All-Weather Championships Report for immediate release, Saturday, December 7, 2019 Maystar makes all for Fast-Track Qualifier success under Hollie Doyle at Wolverhampton

Published 2019/12/07

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The six-furlong Tapeta contest was a Fast-Track Qualifier, handing Maystar a free and guaranteed start in the £150,000 Ladbrokes Three-Year-Old All-Weather Championship over the same distance at Lingfield Park on Finals Day, Good Friday, April 10.

Doyle sent the Mayson gelding, an 8/1 chance, straight into the lead on leaving the stalls with 5/6 favourite Raaeb (Saeed bin Suroor/Jim Crowley) settling just in behind.

Turning for home, Maystar looked for the taking but kept finding more out in front.

As the challenge of Raaeb faded away, it was Get Boosting (Keith Dalgleish/Joe Fanning, 20/1) who delivered the strongest challenge but Maystar was always doing enough and held on gamely to score by three-quarters of a length.

Auchterarder (Mark Johnston/Jason Hart, 9/2) stumbled turning for home but kept on to take third, a further three-quarters of a length adrift.

The winning time was 1m 13.66s. Hollie Doyle said: "It has been an awesome week and it is great to get a winner on the board for Archie and Hambleton Racing. "Maystar has always shown ability at home - his last run was a bit disappointing but he has been gelded and has been electric at home recently.

It's great to get his head back in front. "His work is always better from the front at home and he won from the front as an early two-year-old.

It was quite a task to win off 91 but he has done it nicely.

He is a tough horse and seven furlongs won't be an issue for him." Howard Lofthouse, one of the winning Hambleton Racing syndicate, owners of Maystar, said: "We have four horses with Archie Watson and they are doing ever so well.

Hollie has ridden five winners for us this season - three on Maystar and two on Dramatic Sands. "I think Hollie deserves every accolade she gets.

When she shakes your hand, she nearly pulls it off - she is so strong.

She never loses an inch in a finish and has empathy with the horses, they all run for her.

She is a wonderful lady but a great, great, great jockey. "Maystar has been invited to Qatar for a seven-furlong race later this month and, if he ran well here - which he did, I am assuming that it will now be taken up.

So we will all be going out there hopefully and then on to Lingfield."

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Maystar (5) powers to victory

Earlier on the same card, regally bred two-year-old Waldkonig created a huge impression on his debut when taking the extended-mile Ladbrokes Home Of The Odds Boost EBF Novice Stakes (5.50pm) by nine lengths under Robert Havlin.

The John Gosden-trained colt, a Kingman half-brother to this year's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Waldgeist, tracked the leaders before taking up the running turning in and readily powered clear for a comprehensive victory.

Robert Havlin said: "Waldkonig impressed me.

He has been showing some nice work at home but you never know on their first day of school.

He was hanging, just through greenness, down the back and I don't think I have ridden in a race when we started going slower, slower and slower from the four to the three-furlong pole.

I thought that I had to do something because he is a big, rangy horse with a good old stride on him. "He quickened up good and kept at it.

He has a great attitude and you probably won't see him now until next spring.

Let's hope he can get to the standard of Waldgeist - that would be nice - but he has done everything right first time and he is not bothered about anything." Gary Coffey, racing manager of part-owner Newsells Park Stud, said: "Waldkonig is a very nice horse and it is a family that is very close to us.

Obviously, Waldgeist is his older brother and his dam Waldlerche is one of our top mares. It's great to see him win on debut like that. "He has been working well at home and John has been happy with him.

Any horse that wins like that always make you go into the winter very happy."

About the All-Weather Championships Season seven of the All-Weather Championships runs from Tuesday, October 22, 2019 and culminates with All-Weather Championships Finals Day on Good Friday, April 10, 2020 at Lingfield Park.

The seven races on All-Weather Championships Finals Day are worth a total of £1 million. The season seven information pack can be downloaded by following this link and scrolling down to the bottom of the page: https://www.awchampionships.co.uk/about-the-championship/all-weather-explained/ The six championship categories are:

£150,000 Three-Year-Olds sponsored by Ladbrokes - 6f Final

£150,000 Fillies & Mares sponsored by Ladbrokes - 7f Final

£150,000 Mile sponsored by Bombardier - 1m Final

£150,000 Sprint sponsored by Betway - 6f Final

£150,000 Marathon sponsored by Betway - 2m Final

£200,000 Middle Distance sponsored Betway - 10f Final

There are two ways for horses to qualify for one of the finals on All-Weather Championships Finals Day at Lingfield Park: * A horse can win a 'Fast Track Qualifier' race which will ensure a FREE and GUARANTEED place in the corresponding final on Good Friday. There are four Fast Track Qualifiers in each of the six Championship Categories hosted at racecourses in Great Britain, Ireland and France. If a filly wins any of the Fast-Track Qualifier races for either the Sprint or the Mile categories, the filly will be qualified for the final of that specific category, or for the Fillies and Mares Final. or * A horse must run a minimum of three times on the All-Weather surfaces in Great Britain, Ireland and France; or twice on the All-Weather surfaces in Great Britain, Ireland, France and once on dirt in Dubai during the qualifying period between October 22, 2019 and the six-day entry stage for the finals (Saturday, April 4, 2020) and then be rated high enough to 'make the cut' in a final by order of its BHA Rating.