Brilliant Bengali Boys gives Fahey more juvenile-race success

Barry McHugh enjoyed his biggest payday when Richard Fahey's second string Bengali Boys bolted up by six lengths in a Weatherbys Super Sprint run in miserably wet weather.

Whereas the winner, Fahey's third in the race in five years, plainly relished the deteriorating underfoot conditions, it was all too much for stable companion and hot favourite Maggies Angel, who floundered in the ground but struggled on into third on guts and class.

Bengali Boy cost just £11,000 when bought as a yearling specifically for races like the Super Sprint, so the first prize of £122,925 won by principal owner Alan Tattersall and his partners in this £250,000 event was a terrific return on a relatively modest investment.

Unfortunately, Tattersall, who Fahey reckons has been involved in around 100 winners with him, was not present as he was holidaying in Stockholm.

Fahey sets his stall out for the race nowadays and had five runners.

He said: "That was brilliant. As you know we do try to win this, and funnily enough I said the day we bought him that he'd win the Weatherbys Super Sprint, but I also said that about three or four others!

"You do need cheap speed for this race, but he had solid form and the ground seemed to bring a big improvement as he slaughtered them there.

"The filly [Maggies Angel] probably didn't like it, and although she ran respectably Paul [Hanagan] said she was on her head and floundered a bit. Only her ability got her into third."

Fahey has no immediate plans for the winner – "that was the plan", he ventured, in time-honoured fashion – but will now look at Goodwood, where the Molecomb Stakes would be the obvious target.

McHugh, who was apprenticed to Fahey and drove him to the track, rode 60 winners in 2010, his best season, but has been down to 30 and under for the last three years and so was delighted to land such a big pot.

Barry McHugh: drove boss Richard Fahey to the course

He said: "That's massive for me. My biggest win so far."

He added: "I always seem to get a ride for Richard in these sales races, but that wasn't the winner he was expecting. It's maybe just the ground.

"Just going down I wasn't so sure he was enjoying it, but he travelled so well on the way back and picked up when I wanted him to.

"He's a nice horse, and he's strengthened up a lot since we gave him a break. He made my job easy. It's been a good day."

First-season trainer Tom Clover was thrilled with finishing second, and a prize of £52,275, with Declarationoflove.

He said: "I didn't think he would enjoy the ground so I wasn't expecting that, but he was in great form and that was absolutely brilliant."

Weatherbys Super Sprint result