'I was so, so confident' - Angel Of England lands punt for owners in £30,000 feature

Angel Of England rewarded the faith of his owner Ricky Phillips when he got off the mark at the third attempt in the 6f novice under Callum Rodriguez.

The Ed Bethell-trained juvenile was beaten a neck when second at Thirsk last month but went one better to score by half a length from 2-1 favourite Grey Cuban, landing a significant punt for connections.

“We’ve landed a touch,” Phillips told Racing TV. “We got on last night at 9s all the way down to 4-1 this morning. We really fancied our chances. He ran really well at Thirsk, when inexperience showed against us.

“Today, I was so, so confident. I thought we’d only got the favourite to beat. There was depth in the field, no denying that, but I felt we had by far the best horse.”

Phillips, who made his money through the poultry and then property industry, stressed the importance of the generous £30,000 prize-money on offer for the race, £16,200 of which was for first place, a nice top-up for Phillips and joint-owner Jim Morris in addition to the winnings earned by backing the 7-2 shot.

He said: “I always say I was the fastest chicken plucker in Orton Waterville! It’s great that Nottingham has done this for the owners because we need that in racing for the small boys. There’s only Jim and I involved in it and there’s a lot of money to pay out each month.

“When you get a small little ownership like Jim and I in there and you make the winner’s circle, that’s what dreams are all about. For that 30 seconds I was king and you can’t buy that. That’s what racing’s all about.”

Rodriguez was also successful on Bethell's other runner Sanction, who made a winning stable debut in the 1m2f handicap.

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