Duke Shows Real Class

Aug 24 2008 By Rockavon

A NAP hand of Group One wins were claimed by the magnificent Duke Of Marmalade as he put Derby hero New Approach to the sword in the Juddmonte at Newmarket.

The King George winner was dropping back to a mile and a quarter under Johnny Murtagh, and there was no doubt of the regard in which he is held after his three-quarter-length success over the luckless Phoenix Tower.

O'Brien said: "He is so special that you wonder if he is flesh and blood.

If horses were made out of concrete and stone he would be made out of something harder.

"He is a great horse with speed, and is getting pacier if you look at the way he travels through his races.

"He is just one of those very special horses, and you can see that yourself. He will never win too far, which is probably to his advantage.

"If all is well with him he will go to Leopardstown in two weeks for the Irish Champion Stakes on September 6."

Murtagh added: "He is so solid, so genuine and always turns up the same. His work is good, his temperament is good and when he turns up at the races you can guarantee he is going to put up a performance like that.

"I got a lovely run up the inside and got there sooner than I wanted. But I knew that when I asked for maximum effort that he would pull it out for me up the hill."

Richard Hannon is in unstoppable form, claiming a 1878-1 treble at Newmarket along with the first two in the £300,000 sales race on Friday, which was transferred to Newmarket from York just like this Group Two event. It was Infamous Angel (11-2), partnered by Eddie Ahern, who became the first Hannon filly to win since the Lester Piggottridden Niche in 1992 but she was only a nose ahead of her shorterpriced stablemate Penny's Gift (Ryan Moore) at 7-2.

Hannon's 16-1 chance Edge Closer, with Moore in the saddle, took the Countrywide Steel And Tubes Hopeful Stakes convincingly, having beaten subsequent Nunthorpe hero Borderlescott at Salisbury earlier in the season.

Moore also produced Gal Aloud (16-1) to come with a show-stopping finish in the Adnams East Green Nursery and claimed his own hat-trick on David Barron's 100-30 favourite Dark Lane.