RACING:Dermot Weld's Olympiad, carrying the colours of Yorkshireman Robert Ogden, landed the BetVictor.comHandicap at York yesterday.
The lightly-raced brother to the trainer’s Irish 1,000 Guineas winner Nightime ended up the 9 to 2 favourite and landed some nice touches in the ring.
Winning jockey Pat Smullen said: “Olympiad showed his ability as a two-year-old, but he has just taken time. I think he’ll mature into a very decent staying handicapper.
“The sky could be limit for him if he keeps improving the way he has in the last 12 months.”
Veteran sprinter Tax Free got the Ebor Festival off to the perfect start for Yorkshire by claiming a narrow victory in the Symphony Group Stakes for Thirsk handler David Nicholls.
“It’s great when you get to that age and are still able to perform at that level. He’s a credit to the yard and he’ll probably go for the Portland next,” said Nicholls.
The win proved costly for jockey Adrian Nicholls, who was suspended six days (September 5th-10th) for using his whip above the permitted level, and down the shoulder in the forehand position.
