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 bit over a fortnight earlier, Double Rush was a 9-4 favourite to act on his handicap debut in the hands of Jason Watson and got the much better of stablemate Bob Mali by a length and a quarter.


Hills stated of the winner: "He won his amateur extremely well in a good 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 right last season, so he had a nice mark really. He most likely didn't manage the track that well today and a flatter track will fit him much better.


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


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


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


Making simply her 2nd start, the Lordship Stud stud-owned child of Night Of Thunder revealed a significant attitude to come out on top in a thrilling three-way finish.


"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 succeeded today as it wasn't the strategy and there was no pace, it was a messy race - she looked a bit chewy at an early stage but settled into it.


"That was over seven and it extremely much seemed like we need to remain at seven and don't go back to 6 and not increase to a mile, so we'll have a good appearance. I wouldn't desire to rush her back from that as she's had a difficult enough race, however you have actually got to be delighted with her.


"She showed a great attitude since she struck the front, then wasn't sure what she was meant to be doing, however she didn't quit. Ryan (Moore, on Richard Hannon's runner-up Stellenbosch) had the rail which's a huge advantage with these unskilled 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.