Varsovian
VARSOVIAN and Soaring Spirits were Dean’s only two runners today and they both won under Robert Winston, landing a sparkling 31.5/1 double.
The Refuse To Bend gelding, Varsovian started the ball rolling in a six furlong seller and although not best in at the weights on official figures, the top-rated horse in the race was weighted to run well. He loves the six furlongs at Lingfield, having been a course and distance winner four times previously.
Always handy, he was sent into the lead two furlongs from home, was driven inside the final furlong and held on to win by a head from the fast finishing Kavora.
Varsovian clearly loves Lingfield and this victory gave him a nap hand over the Surrey track’s six furlongs. There was no claim for the winner who was sent off the 9/4 favourite, so he’s back at his familiar Harper Lodge Farm.
Soaring Spirits completed the double with a fine front-running ride by Robert Winston. Drawn two of twelve, he was driven into the lead and despite being challenged by the eventual runner-up, Epsom Secret, who ranged upsides a furlong out, the Tamayuz chestnut stuck to his guns and won by a neck.
This was a good performance from Soaring Spirits, who had been off the track for four months and whose only win over a mile was his first victory five years ago. Congratulations to owner, Mrs Doreen Carter, whose chestnut has been a real servant, having finished in the first three in a third of all 65 starts.
What a first half of the season, the stable is enjoying! The two Lingfield victories take the yard to 21 wins for the year at a strike rate of 16% and Harper Lodge Farm is on course to beat last year’s total of 38 wins and could even surpass the record 39 wins in 2013.
