Rossa Ryan© Photo Healy Racing
Rossa Ryan and Ralph Beckett were the stars of the show at Nottingham on Wednesday, as they unleashed hot juvenile prospects Smoken and Revoir.
The Kimpton Down operation has been virtually unstoppable in recent weeks, with the trainer-jockey combination’s hot streak including big-race glory in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with Bluestocking.
Colwick Park is of course a far cry from the glitz of ParisLongchamp, but Beckett has a fine record in the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes, winning with Valvano (2023) and Artistic Star (2022) in recent years.
Top-class pair King Of Steel and Eldar Eldarov are other former winners of the extended mile contest and this year’s winner, the Too Darn Hot filly Smoken, could have a big future having denied Sir Michael Stoute’s smart runner-up Archivist (4-5 favourite) by two and a half lengths at odds of 6-1.
“I was very taken with her and she’s beat a solid horse in second, who has been beaten by a good horse of Paul and Oliver Cole (Seaplane) and by Starzintheireyes the last twice and Starzintheireyes has been given an opening mark of 108,” said Ryan.
“She’s a grand filly and she quite enjoyed that bit of juice in the ground and she has a bright future but it will be next year when we see that bright future.
“She travelled up lovely and then got a bit lonely in front, I was hoping Ryan might take me a tad bit further and she then she would have been more visually impressive but she got the job done nicely which is the main thing.”
Beckett and Ryan wasted little time adding to their tally when Revoir obliged favourite-backers in fine style at odds of 6-4 in the EBF Restricted Maiden Fillies’ Stakes.
A half-sister to Fred Darling winner Remarquee, the daughter of Study Of Man defied inexperience on debut to follow in the footsteps of the stable’s Treasured who landed this 12 months ago.
“She was lovely and still pretty green and raw, but as the race developed I had the revs up so had to just stay going,” continued Ryan.
“I didn’t mind letting her idle in front as they are not making too much ground. She’s a filly that enjoyed the ground and a filly that next year will go places.”
Albany (9-2) capped a fine afternoon for Beckett and Ryan when overcoming a year’s absence to claim the Trustatrader Fully Vetted Tradespeople Handicap by a commanding four and a quarter lengths.
