Hannon's Dick Turpin snatches valuable purse

(GETTY IMAGES)

Richard Hannon carried on his remarkable harvest of valuable auction-related juvenile contests when Dick Turpin took yesterday's Tattersalls Ireland Sales Race at Fairyhouse with the minimum of fuss.

Ridden confidently by Richard Hughes, the 8-15 favourite only had to quicken his gallop for a few strides to go past In Some Respect inside the final furlong to deliver the €£128,000 first prize, easing down, by a length and a half.

The six-furlong race at the Co Meath track is restricted to graduates of the eponymous local yearling market and Dick Turpin was something of a steal. He was plucked from last year's catalogue for John Manley by Hannon and his chief talentspotter, Irish bloodstock agent Peter Doyle, for just €26,000.

The powerful Arakan colt is now unbeaten in four outings and had previously scored at a much higher level, in the Group Two Richmond Stakes at Goodwood. In outclassing his field under top-weight yesterday with little more than a paid exercise gallop he was trimmed to 16-1 for next year's 2,000 Guineas, for which his stablemate Canford Cliffs is already a firm 5-1 favourite. "He's our sixth winner of this race," said Hannon's son and assistant, Richard Jnr, "and he'd be the best by a long way. He has such a lot of scope and I'd love to see him run in the Dewhurst Stakes next."

Canford Cliffs, also unbeaten, puts the mighty reputation he earned with his six-length blitz in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot on the line at the top grade this afternoon in the Prix Morny, the Group One finale to the summer season at Deauville.

The third of East Eversleigh's high-class young musketeers, Monsieur Chevalier, has his own even more ambitious raid on France pencilled in. After losing little caste in defeat on unfavoured fast ground in the Gimcrack Stakes at York, the speedy two-year-old may take on his elders in the Prix de l'Abbaye at Longchamp.

Half an hour after Dick Turpin advertised his Guineas credentials, Ballydoyle inmate Cape Blanco confirmed himself a credible long-term Derby prospect with a dour all-the-way success on testing ground in the Futurity Stakes. The seven-furlong Group Two is traditionally one targeted by Aidan O'Brien with his better prospects and the white-faced Galileo colt looks a youngster with the determination to match his ability as he responded to Johnny Murtagh's urgings to come home a length and a quarter clear of Mister Tee.

At Sandown the Mark Johnson-trained Shakespearian made every yard to take the Group Three Solario Stakes over the same trip by the same distance. The Shamardal colt quickened two furlongs out under Richard Hills and although Buzzword was briefly short of room as the winner strode for home, he was always second best.