‘He could have won by 25 lengths’ - Group 3 winner more than just a Hobby horse as owner-breeder chases Middle Park success

Group 3 winner Five Ways has been supplemented for the Tattersalls Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday, with his owner-breeder John Hobby confident that "we haven't got to the bottom of him yet." 

The Andrew Balding-trained son of Kameko – who won the 2,000 Guineas for the yard in 2020 – followed up an impressive five-length victory at Salisbury last month with a neck success over Rogue Supremacy in the Sirenia Stakes at Kempton this month.

Hobby and Balding feel that a sound surface is important to Five Ways and have elected to pay the £20,000 supplementary while that is still a realistic possibility at Newmarket. 

"First time out at Newbury he went nicely and quickened up at the furlong, but he seemed to lose his action," said Hobby. "There had been a rainstorm before and it got a bit sloppy on top.

"We ran him next at Salisbury and he was obviously too good for that class. He takes a firm hold and Jason Watson chose not fight him. He has such a high cruising speed and he won without being touched by five lengths, and it could have been 25." 

Of the choice of going to Kempton next, Hobby said: "We wanted to find some good ground for him but it was very wet at the time so we sent him to the Sirenia Stakes. 

"He went off in front again but when the others came to him, the jockey gave him one flick and he went on, he was always holding them."

Five Ways (right) prevails in a close finish to the Group 3 Sirenia Stakes Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Hobby first bought Five Ways ancestress Lighted Lamp in Kentucky in 1972 and while the family has produced plenty of good horses who raced for other people, the Middle Park contender is the best to have carried his own silks.

"He was broken in by Malcolm Bastard not far from us," said Hobby. "Malcolm does the pre-training for John Gosden, William Haggas and Roger Varian and probably breaks in about 250 horses a year. 

"I discussed with him whether we could send him to a breeze-up sale. Malcolm said he’d sell well but told me we’d have some fun if we kept him."

Hobby added: "He didn’t go into Andrew’s until the end of May and we’re certainly having some fun with him. We don’t think he’ll be outclassed."

Coral introduced Five Ways as a 12-1 chance to give Hobby a Group 1 success less than a year after his son Jeffrey, owner of Brightwalton Stud, performed the same trick in the Prix de l'Abbaye with Makarova.

Gstaad (left) could drop back in trip after being beaten by Zavateri in the National Stakes Credit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

Prix Morny second and third Gstaad and Wise Approach are set to reoppose and the same firm have them as 7-4 joint-favourites. Brussels, Kansas, First Approach and Puerto Rico could also represent Gstaad's trainer Aidan O'Brien

Clive Cox has left in impressive Richmond Stakes winner Coppull, who was fifth in the Morny, while Havana Hurricane, Hilitany and The Publican's Son could also take their chance. 

The unbeaten Bow Echo has been supplemented for the Group 2 Tattersalls Online Royal Lodge Stakes for George Boughey, with 15 confirmations for the race that includes seven from the O'Brien yard.

Bow Echo is two from two this year, most recently defeating the classy Publish in the Listed Ascendant Stakes at Haydock, and is no bigger than 14-1 for next year's Betfred 2,000 Guineas.

Tattersalls Middle Park Stakes (3.00 Newmarket, Saturday)
Coral: 7-4 Gstaad, Wise Approach, 6 The Publican’s Son, 7 Coppull, 8 Hilitany, 10 Puerto Rico, 12 Five Ways, 16 Havana Hurricane, Kansas, 33 Brussels, 66 First Approach.

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