It was Carlisle Bell & Cumberland Plate Day at Carlisle this afternoon, featuring the £30,000 Stablemate By Agma Carlisle Bell. The mile handicap offers up the oldest sporting trophy in the world to still be contested in the form of the 427-year-old Carlisle Bells, which date all the way back to 1599.
A decade ago, Phillip Makin won the historic contest as a jockey aboard Edgar Balthazar and was in the winner’s enclosure again today courtesy of Priapos (12-1). The four-year-old son of Zoustar came into today’s contest on the back of a course and distance success on May 30th and was partnered by Sam James.
Settled in behind the leaders he went to the front inside the final quarter mile and despite facing a strong challenge from 9-4 favourite Leadenhall inside the distance, he kept finding more for a half-length success.
Makin, who trains in North Yorkshire, said: “He looks an improved horse this year. He wants a strong gallop as he stays a mile really well and wants a stiff track. He had cheekpieces on before and they didn’t work out but I’ve always felt he wanted them on and perhaps they made the difference today as he travelled better than he has probably ever done.
“We’ve only got 16 or 17 horses, but they all seem to be running well. Hickory Lad (winner of the Woodcote Stakes at the Betfred Derby Festival) is great. He seems to have come out of Epsom really well and worked yesterday, which was the best I’ve ever seen him work. I think he will go for the July Stakes at Newmarket now.”
Priapos after his success today
Having won the Cygames Surrey Stakes at Epsom Downs at the Betfred Derby Festival earlier this month, Ellusive Butterfly (5-2) defied a 3lb penalty to add a second Listed win to her CV as she landed the most valuable contest of the day, the £70,000 Irish Stallion Farms Eternal Stakes.
Trained by Karl Burke and partnered by Clifford Lee, the three-year-old Invincible Army filly made virtually all in the seven-furlong contest. She was briefly headed by eventual runner-up Just A Girl (11-1) inside the final furlong but fought back tenaciously to score by three-quarters of a length.
Clifford Lee said: “She was gutsy and she pulled it off.
“She did it very nicely and I was able to get the fractions right in the first half of the race and we knew that she would stay very well, especially inside the final furlong.
“She is very tough and makes my job a little bit easier.”
Ellusive Butterfly after her success today
The other £30,000 contest on the day, the mile and three furlongs Stablemate By Agma Cumberland Plate Handicap, was turned into something of a procession by Wine Dark Sea (5-6 Favourite).
From the stable of Harry Charlton and partnered by Lewis Edmunds, the four-year-old Ulysses gelding was shouldered with top-weight of 10st 1lb following a winning reappearance at Ascot in May. Travelling well throughout, he made smooth progress to take the lead two furlongs out and pulled right away for a facile 13-length victory over Golden West (12-1).
Wine Dark Sea out on his own
