Jimmy Quinn, 55, is Britain's oldest professional jockey and he enjoyed a day to remember at Newmarket Thursday when he partnered Lethal Levi (16-1) to victory in the £100,000 Bet Boost At bet365 Handicap (six furlongs).
The 3-year-old Lethal Force gelding went into a clear lead after the first furlong and was never in any real danger of being caught thereafter in the 19-runner contest as he kept finding more and more for Quinn. At the finish, he had 1 1/2 lengths to spare over runner-up Admiral D (20-1).
In years gone by Quinn, who rode his first winner in 1985 and has over 1,300 successes to his name, was among the very busiest jockeys in Britain. In 2002 for example, he clocked up a remarkable 1,108 rides. While life may be slightly more sedate nowadays, the Cheveley-based jockey revealed after today's success that he has no immediate plans to hang up his boots.
Jimmy Quinn said: “This is my 38th season with a license. It was 1985 that I had my first winner and I can see it in a photograph at home. You don't get these winners when you get to my age. Somebody said to me when are you going to retire and I said Saturday, I don't know which Saturday but I can promise you it won't be this Saturday!
“It was fairly straightforward. Karl gave me plenty of confidence and Clifford Lee, who has been riding him, gave me plenty of confidence. I was a little bit worried I had stall 14 but I made myself go to the middle of the track. He popped the lids not very good as he was rocking in there, so he didn't hit them on an even keel. It took me about a furlong to get my foot in the iron properly.
“From halfway I'm thinking I've got a lot of horse here. I gave him a squeeze past the three and he has just ran on all the way to the line. I don't know what the time was like. He has been carrying a lot of weight in lesser races and he is only a small handy horse. I've never ridden him before and I will probably never ride him again but he has done everything right for me today. I've got a lot of friends in there (weighing room). I've been around a while and it is nice to have a winner on television and it is nice to have a winner here.”
Winning rider Karl Burke added: “I was thinking of stepping this horse up to seven but I thought it was too good a prize not to have a go at. I thought my other horse (Aasser, who finished eighth) had the better chance if I'm truthful.
“I've known Jimmy a long time. He texted me at the entry stage. I had two out of the weights and him low in the weights and he said don't forget me! I nearly did and put someone else on but Jimmy has given him a great ride.
“This horse is on an upward curve. They travelled down last night and I went over to the stables this morning and took the rugs off all of them including him and I said to the lads he looks fantastic.
“He never runs a bad race and that was probably a career best for him. Jimmy said he was travelling so I don't know if it was rope they were giving him or if they couldn't travel with him. I don't think it was any fluke anyway. I'd say the handicapper won't be too kind with him today but we will see what he does. He probably deserves an easy week. We will possibly step him up to seven next time.”
Jockey Barry McHugh said of the second Admiral D: “It was a great run and I was just a bit out of my ground early.
“He sort of warms up to the race but I think if it comes up a deluge somewhere he's a very good horse.”
The post Jimmy Quinn, Britain’s Oldest Professional Jockey At 55, Enjoys Day To Remember At Newmarket appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
Yibir (11-8 Joint-Favorite), who enjoyed his finest hour when triumphant in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf at Del Mar in November 2021, got back to winning ways when successful in the G2 Princess Of Wales's Close Brothers Stakes (1 1/2 miles), the highlight of Ladies Day at the Moët & Chandon July Festival at Newmarket Thursday.
Godolphin's 4-year-old Dubawi gelding had endured a frustrating 2022 up to now, being the beaten favorite in his three outings at Meydan, Newmarket and Belmont Park. However, Yibir made no mistake today as took the lead in the final half-furlong to come home the cozy 2 1/4-length victor from Living Legend (18-1) with his stablemate Global Storm (16-1) another neck away in third.
Trainer Charlie Appleby, who was enjoying his second Princess of Wales's Stakes success after Hawkbill (2017), said: “Full credit must go to Shane Fetherstonhaugh who rides him at home and the team – they've done a great job. Shane has been saying at home over the last 10 days or so that he's as good as we've had him and I thought he looked a picture in the paddock. He's been moving so well at home and as William (Buick, jockey) just said he's a different horse when he's got pace to run at.
“He's just a different animal. People have possibly been scratching their heads on the outside wondering what went on at Newmarket and at Belmont but it's just simple – he needs a gallop. He's a big unit and if you take a pull on him he just gets a bit disorganized and it takes him a bit to get warmed up and get going. It was a lovely ride by William and I'm pleased to get him back in front and hopefully now we'll head to Saratoga for the Sword Dancer.
“Ultimately we'll be looking at the Breeders' Cup but with Keeneland at that time of year we'll have to keep an eye on the weather. One thing he does like is to have his feet rattling so if it came up a bit slow we'd have to question mark it. Most importantly he's got his head back in-front and we'll go to the Sword Dancer (at Saratoga in August) first and work our way from there.”
On third-paced Global Storm, Appleby added: “I'm delighted. We knew what he was out there to do and ensure that there was a decent gallop but we were confident that he would run a sensible race because he's been leading all these horses at home. He's got a sensible race program himself so we're delighted.”
The Globetrotting Yabir can add another group 2 to his profile as he is is far too good for his rivals in the Princess Of Wales's Close Brothers Stakes for William Buick and Charlie Appleby for team Godolphin.
@CloseBrothers @godolphin pic.twitter.com/lLnunE6fMG
— Newmarket Racecourse (@NewmarketRace) July 7, 2022
The Moulton Paddocks handler also had an update on four of his stable stars – 2021 Cazoo Derby hero Adayar, recent Coral-Eclipse runner-up Native Trail, QIPCO 2000 Guineas scorer Coroebus and 2021 St Leger winner Hurricane Lane.
“Adayar is cantering away. We took him out of the King George a couple of days ago. I don't want to sound like I'm repeating myself but we didn't want to force him to do something, because he's a big horse and he's been absolutely fantastic for us and the way he's been over the last 10 days is fantastic, he's a different horse.
“More importantly he looks great and he's got his old spark about him. He's having a buck and a kick when he's going out and I've not seen that for six weeks or more, we're starting to see the old Adayar back. I'm not going to target any race, he'll tell me when he's back and hopefully that will be sooner rather than later.”
“I thought Native Trail ran a solid race in the Eclipse and was just out-stayed at that level. At two down I thought William was giving him a lovely ride and I could see what he was doing as he was just looking at that petrol gauge. One thing I thought was that he got 10 furlongs but he didn't go through the line at that trip, he's always going to be a very competitive horse at that trip but I'd be surprised if we can reverse the form with the first and second. I think personally I'd come back to a mile and look to France for the Prix Jacques Le Marois and then work away from there.
“Coroebus is going to head to the Sussex Stakes all being well. That's the plan and it should hopefully be a great race.
“Unfortunately for Hurricane Lane it was documented as Soft ground (in France on Sunday for the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud but we knew it wasn't going to be Soft ground. The lads walked it in the morning and they said it was Good ground there and by the time they started it was Good To Firm.
“William said that even when he was going down to post he was not enjoying it and he wasn't hard on him towards the end to him. It's unfortunate that we've run twice on Good To Firm ground this year, but it's materialised that way. Most importantly he's come out of it fine and he's cantered this morning and it's a very simple rule now, we'll be waiting for Soft ground. When that appears we'll see him back out and hopefully at his best again.”
Winning jockey William Buick added: “It went very smoothly and we had an even pace to focus on and he galloped out well.
“He won the Bahrain Trophy on this card last year. It was really good to get him back to winning ways. He felt great today. The last three times he has run very well just things conspired against him either with a bad draw or lack of pace.
“Everything went right for him today though and he has come back and won.”
Joint-trainer Mark Johnston said of runner-up Living Legend: “He hasn't beaten Yibir today but he has made him work and given him three pounds. It is him back at his best I would say. The last two runs have been very disappointing, fluffing the start. The horse doesn't have any specific issue with the stalls either. He had someone at the start with him today as he starts to get on edge at the beginning so he is prone to be slowly away.
“Ryan (Moore, jockey) said he was slowly away again today but luckily with a good run to the turn he could get him back in without getting after him. That (having someone at the start) has worked well and he has run well.
“He has massively exceeded my expectations. We thought this horse was a very good three year old but I'm in the camp that believes that once flat horses have a tendon injury that not only are they likely to come back again but that they will never be quite as good as they were.
“How good might he have been without the tendon injury as he is clearly running better now than anybody could have imagined. He is at the top of his form. Either we are wrong and they are not all slow after a tendon injury or he was going to be a superstar.
“We had been thinking of travelling with him anyway. If this horse can't win a Group One in the UK he would win one in Germany or somewhere not that Group Ones are the be all and end all as he is a gelding as prize money is the be all and end all.
“He has got entries in Germany and we were thinking of that but you don't go there off a couple of bad runs. Ryan feels there is a Group One in him but that you would have to be away of some of the sharp starts at these foreign tracks.”
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Heider Family Stables' Agartha has yet to race past one mile in 11 lifetime starts, but that will change when the Irish-bred daughter of Caravaggio bursts from the gate in Saturday's Grade 1, $700,000 Belmont Oaks at 1 1/4 miles at Belmont Park.
Trained by Joseph O'Brien, the son of internationally-acclaimed conditioner Aidan O'Brien, Agartha arrives stateside off a fifth-place finish in the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas on May 22 at The Curragh, which came on the heels of two runner-up finishes against Group 3 company at Leopardstown.
Agartha set the tempo in the Irish 1000 Guineas under pressure from the elder O'Brien-trained Tuesday and maintained position in upper stretch. But the turn of foot from Moyglare Stud's Homeless Songs proved superior over the County Kildare turf, with Agartha finishing two necks back of third-place returning rival Concert Hall.
“She was doing what was she was supposed to be doing,” said owner Scott Heider. “The filly in second [Tuesday], the rider got a little anxious and pulled the trigger early, therefore Agartha was on the front end. She ran a heck of a good race. The winner was not to be denied that day, but Agartha was not far off running second.”
Heider said the Irish 1000 Guineas effort prompted O'Brien to consider the Belmont Oaks.
“We had a decision to make: do we keep her over there and look for races in Europe, or do we look abroad?” Heider said. “Joseph has had some success in the states, including at Belmont. Even as far back as the week after the 1000 Guineas, he mentioned the Belmont Oaks as one of the possibilities. With the staying blood she has, I thought it would be great to have her come to the states. He has pointed her for this race since then.”
While her sire Caravaggio was known for his speed at shorter distances, Agartha possesses plenty of stamina through her maternal side. Her dam Arya Tara, by Dylan Thomas, was a stakes winner in Ireland going 1 3/4 miles and comes from the same family as The Aga Khan's Group 1-winning stayers Azamour, Ansar, and Astarabad.
Heider mentioned his curiosity of Agartha's long-distance capabilities during her juvenile campaign, when she captured the Group 3 Silver Flash at Leopardstown and the Group 2 Debutante at The Curragh, both at seven furlongs.
“When you look at the family of Agartha, it's just full of high class Group 1 and Group 2 winners. A vast majority were stayers, so there was a lot of stamina on the page,” Heider said. “The dam was Group 3-placed and was trained by Joseph. She was a true stayer. We always wondered what she could do at ages three and four with the stamina that she possesses. This year, we ran her twice in 1000 Guineas preps and ran second to two filles in each race that went on to be quite accomplished already. She was keeping awfully good company.”
Agartha will remain in the United States following the Belmont Oaks and travel upstate to Saratoga Race Course where O'Brien will have six stalls in his first major presence at a North American racetrack.
“It'll be exciting not only for us but for Saratoga race fans to have Joseph have a presence there with stakes horses,” Heider said. “We have a lot of faith in young Joseph. We just need to get lucky.”
O'Brien has previously found stateside prosperity with 2019 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf victress Iridessa; last year's Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup-winner Baron Samedi; as well as State of Rest, who captured last year's Saratoga Derby Invitational ahead of a score in the Group 1 Cox's Plate at Moonee Valley in Australia and a last out win in the Group 1 Prince of Wales at Royal Ascot.
“We love watching Joseph work. He's some kind of horseman,” Heider said. “The apple did not fall far from the tree. He's had some success here. The Breeders' Cup is back at Keeneland this year, so he's got his eye on that. We've been with Joseph five years now. He's not afraid to ship and move around. State of Rest has been a prime example of that going between Europe, Australia, New York, Ireland. He's been fantastic at handicapping these races and picking spots. We're excited and cautiously optimistic about the Belmont Oaks.”
Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez, who piloted State of Rest to victory in the Saratoga Derby, will pick up the mount from post 9 at 10-1 morning line odds.
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