Delay is ideal after Levitate triumphs in Lincoln

Levitate benefited from the week’s delay in staging the William Hill Lincoln when landing the Doncaster feature in a tight finish.

The John Quinn-trained five-year-old would have to had to settle for the Spring Mile consolation had the first big race of the Flat season not been put back seven days because of snow.

Quinn’s decision to book 3lb claimer Darren Egan proved 
inspired as Levitate (20-1) won by a short head from Global Village, with last year’s winner Brae Hill, trained by Richard Fahey, a nose away in third.

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“I was so happy he got in the race this week. He’d been working pleasingly and we thought he’d go in the ground,” said Quinn.

“He had to go up another notch, but Pivotals tend to improve with age.

“We decided to claim off him with Darren and it was the right thing to do. The 3lb won us the race.

“We won it with Blythe Knight (in 2006 at Redcar) so to win another Lincoln is phenomenal.

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“It’s the first horse we’ve had for Mr Wentworth (owner) and we’ve had him since before Christmas.”

Egan, 21, said: “My instructions were to get him across just behind the leaders, I got a bit of luck when he picked up and he stuck his head out to the line.

“I was pretty confident (on the line), but you couldn’t be 100 per cent sure.”

Fahey had some compensation for going close in the Lincoln when wrapping up the two divisions of the Harriet Powell Handicap with Eastern Destiny (11-2) and Docs Legacy (7-2), both ridden by Tony Hamilton.

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The William Hill Spring Mile provided Liam Jones with his first winner since returning from a spell in India when he drove the Ismail Mohammed-trained Educate (8-1 joint-favourite) home by a head from Boots And Spurs.

“He’s come on a lot for the winter and I’ve been in to get him ready for the Lincoln, but he didn’t get in there so we had to go for this,” said Jones.

Jack Dexter (15-8 favourite) took Listed honours in the William Hill – New iPad App Cammidge Trophy.

The Jim Goldie-trained four-year-old sprinted clear in the closing stages under Graham Lee to win by half-a-length from Captain Ramius.

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“It was the manner of his victory I liked. I told Graham to ride him with confidence. The main thing was to get him to relax and come later. He’s an exciting horse,” said Goldie.

The Scott Dixon-trained Thunderball (14-1) provided the Doncaster Racing Club with success at its local course in the William Hill-No 1 Downloaded Betting App Handicap, while Pat Eddery’s Incorporate (4-1) opened his account in the Universal Recycling Maiden Stakes.

Over at Meydan, last year’s Yorkshire Cup hero Red Cadeaux ran a huge race in second as Animal Kingdom stamped his class on the Dubai World Cup to give America victory in the world’s richest race.

The 2011 Kentucky Derby hero was given a no-nonsense ride by Joel Rosario, who made his move two-and-a-half furlongs out, and Animal Kingdom showed a very smart turn of foot to effectively put the race to bed.

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From the back of the pack, Ed Dunlop’s Red Cadeaux rattled home along the far rail under Gerald Mosse, but while he was closing all the way to the line the prize was never going to be lost for the Graham Motion-trained winner.

Cambridge-born Motion said: “The race reminded me of when he won the Kentucky Derby and apart from a brief moment at the three-pole I was really pleased with the way everything was working out.

“I talked to Joel after the UAE Derby and I told him based on what I had seen in that race he needed to be close and it was important for him to break well.

“That’s not really his style, but he is good enough to produce when you take him out of his game, as we had to do.

“He’s just an extraordinary animal.

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“Joel seemed to have so much and when this horse went clear he did it with supreme confidence.”

Animal King is now expected to take his chance at Royal Ascot, with the Prince of Wales’s Stakes the likely target.

Barry Irwin, of owners Team Valor, said: “Animal Kingdom has had two freak injuries and overcome both, but his prep race was so confusing it should have knocked him out completely. But he came back as fit as he has ever been.

“He’s a very unique horse. He ships to England on Saturday and now it is over to Graham, who has another major challenge in how do you take a horse to England and run him there quite quickly after winning in Dubai.”

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n Saturday’s John Smith’s Grand National picture has become a little bit clearer, with Paul Nicholls confirming Daryl Jacob as the rider for Join Together.

Nicholls and Jacob combined to take the race with Neptune Collonges 12 months ago and will this time team up with a horse who is a best priced 20-1 for the four-and-a-half-mile contest.

Jacob’s appointment aboard Join Together would suggest Ruby Walsh is likely to partner the Willie Mullins-trained favourite On His Own.

Nicholls said: “Daryl is going to ride Join Together.

“He knows the horse well, he rode him in the Becher Chase around there and I’m dead happy he’s going to ride him next week.”

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Jacob is thrilled to have been given the ride, saying: “He ran very well in the Becher for me, but just got a bit bogged down in the ground.

“I’ve been doing some schooling on him and he seems in really good form, so I’m very much looking forward to it. It looks like the ground is going to be good to soft, which would be ideal.”