'He just keeps on improving' - Chipstead makes long trip worth it for Roger Teal

Saturday: Catterick

Roger Teal bypassed Ascot's Champions Day in favour of a first visit to North Yorkshire's sole dual-purpose track in order to oversee potential future champion Chipstead.

The heavily-supported favourite took another step on the path towards matching Group 1-winning brother Oxted by defying a 5lb rise in the ratings for last month's Portland Handicap success to land the £45,000 feature Catterick Dash.

Backed from 5-2 into 6-4 in a field of 15, the four-year-old came up the stand rail under 5lb claimer Frederick Larson to score by a length and a quarter.

"He just keeps on improving," said Lambourn trainer Teal. "It's my first time here - I got a nosebleed coming up this far! I didn't realise it's quite an easy five furlongs and he likes a stiff five, or the five and a half in the Portland, though the ground was on the soft side.

"I walked the track and I rang the jockeys' agent Simon Dodds and asked 'can I win over five down the stands' side here?' He said yes so I told Freddie to stick to that rail, it's the best ground. I think he's on the up and he could be black type level soon."

Asked about the heavy support for Chipstead, Teal added: "I'm biased but he was the pick of the paddock for me and he'd been favourite all night. I don't back mine. We fancied him strongly but I'd rather see him win than have my £50 on."

Catterick Glory

It was not quite all about Baaeed for William Haggas on Saturday. Paul Mulrennan made sure the trainer's day began with a winner by getting Glory And Gold up late on in the 7f fillies' novice event.

The jockey has ridden five winners from just seven mounts for Haggas in 2022 and said: "I've had a good run for him, he's thrown me up on a few winners in the last ten or 12 years. Glory And Gold loved that ground. She was really strong at the line and she got me out of trouble."

The jockey was fresh from reaching three figures for the year for the third time at Newcastle on Friday. He said: "It was really good to get to 100 again and it's been a great year - fourth in the jockeys' championship and riding 101 winners. Not bad for a 40-year-old."

Billy bags another

Billy Garritty, who won the valuable Sprint Trophy at York last Saturday, scored another weekend success on the Richard Fahey-trained Gabrial The Devil in the veterans' 6f handicap.

"He's come down in the weights and he's better than them," the jockey said. "He was just dossing in front, he had a bit left." Fahey quickly doubled up when Furzig took the following 1m4f handicap.

'It happens'

Clifford Lee was unfazed by a frightening incident when his mount Back See Daa reared over backwards in the stalls before the two-year-old fillies' novice event.

"It happens," the jockey shrugged as he walked unscathed back to the weighing room. Back See Daa was withdrawn from the 7f race, in which Kevin Stott scored his 12th win in the last fortnight on Young And Fun.

Results, replays and analysis

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