'He's favourite and rightly so' - Burke bullish about Holloway Boy in Vintage

Japan Racing Association Vintage Stakes (Group 2) | 7f | 2yo | ITV/RTV

The history of the Vintage Stakes traces the way the two-year-old division (and particularly the early seven-furlong races) has evolved over the last decade or so. It used to be the earliest Group race in which you could realistically expect to spot a future middle-distance star. Troy, Petoski, Dr Devious and Sir Percy feature on the honour roll, but in the last 15 years winners have been speedier and/or more precocious. The vast majority of recent winners to go on to land a Group 1 have done so at around a mile.

Most of this year's runners are by speedier stallions, with one exception: favourite Holloway Boy. He was a shock scorer of the Chesham at Royal Ascot on his racecourse debut, which his joint-owner readily admitted was a shot to nothing rather than a show of confidence.

The Chesham form is one of the few from Royal Ascot that has yet to work out. Runner-up Pearling Path and fourth Finn's Charm ran for the first time since last week. Neither beat a rival home.

There has been a little bit more promise from those beaten further in the Chesham and Dark Thirty, who was fifth at Ascot, has provided some of it. He was third in the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket last time and would have been closer but for notable interference in the final furlong.

Dark Thirty is trained by Richard Hannon and early in the post-Sir Percy era the Vintage Stakes was dominated by his father Richard Hannon snr. He won it four years in a row from 2010 to 2013 but Hannon jnr, who took over in 2014, has never won the race. In one sense it is not for want of trying, as he has sent out ten runners, but six of them have gone off at 25-1 or bigger.

You would bet that few of Hannon's runners were in as weak a running as this. The ten-year average Racing Post Rating achieved by the Vintage winner is 111.5, admittedly with a big range (106-121). With so little solid Group form in this field, you would imagine this year's winner will come in at the lower end of recent historical precedent.
Race analysis by Keith Melrose

'All of ours improve' – more to come from Holloway Boy

Holloway Boy could not have made a better start than winning on debut at Royal Ascot and his trainer Karl Burke is expecting more improvement on his second run in the Vintage Stakes.

The strapping colt became the first newcomer to win at the royal meeting since 1996 when a shock 40-1 winner of the Chesham Stakes under Danny Tudhope.

Burke is enjoying an excellent season with his juveniles, with 18 winners from 109 runners on turf (17 per cent strike-rate), and the natural progression from a first run to a second makes Holloway Boy a formidable prospect.

"He should improve for his debut, he's a few kilos lighter and has stripped a little fitter, although he didn't blow much at Ascot," the trainer said.

"All of ours improve whatever they do first time and we're very happy with him."

The undulations and right-handed turn of Goodwood's seven-furlong course offers a different test but Burke is hopeful it will suit.

"Whether he handles the track is a bit of an unknown, but I don't see why he wouldn't as he's well balanced and travels nicely," he said. "He's favourite and rightly so."

What they say

Richard Hannon, trainer of Dark Thirty
He's a nice colt. We'll be a bit more positive on him as he gets the trip well and he's well drawn [stall one].

Charlie Johnston, joint-trainer of Dear My Friend and Dornoch Castle
They're stepping up in class dramatically and we'll find out what they're made of. They've been impressive in novices and the form of Dornoch Castle's wins has worked out well. Dear My Friend did well to win over six furlongs at Carlisle as it was far too sharp for him, but his class got him through and he was very impressive when stepping up in trip at Beverley. I would struggle to split them at home and they're quite different types.

Charlie Hills, trainer of Galeron
His form is working out well and we’ve been quite keen to step him up to seven furlongs since he’s out of a Galileo mare.

David Probert, rider of Jiffy Boy
He’s a nice type but in deep waters here. The main goal would be to try to get him to run well and if he’s in the first four that would be great. The step up in trip will probably help him improve.

Charlie Fellowes: saddles dual novice winner MarbaanCredit: Edward Whitaker

Charlie Fellowes, trainer of Marbaan
It's a big step up in grade but he's a nice horse. He has to step up but any horse who wins an open novice under a penalty is pretty decent. We've always thought a lot of him and I'm sure it's the right race for him.

Charlie Appleby, trainer of Mysterious Night
He will love the step up in distance and I feel he's going to be a big player on what he has achieved so far.
Reporting by Andrew Dietz

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