WINTER WINDSOR'S OKTOBERFEST EIGHT RACE HALT DEINE LEDERHOSEN FEST

Oktoberfest Ompa at Windsor

After successful two day national hunt meeting at Fontwell Park for Oktoberfest. Arc decided to take it's branded festival northwards towards Berkshire were Royal Windsor holds it's last few meetings for 2017.
The ground having a months breather from racing looked in good form for an eight race card that started with a two year old nursery handicap over the one mile three furlongs.
2/1 favorite Simpson from the Ed walker yard looked the well backed horse coming in from the morning's 9/2 on offer, confidence as a win a month back at the course and distance swayed a good range of punters in house for the Monday Afternoons meet.

Motown Mick  leads Shaherezada to his right, third place Simpson(red cap) behind

 But it was the 7-1 shot Motown Mick trained by Richard Hannon and ridden by Timmy Murphy who rallied on well despite moving away from the rail a little to beat Shaherezada  by a neck the favorite Simpson a further length back in third off the top weight of 9 st 7 lbs.
'This horse just got the six furlongs at Chepstow and i mentioned to Richard that he would be better over the mile, he didn't really get going until he met the rising ground. He has done it well enough though and is a nice type.'
The two year old by Inktihab out of a Observatory mare now with two wins from five starts seems to have now found it's distance and maybe a useful three year old in the making.

Motown Mick Timmy Murphy

The one mile two furlongs claiming stakes went to the yard of Graeme McPherson. 11/1 shot Unsuspected Girl was the unsuspected winner beating the Richard Hannon 11/10 favorite by three lengths.
The four year old by Rip Van Winkle out of a Halling mare recorded his third victory in sixteen starts, ridden by Luke Morris made his way through the field from a poor start, taking up the race two furlongs out.
'She ran on well throughout the race really, we rode her a little more positively today, other runs we have held her back, today's tactics though has worked.' Off a weight of 8 st 5 lbs and off a rating of 64 this filly, though unsuspected by the punters on paper looked like a horse that should have gone off at shorter odds
Claimed after the race for £4000 by Milton Bradley this maybe a filly that we may see throughout the jump season. Well and strongly ridden by Morris this one would at best be one to observe for the moment.

Unsuspected Girl

The EBF British stallions novice stakes over the one mile three furlongs, opened up a nice contest for some interesting two year olds for late on in the season. Al Shaqab Racing bought out a nice colt by Iffraaj  out of a Dansili mare in the shape of  Delsheer  from the Hugo Palmer yard.The youngster not having the smoothest of paths through had the lead for most, headed and took up the front  near to home to beat Celestin's from the William Haggas yard.

James Doyle on board the colt mentioned.

'He was pricking his ears a little in front and that's why the second horse came to him, but soon as he was joined by him he went on again, but he's a nice sort with plenty to come i feel.'
The colt well backed from 9/2 to 15/8 favorite just teased the favorite followers a little but would certainly be a colt to follow as a three year old. He stays the mile three furlongs and only with three runs under his belt in fair company, only once out of the placings is lightly raced as a two year old. One to to note for sure this one i would say.
James Doyle also reported on his 11/2 ride in the Champions stakes horse Barney Roy that he was going to work him at Kempton in he morning. ' We knew we got it wrong a little wrong in the Juddmonte stakes to be fair, this time we will revert back to his usuale way of running and hope for the best.'

Delsheer (right) takes up the race from Celestin's from the William Haggas yard.

The six furlong maiden race saw Henry Candy saddle the 9/1 shot Our Oystercatcher again in a race with a battle to the line the three year old by Pastoral Pursuits on his first run beating  the 7/4 favorite Holiday Girl by a short head.
The ever talented Alan Kirby in the saddle mentioned 'he has a lot of fire in him this one, if he goes the right way he will have a nice future in front of him for sure.He ran green but should improve for sure.'
Owned by Mrs Veasey who certainly over the years knows what to look for in a good horse mentioned 'The colours he runs in are my grandfathers and we name all our horse after seabirds.' This one certainly took flight from the nest and is surely one to be well highlighted in the note books.

Our Oystercatcher (centre) takes up the race from Holiday Girl on his left and third place Zilza on the right

Our Oystercatcher and Holiday Girl

The feature race of the day, a three year old one mile three furlong class three handicap with £7246 going to the winner was taken by the favorite Solar Cross from the Roger Charlton yard. Ridden by Harry Bentley the See the Stars three year old at post the 7/2 priced favorite.

Solar Cross from the Roger Charlton yard. Ridden by Harry Bentley

'This horse gallops and gallops to be fair, i really wanted to get him up towards the front really, once there i could slow the pace down a bit and kick on again, he stays for sure just a bit one paced really.'
The gelding with two wins from seven runs doing enough to take the race from  Zamperini from the  Mike Murphy yard.
A well bred individual being out of a mare by Mark of Esteem and lightly raced as a two year old  and taking two wins from five races as a three year old this one may just catch the eye now winning a race with a little more to it, one to watch out for and could pick up again a nice handicap in the future.

Solar Cross 

The Marstons Handicap over a mile three furlongs with ten runners to post saw Dragons Voice roar over the line for Philip Hide giving Harry Bentley a follow up from Solar Cross in the previous race.
The 9/2 shot not taking a race since his last win at the Berkshire course in July then going off the favorite seemed to take the race comfortably after being asked questions a furlong out, being backed from 9/1 into 11/2.

Both trainer and jockey liked the Poets's Voice gelding.'He has picked up nicely for me, the ground and a good even gallop really suited him today, he hasn't ran that well his last few runs but today it was good to get back to winning ways.'
The horse owned by Heart of the south racing who's colours  you see in both racing disciplines may have to wait for next season to see their three time winner back out on the track.
Trainer Phillip Hide mentioning,' he was really good today but we will probably look after him and bring him back next season. He has won three for us this year, to be fair at the beginning of the season i would not have thought that of him, he is a soft ground  horse that will possible win more next season.

Dragons Voice (near side) strides out to take The Marstons Handicap from Amy Murphy's Ghalib

The final two races saw a split division in the six furlong Prince Luitpold amateur riders handicap.
The current Prince Luitpold at Windsor for the afternoons racing saw two strong amateur races the first division being taken by Nutini ridden by Stuart Walker who has twenty four wins under his belt  from one hundred and three rides.

Nutini 

 The second division being taken by Arcanista ridden by Miles Harris on his first winner from only three rides

Arcanista

The 11/10 favorite ridden by Stuart Walker Nutini ran well clear from a furlong out, trained by Malcolm Saunders the four year old on his inaugural win from fourteen starts looked well suited by the distance and 11 st 4 lbs to carry. 'He stays every yard of the distance and could probably go further.'
The trainer mentioning that he got this horse from Ireland and had probably had a disturbed journey over. 'He has taken his time to get right again and  at home dos'nt really show you that much on the gallops, he dos'nt give you the impression of being a  sprinter but Steve Drowne got off him last time at a mile and said try him over shorter, so here we are and it's worked.'
The money was on this gelding for sure and proved right for the punters, maybe not so much of  good opening price next time but a horse that may just now have found his calling.

Division two of the Amateurs sprint Miles Harris on Arcanista had his filly drifting right towards the line after taking up the race inside the final furlong to deny Stuart Walker his double, the previous races winning jockey three lengths back in second on  Cruise tothelimit.
The four year old filly on her first win from twenty eight starts off at 6/1 gave the owner/rider his first win from three rides , the trainer from Newmarket Chris Dwyer notching up his eighty first training victory.
The eighteen year old at James Tate's yard mentioned,' I have done my time at the British racing school, then worked in jump yards after, Neil Mulholland's and Seamus Mullins's before coming to Newmarket, but it was great to get a win off my own mare it makes all the hard work pay off. I wasn't playing it safe on her today that's for sure a wins a win at this stage,'

'Steve Drowne got off him last time at a mile and said try him over shorter, so here we are and it's worked.'

'It was great to gt a win off my own mare it makes all the hard work pay off'

A few more meetings to come from the figure of eight track in the Royal county as the last stein is downed.
Blogs can be seen with other meetings from Windsor at

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