Winston shock win on German raider

Despite winning her last two starts and travelling halfway across Europe, Dominik Moser’s filly was allowed to go off at 14-1 under Robert Winston.

However, William Haggas-trained Sentaril and last year’s Nunthorpe winner Margot Did, the mount of Hayley Turner, failed to get in the mix as Gracia Directa stayed on strongly to score by half-a-length from Sioux Rising.

Moser, who is based between Hanover and Hamburg, was having his first runner outside of Germany. “We knew she was improving, so we thought we would bring her over to England to see how good she was. We bred her ourselves and have had some great fun with her,” he said.

“Because we didn’t know much about England or York, we wanted a jockey that knew York very well which is why we booked Robert.

“She may have been a big price but I didn’t back her. I can’t even eat before a race, never mind have a bet!” Moser saddles Josephine Blanche in today’s John Smith’s City Walls Stakes on Knavesmire.

French challenger Giofra claimed the Etihad Airways Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket for Alain de Royer-Dupre and Christophe Soumillon.