Take Cover set for emotional swansong after back-to-back Bullets

Forty-seven career starts and 11 years of age, but nothing was going to get past Take Cover as the evergreen sprinter struck gold again in the Beverley Bullet, winning the £60,000 Listed contest for the second year running at the East Yorkshire course.

There will be no hat-trick bid though, as his owner Andrew Hollis said that after one more race Take Cover will be retired.

Despite his unfavourable wide draw he burst out of the stalls in his usual flamboyant style and although his rivals threatened to pass him, none could get near him as he ran out an emphatic winner for a 15th career success under David Allan. Mythmaker was second with Elnadim Star third.

A true stable stalwart for his trainer David Griffiths, Take Cover has won nearly £740,000 in win and place prize-money.

Hollis said: "He's an absolute star – to be able to do that as an 11-year-old is quite amazing. He didn't run until he was a four-year-old so perhaps that is why he has lasted so long.

"He's entered in Ireland but Dave Allan said he had a hard race getting across from his high draw today so we'll wait for the the Group 3 at Newbury he won last year [Dubai International Airport World Trophy on September 22] and then retire him. I couldn't ask him to race on as a 12-year-old. He's going to be a hard horse to replace."

Griffiths added: "He's a once-in-a-lifetime horse. It's massive, to win races like this for us is phenomenal. He's got the heart of a lion and it's just a question of keeping him sweet. He was as good as ever coming into today."

Allan added: "He's a legend of a horse. He's so electric out of the stalls, it's just as well I have a neck strap to hold on to otherwise he would leave me in them."

Mythmaker ran his heart out in his bid to give his trainer Bryan Smart his second big sprint winner in nine days following the win of Alpha Delphini in last week's Nunthorpe.

His trainer said: "That was a great run. It showed he is just as good at five furlongs as at six."

Watch Take Cover win the Beverley Bullet for a second year running

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