EVERYTHING comes to he who waits, and yesterday, those who have kept the faith with Borderlescott finally gained their reward.
With eight seconds, but no wins, in Listed or Group company to his name, the Linlithgow-owned gelding was in danger of becoming one of racing's great nearly men, but the Robin Bastiman trained six-year-old has clearly just been waiting for the r
ight moment.
What a moment he chose as well, the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at what should have been York but was in fact Newmarket. Just to gild the lily, Borderlescott also broke the Headquarters track record.
Think Usain Bolt on four legs and you get some idea of the magnitude of his performance.
Having scaled the heights, however, Bastiman may now opt for the pipe and slippers rather than the daily routine of mucking out.
"I have always promised my daughter Rebecca that when I trained a Group One winner, she could have the licence," he said. "There's a good chance that will happen in January and we'll have to talk about it but hopefully, this will persuade more people to have horses in the yard.
"Borderlescott is only small but he must have the heart of a lion. The autumn is his time and it will be the Prix de l'Abbaye next. He's still in the Ayr Gold Cup, but I think the handicapper may have something to say about that."
Borderlescott's only previous success this term had come at Musselburgh on his seasonal debut so running at the East Lothian track can obviously be a stepping stone to bigger things.
As All To The Good proved less than half an hour later when landing the 'Ebor' at Newbury for Godolphin, the winner having scored twice at Musselburgh when in the care of Gerard Butler.
It's been such a confusing week that what takes place this afternoon, and more significantly where it takes place, is all a bit of a blur.
But the mouth watering clash between Duke Of Marmalade and New Approach will go ahead as planned. Just not in the same place as was originally intended
Winning the Derby entitles the latter to the utmost respect but Jim Bolger's colt has been off the track for a while and in this sort of high-class company, that's hardly a positive.
With four Group 1 successes to his name this season, Duke Of Marmalade's form is quite good and as this afternoon's conditions are likely to suit him more than the heavy ground at York would have, he has to be the pick of a very rich crop.
The Lowther Stakes has also been rescued from the watery grave that was York, a decision that should delight those nearest and dearest to African Skies as the £60,000 prize looks hers for the taking as far as Kevin Ryan's filly is concerned.
In the highly unusual circumstances that have been thrown up this week, Goodwood's Celebration Mile has had to take something of a back seat to the International Stakes but that won't bother trainer John Gosden, jockey Jimmy Fortune, or Raven's Pass, the trio finally looking set to land the big prize they deserve.
After 11 attempts, the nap White Moss is still looking to land any sort of prize but one of the these days, all the cards will fall into place for Mark Tompkins' filly.
As her only conceivable danger in the Beverley finale looks to be top-weight, Ghufa, who is also a maiden, this could be it.
The full article contains 596 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
