Robert Havlin gained the first Group One success of his long riding career when Commissioning powered home to win the bet365 Fillies' Mile at Newmarket.
The 49-year-old has long been credited with playing a huge part at Clarehaven Stables, first for John Gosden and more recently in his partnership with his son, Thady.
An impressive winner of the Rockfel Stakes just two weeks ago, Commissioning was sent off the 8-13 favourite to remain unbeaten and cement her 1000 Guineas claims.
Having travelled sweetly for the first half of the contest, she came under pressure two furlongs out as Karl Burke’s Novakai made a bold bid from the front.
But Commissioning relished the step up in trip and her most impressive furlong was her last, as she ultimately ran out a clear-cut one-length winner. Novakai’s stablemate Bright Diamond was third.
What a finish! 🤯
— Newmarket Racecourse (@NewmarketRace) October 7, 2022
🏇 Commissioning gets the better of Novakai in a thrilling conclusion to the Group 1 bet365 Fillies' Mile for Rob Havlin and John and Thady Gosden 👏@bet365 @thadygosden pic.twitter.com/WBDs7lVoiq
Havlin said afterwards: "She gave me a worrying moment in the dip as she got a bit unbalanced, but when she hit the rising ground she took off. She’s still a long way from being the finished article mentally, but she can get herself out of trouble. I’m glad to get the job done, that was a relief.
"She’s got the tactical speed for a Guineas. I rode her mother and she would have stayed a mile and a half, but she only had two runs.
"Hopefully the next Group One doesn’t take another 30 years!"
Midnight Mile (22-1) showed Classic potential in coming with a strong late run to cause a surprise in the Godolphin Lifetime Care Oh So Sharp Stakes.
A debut winner at Doncaster in July, she had not been seen since, but hailing from an illustrious family that includes Yesterday and Quarter Moon and running in the same colours, the No Nay Never filly clearly has a bright future.
Just a few days on from landing the Prix de l'Abbaye with stable star The Platinum Queen, trainer Richard Fahey was celebrating another big-race victory – this time notably with his relatively new stable jockey Oisin Orr, with the pair enjoying their biggest success together.
A little short of room with two furlongs to run, Orr – winning his first race on the Rowley Mile – had to take his medicine as the race developed up front with Ralph Beckett’s Loose Yourself, another unbeaten filly, hitting the front.
When the gap eventually appeared, Midnight Mile took off on hitting the rising ground and won by a head, with three-quarters of a length back to Small Oasis.
🏇 Midnight Mile remains unbeaten after landing the Group 3 Oh So Sharp Stakes in great style for @OrrOisin and @RichardFahey 👏 pic.twitter.com/cMCg2cHWVT
— Newmarket Racecourse (@NewmarketRace) October 7, 2022
"We thought she was a nice filly and thought she wouldn’t be out of her depth," said Fahey’s assistant, Robin O’Ryan.
"To say we thought we’d win might be stretching it, but we knew she wouldn’t disgrace herself.
"She’s a nice filly with a great temperament and gets the trip well, so we’ve just taken our time with her. She’d won her race and we thought we’d see how she came on for it.
"I think we’ll put away her and dream now. I think that (a Guineas trial) would be the obvious target – I think handicaps will be out now!"
Pogo (7-4) went one better than 12 months ago when holding off Sacred in the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Challenge Stakes to tee up a crack at the Breeders' Cup Mile.
Ridden by soon-to-be-crowned champion jockey William Buick, partnering his 150th winner of the season, the Charlie Hills-trained six-year-old was winning for the eighth time.
Better than ever, Pogo had already won two Group Threes and chased home impressive Prix de la Foret winner Kinross in the City of York Stakes last time out.
Allowed to bowl along in front, he had Misty Grey for company before the race developed in earnest.
Tom Marquand decided to drop Sacred out in the rear and when she began to make her move going into the dip, it looked likely to be decisive.
Sacred began to drift right on the meeting the rising ground, though, and with the rail to help, Pogo ran out a comfortable length-and-a-quarter winner.
🏇 Pogo holds on strongly to secure the Thoroughbred Industry Employee Awards Challenge Stakes in the hands of William Buick for Charlie Hills 👏@cbhills pic.twitter.com/Ivugl50Kq7
— Newmarket Racecourse (@NewmarketRace) October 7, 2022
Hills said: "He’s such a star of a horse, he really is. He’s been to most battles this year and has very rarely come up short.
"Everything looked good today – he had a nice draw on the rail. The plan was to make the running and it worked out well.
"He’s a really tough boy. If every horse was like him it would be very easy.
"He has a great cruising speed and he’s aggressive. Even as a yearling he was quite hard to break in – he spent most of his time on two legs! He’s always liked plenty of graft and loves racing."
He added: "I think we’ll look towards America and the Breeders’ Cup. He’s got good gate speed. We ran him in Saudi Arabia in the sprint and he made the running there, which takes some doing against sprinters."
