San Andreas just loses out in Newcastle thriller

My Oberon just edged out San Andreas in a thrilling finish to the All-Weather Mile Championships Conditions Stakes at Newcastle.

Trained by William Haggas and partnered by Tom Marquand, My Oberon was last seen finishing sixth in the Dubai Turf last month and ultimately just about made his class tell as the 13-8 favourite.

However, it was not as easy a victory as expected, with My Oberon made to pull out all the stops by Joseph O’Brien’s raider.

Marquand settled him mount in behind as Tempus set the early gallop, with Dylan Browne McMonagle adopting a position on the stands side aboard San Andreas and taking over the lead at Tempus started to flag in the final two furlongs.

My Oberon appeared to be travelling well, with Marquand coming between the pair to challenge and grabbing the initiative.

But San Andreas proved game, getting back on terms with the pair locked in a duel to the line, with My Oberon just prevailing by a nose. Bless Him made notable progress after sitting last early on, eventually being beaten two and a quarter lengths in third.

The first two got close in the finish, prompting a stewards’ inquiry, but the result stood.

Haggas’ wife, Maureen, said: “It was a worry coming back so quick after Dubai, but this race was worth a lot of money and you can’t pass up opportunities like this.

“He’s probably not the easiest to place, so when you get an opportunity like this to win money with a gelding, you can’t turn it down — we had to give it a go.

“He can have a little break now. I don’t know where he’ll go — William will work that one out.

“Whether it will make more sense dodging Royal Ascot and going somewhere a bit easier, I don’t know — that’s not my department!

“He’s tough and I think gelding has definitely helped him.”

Marquand said: “He gave me a moment of fright — I thought I’d go and win by half a length when I took him off the bridle, but he knows how much he has to do and won’t do much more.

“He’s won and has done really well to win as he’s had a busy month, being in Dubai, which takes its toll.

“It’s a great training performance to get him here today and get his head in front because it’s a tough one to judge sometimes when horses are travelling.”

Checkandchallenge may have earned himself a tilt at the Qipco 2000 Guineas after maintaining his unbeaten record with an eyecatching victory in the Coral Burradon Stakes.

A narrow winner on his racecourse debut at Wolverhampton in November, William Knight’s colt faced a significant step up in class for this Listed contest and was priced up at 15-2 under Danny Tudhope.

Andrew Balding’s Imperial Fighter, runner-up in two Group Threes and not beaten far into fifth place in the Vertem Futurity Trophy at Doncaster last season, was the 7-4 favourite.

But while the market leader was perhaps unfortunate not to make more of a race of it after encountering traffic problems, Checkandchallenge only had to pushed out hands and heels to win by a length and a half.

Winning owner Andrew Hetherton said: “William Knight and his team have done a smashing job and we’re looking forward to what comes next.

“As he did at Wolverhampton he came from the back to the front and won very convincingly.”

Betfair cut Checkandchallenge to 33-1 from 100-1 for the season’s first Classic at Newmarket on April 30.

Hetherton added: “It (2000) Guineas was very realistic when I paid the entry fee! I think we’ll see what happens and I’m very much in William’s hands.

“Danny said he’s a good horse and I said to him ‘have a word with William if you want to ride him in the 2000 Guineas’. Let’s see how we go.

“Today was worth the trip up from Southampton. We stopped up in York on the way last night and we’re having a great day.”

Knight, who was not at Gosforth Park, said: “I was absolutely delighted and excited with the manner in which he’s done it, in what looked a competitive field.

“He had to go and win today to warrant a run in the Guineas and that’s still on the agenda.

“It looked like there was a bit left there, which there needs to be to be competitive in the Guineas.

“We’ve always liked him and we put a Guineas entry in earlier in the year so we obviously hold him in high regard.

“This was to see where we are and we’ve got to be at least thinking that way. There’s improvement still to come from him, it wasn’t all about today.

“The big challenge is he’s got to convert his all-weather form across to turf, but there’s no reason why he can’t. He did a nice bit of work on the grass gallops last week which pleased us and made us feel he was definitely above average — he had to prove it on the track, which he’s done today.”

Tudhope was impressed and said: “I was lucky enough to sit on him the other day and galloped him for the first time.

“He’s a lovely big horse who had obviously only had the one start before today and today was all about finding out how good he is.

“Fair play to William and his team. He travelled well and when he got to the front he was only just doing what he had to do.

“He’s still inexperienced and I’m sure he’ll come on leaps and bounds.”

El Caballo managed to fend off the late thrust of Tiber Flow and oblige favourite-backers in the Coral 3 Year Old All-Weather Championships Conditions Stakes.

Sent off the well-backed 13-8 market leader for trainer Karl Burke and jockey Clifford Lee, El Caballo arrived unbeaten in three all-weather starts, but he had to pull out all the stops to maintain that perfect record.

El Caballo made all in his last two victories and Lee was keen to control the race from the front again, but Hollie Doyle also wanted to dictate matters aboard Space Cowboy, with the pair racing together all the way into the last of the six furlongs.

Lee kicked for home at that point and it looked as though El Caballo — whose only defeat came on debut to the smart Armor — would comfortably prevail, but Tiber Flow was hitting his top stride in behind for Tom Marquand and catching the leader with every stride.

But the post came too soon for him and El Caballo hung on to victory by a short head, with Space Cowboy a further three and a quarter lengths back in third.

Paddy Power go 25-1 about El Caballo for the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot following his narrow verdict, and Burke would be eager to charter a path to the June highlight.

He said: “He’s a very good horse. I didn’t know if he was dossing in front or whether that was him, but Cliff (Lee) thinks he’s definitely better over the seven (furlongs).

“We’ll give him an easy two weeks and see, but I’d still be tempted to try him in something like the Sandy Lane (at Haydock) and just see if we can turn him into a Commonwealth Cup horse. A stiff six at Ascot would be pretty good for him.

“He’s easy enough to deal with once he’s out and about. He can be a bit miserable in the box and will have a bite and a kick at you — he’s a proper colt.

“I do think he’s a genuine Group Three/Group Two horse, whether he’s better than that we’ll see.

“I know Maureen (Haggas) really likes the second and I think they’re two nice horses.”