Brave Approach Still Unbeaten

New Approach confirmed he is the real deal as he maintained his 100% record with a game success in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.

Giving trainer Jim Bolger and jockey Kevin Manning back-to-back wins in the top two-year-old race of the season after Teofilo 12 months ago, New Approach was made to pull out all the stops by Fast Company.

Brian Meehan´s charge put in a strong challenge but was just held by half a length by the Irish raider, who was sent off the 6-4 favourite. Raven´s Pass was third, with Rio De La Plata fourth.

Fast Company was slowly away as Raven´s Pass broke well but gave way on the stands side to Luck Money, who took the field along, with Dark Angel prominent in the centre of the course.

Jimmy Fortune drove Raven´s Pass into the lead two furlongs out but he could not shake off the opposition.

New Approach, who was held up in the early stages in contrast to his usual front-running style, responded to Manning´s hard driving and put his head in front before battling all the way to keep Fast Company at bay up the hill.

Bolger told Channel 4 Racing: 'He´s a very, very talented horse. We over-did the settling on him today and it nearly cost us the race, but we know how to solve that problem.

'I had Derbys in mind the last couple of weeks training him and all his work was lobbing and loitering. I knew yesterday when he lobbed up the gallop here that he just might be a little bit tardy.'

Manning added: 'He ran very lazy today but he has been working that way at home lately.

'I rode him at home earlier in the week and I told Jim that that he had been working lazily.

'But he did it very well in the end. He´s very tough and he was always holding them.'

John Gosden said of Raven´s Pass: 'I was pleased with his run. He came to win his race but he couldn´t produce his form on the ground.

'He´s a Guineas horse and that will be the target next year.'

VC Bet cut New Approach to 5-2 from 3s for the 2000 Guineas and pushed Raven´s Pass out to 6-1 from 5s, while Fast Company was slashed to 7-1 from 14s following his fine run.

Guineas sponsors Stan James left the winner unchanged at 100-30.

There was a slight sting in the tail for Manning, however, who was handed a five-day ban by the stewards for using his whip with excessive frequency.

(C) PA Sport