'She looks a good prospect' - Shadwell cast-off thrills trainer Tom Clover

Sunday: Wetherby

Shadwell cast-offs can surprise you. Makfi won the 2,000 Guineas for Mikel Delzangles in 2010 and Rogue Millennium made a hugely promising winning debut for Tom Clover 12 years on.

Both were trained as two-year-olds by Marcus Tregoning, out of whose yard Sunday's Wetherby winner was sold unraced for 35,000gns last November.

Makfi storms clear in the 2,000 Guineas of 2010Credit: Mark Cranham

After Jack Mitchell's mount had led inside the final furlong to land the 1m2f novice event for the Rogues Gallery syndicate, her trainer said: "She looks a good prospect. Her work at home had been good but I was really thrilled to see her go and do it quite well. She's still green and I hope she'll improve plenty for that.

"She looks like a nice buy now, a daughter of Dubawi for 35,000gns looks good. Marcus Tregoning, her old trainer, recommended her highly and I must say a big thank you to him."

It has been a good weekend in Yorkshire for Clover, who won with his only runners at Doncaster on Friday and Saturday, and the trainer said: "Things are going all right. It's only early days of the season, let's hope we can keep it going.

"My first two-year-old runs at Brighton on Tuesday, she's called Jumbeau and she should go all right."

Welcome back

Montassib is another to have left Shadwell and score on the first day of Wetherby's Flat season.

He carried the late Hamdan Al Maktoum's colours to victory on his debut at Newcastle in 2020 but raced in William Haggas' Somerville Lodge silks when landing a novice event here 598 days on.

The four-year-old, gelded in the interim, won by a comfortable two and a half lengths under Tom Marquand, who said: "It was probably as you'd have hoped from him.

"Four-runner races can get a bit muddly but he travelled into the race and duly put his head in front. He's had a good experience, the ground is plenty quick enough and he handled that fine.

"It's good to have him back on the racecourse. He looks like he belongs in a Newbury or Ascot paddock and hopefully he'll be ending up at those racetracks in the near future."

The Man is back

Chris Fairhurst matched his total for the whole of last season when The Armed Man gave him his fourth success of 2022 by taking division one of the 5½f handicap under Paula Muir.

But the trainer played down the change of fortune and said: "That's just how it goes, we have only seven in at the moment. The Armed Man is a star and that's his ninth win."

Grounds for withdrawal

There were 15 non-runners due to the going, which was described officially as good to firm after a dry week.

Countering suggestions he should have watered the track, clerk of the course Jonjo Sanderson said: "It was good to soft on Wednesday and we had rain forecast."

From among those riding, Jamie Spencer said: "It's lovely, good to firm ground", while Joe Fanning said: "It's quick but safe, good fast ground."

Replays, results & analysis

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