Stunning late charge takes Billesdon to victory after trading at 1,000

This year’s Glorious Goodwood has been a slog for punters and it appeared they were in for yet more disappointment in the 7f nursery, only to be saved by a stunning late surge from favourite Billesdon Brook to snatch victory on the line having been matched at 1,000 in running.

Hard-luck stories are not uncommon at Goodwood – especially at this year’s fixture – but those putting their faith in the well-backed favourite Billesdon Brook must have been wondering what they had done to deserve so much ill-fortune in such a short period of time.

Remarkably, the Richard Hannon-trained filly was able to overcome everything thrown at her to get up under Sean Levey and pip stablemate Cheeky Rascal in a photo-finish.

How it unfolded

Over halfway

Having raced smoothly just behind the leaders, Billesdon Brook and Sean Levey found themselves in the classic Goodwood conundrum of being stuck on the rail. Do you sit and suffer or try and switch out?

Two furlongs out

Billesdon Brook gets squeezed for space and shuffled backCredit: RacingUK

Just before the two-furlong marker, Billesdon Brook is squeezed up and loses her position. She is pushed back into the gap behind the leaders only to run up the backside of the horse in front of her.

Approaching the final furlong

With a little over a furlong to go Billesdon Brook is badly squeezed again and all hope is gone as she falls out the back of the field. She only has two struggling rivals behind her.

Half a furlong to go

Finally in the clear, Billesdon Brook gets going - but surely from an impossible positionCredit: RacingUK

Finally in space with barely more than half a furlong to run, Billesdon Brook gets a slap down the neck from Levey and takes off. Under hands and heels she surges past her labouring rivals catching everyone by surprise with the velocity of her finishing effort.

After a slap down the neck Billesdon Brook flies homeCredit: RacingUK

In a thrilling finish, Billesdon Brook’s head is down on the line to force a photo with stablemate Cheeky Rascal. The result of the photo showed Billesdon Brook was the unlikeliest of winners.

At the line

She gets up right on the line in a thrilling finishCredit: RacingUK

What they said

Levey, riding his first winner of the week at Goodwood, heaped praise on Billesdon Brook, and said: "It was an absolute disaster of a race. Fair play to the filly, she’s got a bit of class about her as she got me out of trouble. It was so late when she started getting going; she suffered so much interference in running from the three-pole down.

“When we got to the cutaway, I just got nothing but turned upside down by horses and I was hoping for a gap and got turned upside down again. I got to the half-furlong marker and I thought I have a running chance at them now. The boss just told me if I’d got beaten there I’d have been sacked!”

Billesdon Brook followed in the hoofprints of her older half-sister Billesdon Bess, who had captured the 1m2f fillies' handicap on Wednesday.

Hannon: "I stopped looking at her as she was so far back, but she's obviously a very good filly. She had 9lb in hand, but she's not an average filly to come from where she came from after the trouble she found. She'll have to go back into Listed company now.

"The owners have had a ball, and her half-sister Billesdon Bess won here yesterday."

Lightning strikes twice

Billesdon Brook was matched for £10 at the maximum price of 1,000 in-running on Betfair, and the same had happened only minutes earlier at Galway when Oakly came got up to win the 2m4½f novices' hurdle after being matched with £2 at 1,000 on Betfair.

If you are interested in this, you might like:

Lightning strikes twice as back-to-back 999-1 winners make history

Johnston runner one of most expensive losers in Betfair history