Geezer On Course To End Elsworth Quest

David Elsworth has trained some great horses in his time, but has still to land that elusive first British Classic success.

However, he looks like travelling to Doncaster in September with a live chance of Ladbrokes St Leger glory after The Geezer advertised his credentials with a decisive victory in the ABN Amro Gordon Stakes at Glorious Goodwood yesterday.

Not all bookmakers were getting carried away by the victory, Coral offering The Geezer at 10-1 for the Leger - the race for which this contest often acts as a leading trial.

But that price may be under some threat with the sponsors going just 6-1.

Elsworth said after the Group Three contest that he had been worried that his charge might have gone over the top for the year, having been kept busy since his racecourse debut last December.

His worries had disappeared by the three-furlong pole, though, as The Geezer and Richard Quinn swept alongside leader Unfurled and rocketed clear.

Five lengths separated the winner and Unfurled at the winning post, a margin that did not flatter the winner with the runner-up having to be hard ridden all the way to the line by Kieren Fallon to hold off Brahminy Kite for second place.

Elsworth said: 'I´m sure this ground has helped him today. I hoped he´d win, but he was quite good today.

'He got this mile and a half well so I guess another furlong or two (in the St Leger) shouldn´t be a problem. It will be tougher at Doncaster, I´m sure.

'We might take in the Great Voltigeur at York first.'

However, the danger for punters considering taking the odds about The Geezer for Doncaster could be the colt´s busy campaign.

'He seemed to be so full of himself today that I was worried he might have gone over the top,' Elsworth explained. 'In fact, he´s done it very well. But the worry might be whether we can keep him this way until the Leger.

'The thing is he does seem to be thriving on his racing so that´s why I´d prefer to run him in the Voltigeur.'

As for whether The Geezer might be the one to break Elsworth´s long-standing Classic duck, the trainer preferred to keep his own counsel.

'I don´t want to be tempting fate by thinking about that sort of thing,' he said. 'If you go through the Leger field then I suppose he has a chance.

'Clearly he operates well with some cut in the ground and you do sometimes get those sort of conditions for the Leger.

'I wouldn´t want to get too carried away but at the same time I wouldn´t put anyone off.

'I´ve probably under-rated him, which is unusual for me because I usually over-rate them!'

Mark Johnston improved on his already impressive record at this meeting with a 44-1 double thanks to wins from Golden Quest and Prince Of Light.

The Middleham trainer has now saddled 18 winners in the last five seasons at the five-day festival.

And if none the worse for his short-head call over Balkan Knight in the Tatler Summer Season Stakes, Golden Quest could bid to add to his handler´s haul in the Lady O Goodwood Cup tomorrow en route to the totesport Ebor at York next month.

Johnston said: 'He´s in the Ebor and he´ll go there, but first we´ll see how he is and if he´s OK he´ll run in the Goodwood Cup on Thursday.

'I know it´s a long shot but we´ve done it before with horses that have come out of handicaps and run well.'

Golden Quest is a top-priced 16-1 with Ladbrokes and Paddy Power to win the Ebor.

Joe Fanning rode both Johnston´s winners and he was seen to great effect when getting Prince Of Light home by a length and a quarter from Racer Forever in the Turf Club EBF Maiden Stakes over six furlongs.

David Nicholls refers to this as his favourite meeting and no wonder after he enjoyed another success as Strike Up The Band overcame a wide draw under the trainer´s son, Adrian, to win the Group Three Betfair Molecomb Stakes.

Nicholls said: 'I thought drawn 15 was a disadvantage, but they´ve gone off very fast and he loved the ground.

'He is a very nice horse and people have criticised me and sometimes Adrian for the way he doesn´t start very well.

'He´s just a bit slow into his stride but the ground as it was today and the speed they went played into his hands.

'He´s in here again on Friday, he´s in the sales race at Redcar, he´s in the Nunthorpe, which might be a bit ambitious, and he´s also in at York in the Gimcrack.'

Fallon´s supporters enjoyed an early success when the former champion jockey booted 7-1 shot Evaluator home in the opening Summer Stakes, while Plectrum is another who could be seen out again this week after Peter Chapple-Hyam´s charge romped home in the closing Darnley Stakes.

Alan Munro, riding his first winner at the track since 1993, sent the 8-1 shot to the front well over a furlong out and the result was never in any doubt thereafter as he bolted up by five lengths from Pango.

'He´s in on Friday at Newmarket and I don´t see why we shouldn´t run him again,' said Chapple-Hyam.

? PA Sport