Dash delight for Harry Davies and Mick Appleby Arklow Lad swooped late to claim top honours in the Betfred ‘Dash’ Handicap at Epsom. Drawn highest of all in stall 20, Mick Appleby’s sprinter got off to a decent start but was not quick enough to grab the early lead, with that honour going to Lexington Blitz who blazed a trail down the centre of the track for much of the five-furlong contest. He opened a decent gap over the rest of the field approaching the final furlong, but with the rail to help, Arklow Lad (7-1) bridged the gap late on under Harry Davies and got up to prevail by three-quarters of a length, with Vintage Clarets also coming home to good effect to beat Lexington Blitz to second. Appleby did not make the trip to Epsom, but told the Press Association: “I had three horses running in the same race at Doncaster, so I had to go and saddle there. “He did it very well. We were pretty confident to be fair as we had a good draw, the ground was in his favour and he’s quick, so I thought he’d run well. “I think he’d have won at York last time if we hadn’t decided to go across the track. We’ve had a bit of a quiet spell, so it’s nice to see him get his head in front and get us back with a big winner. “We’ll have a look and see where we’re going to go with him next.” Davies added: “It was pretty straightforward for me, I had a very good draw, held a nice position on the fence and in that sort of race you just go for it and see what happens. “I was just focused on keeping my slot so I wasn’t really watching what was going on in the middle. I know my horse has plenty of speed so it was a case of not going too soon, especially on ground like this. “I won on him off a low weight at Pontefract, but I was impressed with him that day so when I was asked to ride him today it was a definite ‘yes’.”
