Super Sprint Stakes: Eddie’s Boy and Hollie Doyle race to Newbury glory for Archie Watson | Racing news

Hollie Doyle was barely breaking a sweat when Archie Watson’s Eddie’s Boy showed up for the Weatherbys Super Sprint Stakes game in Newbury on Saturday afternoon.

As the all-weather winner at Southwell in his debut, Havana Gray’s son had to settle for a supporting role in his next three starts. He finished second behind the Handy Remarkable Force at Musselburgh before placing third behind Little Big Bear in a hot renewal of the Windsor Castle Stock at Royal Ascot.

The Middleham Park Racing-owned youngster took to the podium again during Dragon Stakes in Sandown, but there’s no doubt who will take center stage on a sunny afternoon in Berkshire.

Drawn at stall 21 of 21, the pony never left the stands fence as a 15/2 chance burst a trail up close to score a convincing win over Woolhampton, 80/1 runner-up and Rogue Spirit finished third.

Watson: “That was great. He ran a very good race in Ascot and showed great speed there. He led the Wesley Ward there and kicked a horse and a half long down and there were only two. very good horse come and catch him..

“They came in a bit wide with him on both sides and Hollie felt he was still a bit green that day. We gave him a run in the Dragon and he was always a little scared of the road winner. ray, so I always thought Fast five here, with plenty of room, would ideally suit him.

“He just went straight and the thing I didn’t want to do was get stuck on the tracks, but as soon as nothing could happen to us, it was an easy job for Hollie.

“She kicked him in the stomach for a long time and he responded. He was tough and we are delighted for the owner. This is the first year we have horses for Middleham Park and all three won. won and this one won the Super Sprint, so everything will be fine.

“He’s a bit lazy at home, so for a while we thought he might be a six-hair horse. He might just hold the mickey a little bit and is working with Bradsell, a very nice horse. good. He turned it on the racecourse.”

Watson will now take a step forward in the class with his charge.

He added: “He’s very agile, so you have to look at a race like the Molecomb. It’s less than a couple of weeks away, so we’ll see how he is, but Molecomb, the Flying Childers. He’s at Nunthorpe and Tom Palin said he’ll get a scratch if he doesn’t run well today – but he won well, so we can let him stay .”

Doyle feels Eddie’s Boy has shown a lot of determination.

She said: “I just wanted to get him out and give him his own space. If he’s crowded or anything like that he tends to hang himself a little bit, because so he’d rather have a little vacancy today.He tried to be really stiff and put his head down when it mattered.

“I’ve been out for quite a while and you’re always pretty vulnerable, but he responds well to pressure. He hits the flat spot between three and two (the long marker) and is always nervous when you hit the ball. on the flat spot, but he went away.There was nothing in front of me at any stage.

Rod Millman was delighted with the runner-up’s performance.

He said: “We feel this is a stronger innovation than when Betty’s Hope won in 2019 and while the two of us had a chance to claim the prize money, we think it’s for the best. that we could have hoped for. But I’m very happy with Woolhampton. She’s a very nice person and she stayed in a unique way.”