The 2025 Betfred Derby Festival got underway with the Listed Nyetimber Surrey Stakes. The seven-furlong contest for three-year-olds went the way of 9-4 Joint-Favourite Formal, ridden by champion jockey Oisin Murphy.
Trained by the now-retired Sir Michael Stoute in 2024, the daughter of Dubawi is now in the care of Andrew Balding and left a disappointing reappearance well behind her today as she powered to a length and a half success over Saqqara Sands.
Andrew Balding said of the successful Cheveley Park Stud homebred: “I thought she ran well in the Fred Darling, but it was a funny race and she got impeded at a vital stage and didn’t give her true running. It made our decision easy and we skipped any idea of a Guineas and rebooted, and this became the obvious choice. It’s a relief to see her win like that.
“She had been quite keen early doors at home and her work is very good at home, but we thought now she had the first run under her belt we would take the hood off. She travelled really strongly but didn’t over-race.
“I think we'll probably wait for something like the Oak Tree [Goodwood, 30 July]. I don’t think we want to be squeezing races into her and that looks the right spot for her. After that we know she goes well on slow ground, so we would have the whole autumn ahead of us.
“She looked quite good there, but we will take it step by step.”
Ralph Beckett, trainer of runner-up Saqqara Sands, said: “The winner got away but that was a really good effort. She lacked a recent run, which all those around her had had, and we are very pleased. I should think the Eternal Stakes at Carlisle in three weeks’ time might be next for her.”
James Doyle, rider of third-placed Diego Ventura, said: “It’s a bit sticky out there, a bit dead, but not bad (ground). Mine ran fine, but he was just a bit sleepy for this trip and track. I think he wants more of a stiff seven (furlongs).”
Godolphin has an exciting challenge for the Betfred Oaks and Betfred Derby to look forward to with Desert Flower and Ruling Court respectively and the Maktoum family’s racing operation saw Maximized (Wiiliam Buick) land the six-furlong Betfred British EBF Woodcote Stakes. The two-year-old Mehmas colt, the 6-5 Favourite, proved a length and a half too good for Havana Hurricane.
Trainer Charlie Appleby said: “It will be interesting to see what Will has to say about the ground, because when he won at Haydock he skipped along very sweetly on the sounder surface and he might just have found this good to soft ground a bit more testing.
“We won this with Pinatubo, who went on to the Chesham, but Maximized obviously can’t go there [he’s by Mehmas, so not qualified]. I think he’s a ‘now’ horse, but the Ascot picture is building now with respect to a few of these two-year-olds now, with Military Code maybe going for the Coventry and Wise Approach maybe going for the Norfolk or the Windsor Castle. I don’t think this horse would be able to drop back, so if he did go to Ascot it would be for the Coventry, but I’d have thought the July Stakes might be a nice race for him.
“I’ve always felt our two-year-old colts have been a strong team this year from early doors, and they’ve shown us that naturally. If you are not seeing it early doors you are probably trying to make it up slightly.”
Jockey William Buick added: “He’s very likeable, very straightforward. He does his job, goes about his business. I really like him.”
Trainer Eve Johnson Houghton said of the second Havana Hurricane: “That was a great run. Having not really handed the hill, and Charlie [Bishop] might possibly have got there too soon, having had to work to get there, he’s run a blinder and I’m thrilled with him. He looked like he was going to win a furlong out and maybe, on this ground, he was outstayed. The winner is probably a really good horse, but we’re very happy with ours for our nine grand!
