Castle Star (Chris Hayes) beats Loveaday © Photo Healy Racing
Confidently ridden by Chris Hayes, Castle Star (5/2) swept through from off the pace to win the GAIN First Flier Stakes (Listed) in good style.
Outsider of the field Loveaday (28/1) made a bold bid from the front but was pegged back inside the final furlong and the winner ultimately scored comfortably by a length and three quarters.
Loveaday just held on to second place by a head from Missing Matron (9/2).
By Starspangledbanner, the winner had been narrowly beaten in two maidens prior to this success, including by Ballydoyle’s Glounthane at this venue last month.
Winning trainer Fozzy Stack said: “He did it well and he deserved it. He was a bit unlucky to run into a good horse in a maiden the last day. That's compensation today.
“I don't think five or six matters to him, I wouldn't say it was staying that was his problem the last day he probably just met a better colt.
“I suppose we could maybe look at the Norfolk for him now. It's six weeks to Ascot and he has plenty of experience now.”
Of stablemate and 2/1 favourite Cheerupsleepyjean (beat one home in sixth) Stack added: “She just sank in the ground (going description was changed to yielding to soft in the straight after this race). She's a real good mover and it was 50/50 whether we'd run her, maybe we shouldn't have.
“She travelled well into it but he said when he asked her to pick up she couldn't. There will be another day.”
Quotes from Gary Carson
