3 minute read

‘He is an absolute star and has a heart like a lion’

Richard Hannon has never been short of a superlative or two to describe Oh This Is Us and heaped more praise on his stable stalwart following victory in the Sun Racing All-Weather Mile Championships Conditions Stakes at Lingfield.

Having given the Marlborough handler his first Dubai winner last year, the admirable six-year-old secured the most valuable victory of his career to take his earnings past the £500,000 mark and leave his last-time-out defeat at Wolverhampton behind.

Benefiting from a strong pace set by Arcanada, the son of Acclamation swept to the front under Tom Marquand deep inside the final furlong, before holding off favourite Indyco by three-quarters of a length.

Hannon said of his 5-1 victor: “He is an absolute star and has a heart like a lion. Tom rode him however he wanted to. He has just been a revelation – I think that’s his 12th win for us.

“He wasn’t much as a two-year-and we couldn’t get him together, but he has been an absolute star. I wish I had a few more like him. He doesn’t seem to like the surface at Wolverhampton, but he loves it here.

“He is the stable star. He never does a lot and he sort of trains himself, Parmar (Singh, stable lad) rides him every day.

“The lads that owned him just wanted a horse for a bit of fun and they have had some. They are all away with their families, but he seems to win when they are not here!

Hannon has earmarked a shot at the Group Two bet365 Mile at Sandown next week as a possible target.

He added: “He has been unlucky not to win a couple of Group Two races. He is in the Lockinge, but he might go to Sandown.

“There are a lot of good races for him. We might avoid the massive ones and slightly tip-toe round with him.”

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