3 minute read
Andrew Balding and Oisin Murphy were at the double when Fivethousandtoone came home best of all to land the BetUK All-Weather Sprint Handicap at Newcastle.
A convincing winner of a Class 2 handicap over six furlongs at Kempton last month, the King Power Racing-owned six-year-old was sent off 8/1 to provide trainer Andrew Balding and jockey Oisin Murphy with a double after they teamed up with Fire Demon earlier on the card.
Highly tried at Group 1 company throughout his two and three-year-old career, the gelded son of Frankel was searching for a third all-weather success at Gosforth Park this afternoon.
Held up towards the rear of the fourteen-strong field, Oisin Murphy began to manoeuvre his mount towards the far side of the track entering the final two furlongs and with an impressive turn of foot, the pair struck the front with a furlong to travel.
The David O'Meara-trained Misty Grey attempted to make a race of it inside the final furlong, but Fivethousandtoone was always finding plenty out in front and went on to score by a convincing length and a quarter.
Chipstead, who finished third behind the winner in the aforementioned Kempton handicap, battled on gamely to collect the bronze medal once more.
Oisin Murphy said: "Fivethousandtoone relaxed really well. He was very good at two – finishing second in the Mill Reef – and then he had a few problems. Andrew's done a great job getting him back, and King Power have been patient.
"Today it all came together, and hopefully it will be the beginning of a decent season for him. He was good last time, better today and, if he can take another step forward, he'll be a horse to follow.
"I was kind of in the middle early but behind them. It was a little bit messy – I had David Egan and Clifford Lee in front of me, and I just wasn't sure what runs were going to present themselves to me.
"Tom Eaves was stopping, and I decided just to go round them and keep the momentum. I was able to ride him quietly and, when I asked him to go, he picked up well, so credit to the horse."