Ellusive Butterfly floats to Surrey Stakes success A canny front-running ride from Clifford Lee enabled Ellusive Butterfly to claim top honours in the Cygames Surrey Stakes at Epsom. Not beaten all that far in the Fred Darling at Newbury in the spring, Karl Burke’s filly had since come up short in a Listed race at Newmarket and a York handicap and she was a 9-1 shot stepping back up in class on the Surrey Downs. Lee was soon dictating affairs in the Nick Bradley Racing silks and after grabbing the rail in the straight, she knuckled down to see of Greek Mythology by three-quarters of a length, with evens favourite Stellar Sunrise a disappointing last of six. Burke said: “I’m very pleased. She’s a tough filly and she’s game. “I was a bit surprised when I went to get the saddle as I thought with the way the ground was and where we were drawn wide it was nailed on that we’d go and make the running and grab that rail, but Cliff said he wanted to take a lead as he thought they were going to go a stupid gallop. Thankfully I talked him out of that! “She was third in a Listed race in France on soft ground so I knew she’d go on the ground. This was the plan and we’ll try to get some Group-race black type somewhere, probably back in France I would think on soft ground. “It makes her a valuable filly now she’s won a Listed race, so it’s job done really.” Phillip Makin can look forward to making big-race plans for Hickory Lad after seeing his star juvenile lead his rivals a merry dance in the Oddschecker British EBF Woodcote Stakes. Runner-up to the speedy Adonius in the Lily Agnes at Chester last month, the James Garfield colt was a 100-30 shot stepping up to six furlongs for the first time and led from from pillar to post under Sam James, with Alpe d’Huez a three-and-a-quarter-length second and Rlasthope just a short head behind in third. Makin said: “He never looked in any bother really. Obviously with it being over six we were wondering if he’d get home, but it looked like the further he went the better he went. “I don’t know about Royal Ascot. We came here instead of it really. Obviously the conditions of the Windsor Castle have changed so I don’t know. “I was surprised how well he did win, but it was a nice surprise. Sam just said he bolted up.” Naana’s Shadow made the long trip from the Scottish borders worthwhile with a facile success in the Win With Zyn 3YO “Dash” Handicap. Trained near Galashiels by Katie Scott after changing hands for 20,000 guineas late last year, the Havana Grey filly opened her account for her new connections at Catterick in April before placing third in a stronger race at York last month. She was the 7-2 favourite for the Oaks day opener and dominated from the off under Oisin Murphy, with victory sewn up by time Call Margot got going late in the day to get within three-quarters of a length at the line. Scott said: “We had a horse a couple of years ago finish fifth in this so when this filly won at Catterick my head girl said she was a similar type so we should give this a bash again. To have a winner here today is massive for a yard like ours. “I ran the London Marathon for Racing Welfare but I’m not as fast as Naana’s Shadow!” Murphy went on to complete a treble, also scoring aboard Seagulls Eleven (5-2 favourite) in the Diomed Stakes and Andrew Balding’s Mister Winston (6-1) in the HKJC World Pool Handicap, while Sallaal (5-2 favourite) turned the Betfred “Nifty 50” Handicap into a procession for Roger Varian and Ray Dawson. After making late gains to finish an eyecatching second at this track in late April, the well-bred son of Frankel and top-class racemare Nahrain rewarded his supporters in devastating fashion, looking every inch the proverbial Group horse in a handicap as he careered away to win by six and a half lengths from his chief market rival Respond. Varian said: “The last day made today. We had to educate him because he was a bit soft last year. We had to get him to drop his head to see if he got the trip and of course the winner got loose and we couldn’t reel him in but that made today I think. “We’ll look for a Pattern race now. He’s in a race in Ireland (International Stakes, Curragh) and there’s a Listed race over 10 furlongs at Sandown on Eclipse day we could look at.” The concluding Debenhams Handicap went to Wathnan Racing’s Colombier (12-1), trained by Hamad Al Jehani and ridden by James Doyle.
