Time takes Winter spoils
Saturday 25 August 2012
A drop in class helped Lay Time return to winning ways in a thrilling renewal of the totepool.com Winter Hill Stakes at Windsor.
Although well beaten in the mud in the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket a couple of starts back, she ran arguably a career-best when fifth in a superb running of the Group One Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.
Dropping back to Group Three level, Andrew Balding's 4-1 chance once again encountered testing conditions, but battled gamely to come out on top in a titanic finish.
Hayley Turner cut out much of the running on Primevere and while Lay Time appeared to easily have her measure running inside the final furlong, she battled back in the driving rain and there was just a nose in it at the line.
Favourite Grandeur was third, but multiple Group One winner Rio De La Plata was a big disappointment on his return to action, looking a shadow of his former self.
Balding said: "We were very worried about the ground after the downpour, but she's stuck to it well. When they flashed past the post I wasn't sure we'd won, but thankfully she has and she thoroughly deserved to win a Group Three. She's a talented filly and she might even stay a little bit further."
Cameron Highland dictated affairs from start to finish to take Listed honours in the totepool August Stakes.
Roger Varian's colt was 9-4 to follow up a victory at Epsom at the start of the month and he was soon bowling along merrily at the head of affairs under Neil Callan.
Favourite Songcraft and the tenacious Goldoni both did their best to reel him in in the straight, but Cameron Highland galloped on strongly to win going away by four and a half lengths from the latter.
Varian said: "He'd shown his best form on better ground and although the rain came, maybe it hadn't got into the ground. Neil gave him a good ride. If you've got the right sort of horse who can settle in front and dictate things it can work out well."
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