Ivan Furtado eyeing greater things after 'exciting' Byford completes hat-trick

Ivan Furtado looks to have a smart horse in his care in Byford, who returned a well-backed winner of the feature 1m2f handicap under Jason Hart.

The four-year-old, who cost just €5,000, was always handy under Hart and reeled in Charlie Arthur inside the final furlong with the winning distance of half a length belying his dominance.

Furtado said: "We bought him unraced from France and he's just progressed with time. He's very straightforward and I think he'll be versatile in terms of trip.

"He's very exciting for everyone in the yard and for the owner. He settles nicely and just does everything so easily with that high cruising speed."

The victory completed a hat-trick for the son of Toronado after victories at Wolverhampton and Pornichet-La Baule in France and Furtado is looking at a further step up in class next time.

"We'll look at something like the Rosebery at Kempton next as they should go a good gallop and that will suit," he said. "Hopefully he'll be able to transfer his form to the turf as well."

'A winner waiting to happen'

Trainer John Gallagher picked up a first winner of the year when Rivas Rob Roy scored in division two of the mile handicap.

"We normally have a winner or two in January but this is our first of the year," Gallagher said. "He's had two bad draws but he was a winner waiting to happen if he got a good draw.

"He still had to go out the back and come round the outside but I said to Kieran [Shoemark] when he got on that he was on the best horse in the race."

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