"There was a definite advantage being drawn high with Margot Did quickening best of these to forge clear inside the final furlong..."
The York Festival continued in full-flow on Friday afternoon with Margot Did landing the feature race of the afternoon for Michael Bell and Hayley Turner. Elsewhere Caspar Netscher took the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes and Green Destiny won the Group 3 Strensall Stakes...
Hayley Turner increased her Group 1 sprint tally to two in as many months when taking the Nunthorpe Stakes aboard Margot Did at odds of 21.91. The three-year-old filly was always travelling well, and went on to win by three quarters of a length from Hamish McGonagall , with Prohibit a further half-length back in third.
Hoof It, sent off the 4.04 favourite was slowly away and never travelled well, eventually finishing sixth, while second-favourite Bated Breath 6.02 also disappointed.
Jamie Spencer made a beeline for the far-side rail aboard Masamah from stall eight and took the far group along for much of the way, trading at an in-running low of 6.6, with front-runner Inxile also showing good early speed on the same part of the course.
Margot Did was always prominent stands-side with Hamish McGonagall and Captain Dunne , and as the race entered the closing stages it became apparent there was a definite advantage in being drawn high with Margot Did quickening best of these to forge clear inside the final furlong.
The Sprint Cup over six furlongs at Haydock on September 3 may be next on the agenda for a lot of these with Hoof It and Bated Breath prominent in the betting for that contest and set to line up against Dream Ahead for the final Group 1 sprint of the British season.
Others with a little more speed may prefer to head to France in the autumn for the Prix de l'Abbaye over five furlongs at Longchamp on October 2.
Earlier on the card the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes went the way of Caspar Netscher, sent off 6.8, who travelled well and quickened smartly to go on to score by two and a quarter lengths. Burwaaz made the initial running, showing good early speed, but he was reeled in quite comfortably by the winner and eventually lost second place on the line to Lilbourne Lad, who was sent off the 4.7 favourite but never threatened.
The Group 3 Strensall Stakes saw Green Destiny take the step up to pattern company in his stride, running-out an impressive one-and-a-quarter length winner over Tazahum. Penitent was the first to strike for home and looked as though he may have stolen it, trading at an in-running low of 2.02, but Green Destiny was never too far behind and only traded as high as 4.4 in-running before stretching away.
