Nigel Tinkler eyes Breeders’ Cup with Ubettabelieveit as Paul Hanagan reaches 2,000 winners

The Kodiac colt burst on the scene when winning the Listed National Stakes at Sandown in July and improved on that to lift the Group Two Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster in September. His only blip was in the Gimcrack Stakes at York that was run in testing conditions.

“I think he’s definitely improving. I think he’s better now than when he ran at Doncaster,” said the Malton handler.

“We then took him to Sandown where he ran very impressively and won very easily again. We then took him to York for the Gimcrack, which is over six furlongs.

“The ground was soft, bordering on heavy. He just didn’t like it – he ran too keen. Fortunately, the jockey was quite lenient with the horse, and gave him a very easy race, and he bounced back well to win the Flying Childers at Doncaster.”

On going conditions at the Kentucky track of Keeneland which hosts the fixture, Tinkler is hoping for no more rain because soft ground “would be a concern”.

It will also be a landmark day for the young jockey Rowan Scott who will keep the ride on Ubettabelieveit.

Tinkler said: “Rowan Scott, who rode him when he won the Flying Childers, will keep the ride. He’s a good lad. Nothing really fazes him, so I don’t think the occasion will be a big thing for him.

“He’s very level-headed and he’s young. I don’t have any qualms about putting him on.”

Ubettabelieveit is the first of three Yorkshire-trained runners at the meeting – John Quinn runs Safe Voyage, winner of the City of York Stakes at the Ebor Festival, in the Breeders Cup Mile on Saturday under regular rider Jason Hart.

The same card sees Tom Eaves partner Group One winner Glass Slippers in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint for Kevin Ryan.

Harry Cobden put down a National Hunt title marker with a four-timer on Exeter’s prestigious Haldon Gold Cup card.

He took the feature race on the Paul Nicholls-trained Greaneteen who got up on the line to defeat long-time leader Moonlighter.

Cobden, who is currently second to defending champion Brian Hughes in this season’s standings, also won on the Nicholls-trained Flash Collonges, Enrilo and Bravesmangame, with the latter co-owned by John Dance who was responsible for top Flat mare Laurens.

The jockey, who is 22 tomorrow, remains buoyed by the thrilling win of the highly-rated Cyrname in last weekend’s Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby and is now within a handful of winners of the pacesetting Hughes.

Paul Hanagan recorded his 2,000th career winner when partnering Michael Herrington’s Anif to victory at Newcastle last night.

The landmark came at the same track where Hanagan, 40, broke his back in a fall in February which left his career in the balance because of the seriousness of the injury.

The Malton-based rider paid tribute to trainer Richard Fahey, and his agent Richard Hale, for their support. “If someone had said when I was 16 or 17 that I would ride 2,000 winners, I wouldn’t quite have believed them,” said Hanagan who was champion jockey in 2010 and 2011.

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