05 July 2020

Manuela De Vega makes no mistake in Lancashire Oaks

05 July 2020

Manuela De Vega was backed as if defeat was out of the question in the Bet365 Lancashire Oaks and it all went to plan in the Haydock feature.

An impressive winner of the Pinnacle Stakes at the course last month when making the running, Harry Bentley deployed different tactics on this occasion.

Bentley had in fact chosen to ride the Ralph Beckett-trained stablemate of the winner, Antonia De Vega, but when she was found to be lame on race morning and was declared a non-runner in the Group Two contest, he switched.

The form of Manuela De Vega’s previous win could hardly have been advertised any better given that the second, Fanny Logan, came out and won the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Bentley cruised to the front three furlongs out on the 1-2 favourite and she was kept up to her work to beat Makawee by five and a half lengths.

The filly was the first leg of a big-race double for Bentley who then joined forces with Peter Chapple-Hyam to win the bet365 Old Newton Cup on Deja.

Second at Royal Ascot to Scarlet Dragon, the five-year-old was sent off a 5-1 chance to go one better.

Deja travelled into contention ominously well in the home straight and while there were always plenty in with chances, Bentley had enough up his sleeve to repel them all.

The 7-2 favourite Laafy stayed on for second, a length and a quarter away, with The Trader third and Le Don Die Vie fourth.

Chapple-Hyam said: “I’m very pleased for everyone concerned.

“It was a bit of a slog out there and once he hit the front he almost pulled himself up.

“I think there’s plenty more to come from him and the plan is to go to the Ebor next.”

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