Record-breaking Allegio given 13lb rise after 33-length victory at Cork

Allegio, who became the widest-margin winner of a Flat handicap in Ireland or Britain for at least 20 years when scoring by an incredible 33 lengths at Cork on Sunday, has escaped with 'only' a 13lb rise.

Trained by Denis Hogan, the five-year-old gelding made all under Seamie Heffernan in the four-runner event over an extended mile and won eased down. It was the son of Galileo's third win.

Watch the replay of Allegio's Cork rout

Reflecting on the success and the handicapper's reaction to it, Hogan said on Monday: "I suppose a 13lb rise in the ratings isn't too harsh for such a wide-margin win as the ground was borderline unraceable.

"We knew Allegio would handle the conditions but his rivals obviously didn't cope too well with the ground."

Hogan added: "When he won at Cork last month he was raised 10lb and now he's gone up to a rating of 101. That means we'll probably look at running him in a Listed race or a big-money handicap."

Before Allegio's Sunday stroll, the biggest winning margin in a handicap in Ireland or Britain over the past 20 years had come at Catterick in October 2006, when Mighty Moon won a 1m6f handicap by 27 lengths.

Allegio's 33-length triumph was the widest-margin victory in a Flat handicap in Ireland since Peace In Ireland scored by 20 lengths over a mile and a half at Galway in October 2001.

Invariably, several instances of 20-length-plus winning margins in handicaps in Britain and Ireland over the past two decades have come on heavy ground and with a small field, though by no means all fit that description.

Especially eyecatching was the 17-runner Beverley handicap won by 20 lengths by Level Headed in 2000.

Biggest winning margins in Flat handicaps in Britain & Ireland since 1998

Date, horse, distance, number of runners, ground, course, won by (lengths)

15-04-18Allegio1m½f4HeavyCork33
31-10-06Mighty Moon1m6f7SoftCatterick27
09-02-10Spruce1m3f2StandardSouthwell25
04-03-18Seasearch 1m4f7StandardSouthwell23
12-07-01Classic Conkers 2m½f12Good to firmDoncaster22
17-09-17Look My Way2m6HeavyFfos Las22
09-04-13Naru1m4f4StandardSouthwell22
30-04-14Solarmaite1m3f7StandardSouthwell21
13-04-08Captain Webb1m2f4Good to softBrighton20
19-09-00Level Headed 1m2f17HeavyBeverley20
28-10-01Peace In Ireland 1m4f16Soft to heavyGalway20
30-08-11 All My Heart 1m6f7StandardSouthwell20
29-04-02Astronomer1m4f16HeavySligo20

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