21 October 2020

Act Of Wisdom continues progression at Newmarket

21 October 2020

Act Of Wisdom continued on an upward curve as he initiated a double for Charlie Appleby at Newmarket

The Galileo colt – who is a full-brother to Appleby’s former Grade One winner Line Of Duty – made it a hat-trick of wins for the season with a tenacious success off top-weight in the British EBF Future Stayers Nursery Handicap.

Having looked booked for a place, the 100-30 shot followed up victories at Goodwood and Nottingham when picking up well late on to pass Rewired close to the line, going on to score by a nose.

Appleby said: “William (Buick) said every time I asked him he kept responding. James (Doyle), who had won on him on his previous two starts, said the same – that he is never going to win by far, you are always confident you are going to get there but it just looks hard work.

“He is one of those characters that doesn’t look the most willing of partners, but he goes out there and knows where the line is.

“He will be a nice horse next year. You could work back potentially from something like the Queen’s Vase.”

Royal Touch was sent off as if defeat was out of the question in the British EBF Future Stayers Novice Stakes, but the 8-15 chance was upstaged by his stablemate Hurricane Lane (3-1), who claimed the mile prize by two lengths to complete Appleby’s brace.

The Newmarket handler said: “He is a big, scopey horse. We’ve always liked him at home. He travelled well. As Adam (Kirby) said, they got a bit tired in front of him and he picked them up quite comfortably in the end. He is a nice horse to look forward to next year.”

Jim Boyle only has a small two-year-old team but he could have a potentially smart one among them in Entwine, judging by her four-and-a-quarter-length victory in the Watch And Bet At MansionBet Fillies’ Novice Median Auction Stakes.

Boyle said of the 4-1 winner: “She has shown us a good bit at home, but you are never quite sure of the opposition. We knew she would handle the ground as she handled it well at Salisbury.

“We’ve not got too many two-year-olds to compare her against so we were a little bit feeling in the dark. but we were hopeful she would improve.”

He added: “That was always going to be her last run. We will put her away now and she could easily be a black-type filly. She is a good-moving filly with plenty more to come, she has got a nice bit of scope about her.”

A step up to Listed company could beckon for the Mark Johnston-trained Freyja (11-2) who gained her second win of the campaign when taking the Best Odds Guaranteed At MansionBet Fillies’ Handicap by a length and three-quarters.

Assistant trainer Charlie Johnston said: “She is a tough little filly. She won in soft ground at Hamilton two starts back so at least she seemed to handle the conditions.

“We are very pleased – she has only had nine starts in her career, winning four of them. She is now probably nudging into a rating in the one hundreds.

“I would not rule out running in the Fleur De Lys at Lingfield next week. For her pedigree, black type is important.”

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