Dubai: Clever Cookie, who enjoyed a phenomenal 2014 season with six wins from ten starts, continued his strong form to spring a surprise in the Group 3 Ormonde Stakes at Chester on Friday.
Ridden by last year’s Grand National winning jockey Graham Lee, the seven-year-old was delivered late to scored by one and a quarter lengths from Tac De Boistron, the mount of Martin Haley.
Winning trainer Peter Niven was delighted and told Channel 4 Racing: “Last week that horse was beaten by a 64-rated hurdler on the gallops. He is phenomenal.
“He doesn’t want it quick and it took a bit of time to get him back from the Magnet Cup (John Smith’s Cup, at York), but he still ran great races.
“He is an incredible horse. If it rains he will go to the Ascot Gold Cup. He wasn’t travelling for Graham in the first half mile and he has come there and ended up beating a horse rated 117.”
The Ormonde Stakes acts as a trial for the Coronation Cup (G1), on Derby Day at Epsom. The last horse to win both races in the same year was St Nicholas Abbey in 2011.
Other famous winners of the Ormonde include 2015 Dubai Turf (G1) winner Brown Panther and Ask (2007) who also won the Coronation Cup in 2009.
Meanwhile, Lingfield stages its annual Derby Trial which aims to provde some points to the Epsom classic on June 6.
However, only a small field of five led by Derby hopeful Christophermarlowe line up to face the starter in the 2,200m contest.
Aidan O’Brien’s Dundalk winner Kilimanjaro, Bartholomew Fair, Magic Dancer and Red Tornado, complete the field.
Trained by John Gosden, Christophermarlowe won over the Derby course two weeks ago and looks hard to beat.
Zarwaan will bid to add to the many successes horses owned by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, have enjoyed this season, when he competes in the Victoria Cup at Ascot today (Saturday).
The son of Dutch Art was a promising fifth in the Britannia at Royal Ascot last year and, despite not seeing the track for over eight months due to injury, made an impressive return in the Lincoln at Doncaster in March. Paul Hanagan takes the ride on a horse that is open to improvement.
