Double Rush Heads One-two For Charlie Hills At HQ

Double Rush led home one-two for fitness instructor Charlie Hills in the curtain-raising bet365 Handicap on Craven Stakes day at Newmarket.


A winner on the all-weather at Wolverhampton little over a fortnight back, Double Rush was a 9-4 favourite to act on his handicap debut in the hands of Jason Watson and got the better of stablemate Bob Mali by a length and a quarter.


of the winner: "He won his newbie extremely well in a good time at Wolverhampton and I think he's going to be a good, enhancing three-year-old through the season.


"A few of our horses weren't ideal last season, so he had a nice mark actually. He most likely didn't handle the track that well today and a flatter track will fit him much better.


"There's an important handicap at York a week or so before Royal Ascot and we might intend him for that, however we'll see how he enhances and take it step by step."


John and Thady Gosden quickly followed up their win in the function Craven Stakes by saddling Swiss Lightning (2-1 favourite) to take the Rossdales Maiden Fillies' Stakes in figured out style.


Double Rush winning the opening race at Newmarket on Wednesday (Mike Egerton/PA)


Making simply her 2nd start, the Lordship Stud stud-owned daughter of Night Of Thunder showed a remarkable attitude to come out on top in a thrilling three-way surface.


"We gave her an experience of the racecourse at the end of last year, but it was heavy ground and she didn't like it, she was a bit weak and the jockey took care of her and she has actually succeeded today as it wasn't the strategy and there was no rate, it was an untidy race - she looked a bit chewy early on however settled into it.


"That was over 7 and it quite seemed like we need to remain at seven and don't return to six and not increase to a mile, so we'll have a great look. I would not want to hurry her back from that as she's had a difficult enough race, but you have got to be pleased with her.


"She showed a terrific mindset because she struck the front, then wasn't sure what she was implied to be doing, however she didn't quit. Ryan (Moore, on Richard Hannon's runner-up Stellenbosch) had the rail and that's a huge benefit with these inexperienced fillies."


Stallion Ten Sovereigns had the one-two in the concluding Watch Live Racing At bet365 Handicap as Harry Charlton's Ten Pounds (5-1) saw off Tom Clover's 5-4 preferred Fifty Nifty in the hands of Trevor Whelan.