Caernarfon Triumphs in Weatherbys ePassport Pipalong Stakes at Pontefract
Pontefract, [Current Date] – In an exciting turn of events, Caernarfon, the daughter of Cityscape, secured her first victory since her two-year-old days by winning the Weatherbys ePassport Pipalong Stakes at Pontefract Racecourse. This well-deserved win brought the curtain down on the distinguished training career of Mick Channon, as Caernarfon had previously claimed the Montrose Fillies’ Stakes for Channon’s yard when she was a juvenile.
Since then, the talented filly has been campaigned by Mick Channon’s son, Jack, the new license holder at the West Ilsley Stables. Caernarfon’s impressive performances at the 1000 Guineas, where she finished fourth, and the Oaks, where she claimed third place, have solidified her status as one of the leading lights in the early days of Jack Channon’s training career.
“We’re all delighted and it has been a long time between drinks in terms of her winning, but she has run a lot of creditable races over the last few years and it is good to get her head in front.”
- Mick Channon, Trainer
The decision to drop Caernarfon back to a mile and to the Listed level for her visit to West Yorkshire proved to be a masterstroke, as the filly’s class shone through under the guidance of jockey Tom Marquand. Sent off at 14/1, Caernarfon surged through to take the lead with a furlong to run and held on gamely in the closing stages when challenged by Ralph Beckett’s Royal Ascot winner, Doha, the 5/4 favorite.
Mick Channon acknowledged that the team may have misjudged Caernarfon’s optimal distance, focusing too much on her Oaks performance and thinking she wanted a mile and a half, when in fact the stiff mile appears to be her ideal trip.
With this victory, the connections of Caernarfon are hopeful that this is the first step on the road to bigger and better things for the talented filly. Channon indicated that they may consider an easy mile and a quarter race in the future, but a stiff mile is clearly Caernarfon’s forte, and there are many exciting races on the horizon that the connections can target as they aim to return the filly to the top level of competition.
🔗 Source