Double Rush Heads One-two For Charlie Hills At HQ

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


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


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


"Some of our horses weren't best last season, so he had a great mark actually. He probably didn't handle the track that well today and a flatter track will fit him better.


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


John and Thady Gosden rapidly followed up their win in the Stakes by saddling Swiss Lightning (2-1 preferred) to take the Rossdales Maiden Fillies' Stakes in identified style.


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


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


"We offered her an experience of the racecourse at the end of last year, however it was heavy ground and she didn't like it, she was a bit weak and the jockey looked after 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 felt like we need to remain at seven and do not go back to six and not increase to a mile, so we'll have a good look. I would not wish to rush her back from that as she's had a tough adequate race, however you have actually got to enjoy with her.


"She revealed a terrific attitude due to the fact that she hit the front, then wasn't sure what she was meant to be doing, but she didn't give up. 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 favourite Fifty Nifty in the hands of Trevor Whelan.