Good evening for outsiders at Salisbury's Friday 13 meeting
Salisbury raced on Friday 13September for their penultimate meeting of the 2019 season. The card opened with a win on debut for the Archie Watson trained Oleksander in one mile The T&M Glass Ltd Novice Median Auction Stakes under a great ride from David Egan in the colours of Nurlan Bizakov.
In form trainer Clive Cox scored a double on the evening card, which helped him secure his place at the top of the 2019 leaderboard at Salisbury with Henry Candy in close second.
Lightly raced 20-1 shot Royal Ambition made all, to win by a neck in the T&M Glass Nursery Handicap under Hector Crouch. Then Grisons, who bolted up at Bath last month, continued with his winning ways and stretched clear to win by two and three quarters of a length after a timely ride from William Cox on handicap debut to complete the double.
Rob Hornby was one of three riders who couldn’t reach the racecourse for the card, leaving Hollie Doyle to pick up the spare ride on Mild Illusion just 10 minutes before the start of The Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies’ Nursery Handicap. However, the pair justified favouritism and won comfortably for the Jonathan Portman yard.
The feature race, £20,000 ‘Persian Punch’ Conditions Stakes run over one mile six furlongs attracted a small field of just three runners, however at the start, Platitude refused to race meaning it was a battle between Weekender and King’s Advice – the most winning horse of the 2019 flat season. However, it was Weekender who was victorious after a photo finish and lengthy steward’s enquiry to cling on by a neck for John Gosden & Robert Havlin in the colours of K Abdullah.
The card closed with a shock as 25-1 priced outsider Tonyx, cruised to an impressive eight length win for Ed Walker on debut under jockey Liam Keniry.
Salisbury next race on Thursday 3October for their Season Finale. Tickets can be purchased at salisburyracecourse.co.uk