Forbearance and Hollie Doyle land Listed contest tinged with romance

True Love is to be beaten by your fiancee in the tightest of finishes in a £70,000 Listed contest and still lean over to congratulate them.

That was what happened in a desperate conclusion to a British EBF & Sir Henry Cecil Galtres Stakes that was tinged with romance.

Hollie Doyle rode Forbearance for Jessica Harrington and tracked Tom Marquand as he made his move aboard Domino Darling on the inside in the straight. She hit the front over a furlong out and her mount responded gamely as her intended's partner responded valiantly in turn and the pair flashed past the post locked together.

But the jockeys themselves reckoned they knew the result even before the photo-finish gave it to Forbearance by a nose and Doyle said: "After the line Tom said well done, he knew he'd been beaten.

"It was good, it doesn't happen very often, he usually gets the better of me. When I saw it was him upsides I thought 'oh dear, here we go again' because I know how strong he is."

Doyle was delighted her efforts paid off in the 1m4f contest and said: "I tracked Tom the whole way and he was going well. I had to get to work as I know she stays a mile and six and I didn't want to get done for toe, it's been hard to make ground up here today.

"She made quite a lot up and once she got rolling she was not for stopping. She was very brave. There were numerous occasions I thought I was going to get defeated but she stuck her neck out."

Cruyff scores for Gemmell

Paisley Park's owner Andrew Gemmell realised a life-long ambition when Cruyff Turn gave him a first victory at a meeting he first attended as a child nearly 50 years ago.

Gemmell, who has been blind since birth, remembers his maiden trip to York for all the wrong reasons as it coincided with one of racing's greatest shocks with Brigadier Gerard suffering the sole defeat of his glorious career in 1972 in what is now the Juddmonte International.

There were happier memories here for Gemmell, who was thrust to prominence when Paisley Park won the 2019 Stayers' Hurdle, as Cruyff Turn took the £100,000 Clipper Logistics Handicap under David Allan.

Andrew Gemmell: owner of Cruyff TurnCredit: Edward Whitaker

"That was unbelievable, I've always wanted to have a winner at this meeting," said the owner, who could have more reason to cheer on Friday as he also owns a share in Lonsdale Cup contender Trueshan.

"My parents used to bring me here during the school holidays and I first came the day Brigadier Gerard got beat."

Cruyff Turn has made giant strides this season for Tim Easterby, winning four of his last six starts.

"We swerved races at Ascot and Goodwood as he loves fast ground," said the trainer. "He's always been a lovely horse – he's a big horse who has just taken time."

Given plenty

An attacking policy is always likely to pay off when you have Michael Owen in the team and it certainly earned a rich reward with progressive two-year-old Ever Given.

The prolific former England striker is among the Dandy Boys partnership that owns the juvenile, who cost £40,000 at the sales last September and took his earnings to more than £130,000 with success in the lucrative Goffs UK Premier Yearling Stakes.

Ever Given scores in the Goffs UK Premier Yearling StakesCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Their colt has been aggressively campaigned with three runs in 20 days yet he showed no ill effects from recent exertions at Goodwood and Naas as he got the best of a three-way battle with Atomic Lady and Wings Of War to score by a neck under Danny Tudhope.

"What a tough horse!" said trainer Tom Dascombe. "I've been quite hard on him and he's improved with every run. He won at Goodwood and we sent him to Ireland three days later and he ran a blinder. He's come here 17 days later and he's really toughed it out. Danny gave him a great ride, he took his time on him and it all panned out.

"I'm lucky to train him. He's definitely a horse to keep for next season. I don't think he's a Group 1 horse but he's bloody good."

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