Librisa breezes to biggest victory to cap great week for owner Bloom

The day after Brighton secured their biggest win in the Premier League the club's owner Tony Bloom gained entry to racing's equivalent when Librisa Breeze delivered him a debut Group 1 victory.

Recording a shock on a par with Brighton's 3-0 thrashing of West Ham in London on Friday night, 10-1 shot Librisa Breeze left it late to upset Tasleet, Caravaggio and especially Harry Angel, three of the season's sprinting principals.

July Cup and Haydock Sprint Cup winner Harry Angel was a disappointing fourth as the grey Librisa Breeze atoned for previous near-misses to confirm the potential his trainer Dean Ivory and jockey Robert Winston always believed he had.

It completed an unforgettable eight days for Bloom who only last weekend enjoyed what was one of this biggest victories with Withhold in the Cesarewitch.

"It's been a great week, Withhold in the Cesarewitch, which won going away, then last night in the game at West Ham," said Bloom.

"The Sky cameras were very nice to do it on Friday night so I could come here on the Saturday. What a race, against such a high quality strength field – we couldn't be more delighted."

Bloom enjoyed a first Cheltenham Festival win in March when Penhill won the Albert Bartlett but preferred not to rank the victories.

Penhill: dual-purpose performer won the Albert Bartlett for Bloom last seasonCredit: Edward Whitaker

"It was Brighton's first away win in the top flight since March 1983, and biggest away win ever in the top flight but I don't like to compare, it's been a brilliant week," he added.

"Group 1 races don't come round very often, to win them or even compete in them.

"This is my first Group 1 so that is very special. Obviously the Cesarewitch is a big race for us and Brighton winning games and staying in the Premier League is a big result. All over it has been an incredible eight days."

Librisa Breeze had won twice Ascot but had never won a pattern race, coming closest when second in the Hungerford Stakes and fourth in the Diamond Jubilee.

Back in the big time

Ivory had never won a Group 1 race before while the only time Winston had enjoyed a top-level success was 13 years earlier in the Cheveley Park Stakes on Magical Romance.

Winston nearly retired last year but it was the promise of Librisa Breeze that kept him going.

"This is a bit of a shock really because I was hanging my boots up last year until I came across this horse," he said. "I knew he would win a Group 1 from the very first day I sat on him.

"Mr Bloom is buying nice horses and this horse has given me a lifeline and Dean Ivory and a lot of his owners. It's keeping the dream alive for me now. For how long I don't know – I will be around for as long as this horse is."

A delighted Ivory said: "We've done well to get where we are with him and you persevere and hope for a bit of luck and the luck's come good today – it's fantastic.

"He is a horse who has never had a clear run this year and he has grown into himself. He is now a proper horse.

"Robert [Winston] believes in the horse as much as we do so it was great. We had this race in our sights for a long time and it's great that it has all come together."

'We rode him to beat Harry Angel and he did'

Tasleet had taken on Harry Angel all season and when finally beating him had to settle for second place.

His trainer William Haggas said: "We rode him to beat Harry Angel and he did and was then outstayed by Librisa Breeze. That is his third Group 1 second – he so deserves to win one."

The soft ground was blamed for Harry Angel's eclipse. "It wasn't to be," said trainer Clive Cox.

"He still showed his usual zip and class when he went to the front but this was more testing ground than Haydock. This was a different day on different ground and we came to the end of our run there visibly."