loves to lead.

“It’s a job he does at home very well and William was keen to get out on the lead and it worked out well.

“He was a horse we had planned for a programme in Dubai but ended up doing other jobs out there, but I’m pleased to get him back and he’s a grand horse to wheel out every so often.”

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