Racing: Candy’s two-year-olds are proving handy

Jockey championship leader Ryan Moore completes his fourtimer on Global Leader, left, at Sandown Park. Picture: Alan Crowhurst/Getty

On Friday, Limato created a big impression at Newbury but the cautious Candy was notably positive about his latest winner, who was taking her career record to two from two.

Alonsoa, the 6-5 favourite under Dane O’Neill, tracked the pace-setting Russian Punch before forging ahead with a furlong left and retaining a gap of three-quarters of a length from Pack Together.

Oxfordshire trainer Candy is even considering paying €30,000 to add the chestnut daughter of Raven’s Pass to the Moyglare Stud Stakes on Irish Champions weekend in mid-September. He said: “She already wants a mile, and the gradient here suited. She’s big and strong and very straightforward.

“I didn’t put her in the Moyglare, she’d need supplementing for that. I did put her in the Rockfel [Newmarket], but that’s a long way away and she’d need another run before then.

“The two-year-olds are flying at the moment. I’ve just got some lovely horses.”

There is an inevitability about the outcome whenever jockey Ryan Moore moves into position and the championship leader demonstrated this on four occasions. He started on Purple Spectrum (11-2), one of the first batch of horses sent to William Haggas by The Queen, in the Weatherbys Stallion Book Handicap at Sandown. The gelding seemed to enjoy stepping up to a mile and three-quarters as he stretched three and a half lengths clear.

Haggas’ wife, Maureen, said: “We thought the ground might be a bit quick but he enjoyed the uphill finish and the extra trip.”

Moore then pounced aboard even-money favourite Alex Vino in the Odgers Berndtson Handicap as Sir Michael Stoute’s colt steadily wore down Qanan. It was the same team again in the Kingsway Claims Maiden Stakes when Tercel (9-2) edged past Hesbaan. A 123-1 four-timer was completed when Moore drove Paul d’Arcy’s 8-11 favourite  Global Leader home in the  Lubricators Handicap.