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| July 6, 2003 | Sunday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 5,1424 |
Falbrav lands Eclipse Stakes
ESHER (England), July 5: Japan Cup winner Falbrav landed another Group one prize with a battling success in the Eclipse Stakes for jockey Darryll Holland at Sandown Park on Saturday.
The globetrotting five-year-old (8-1) held the heavily gambled-on favourite Nayef (6-4), the mount of Richard Hills, at bay to win by three-quarters of a length.
The 100-1 outsider Kaieteur, ridden by Eddie Ahern, was third in the mile-and-a-quarter (2 kms) test.
Falbrav, who has accumulated over 2 million pounds
($3.34 million) of prize money and won Group one races in Japan, Italy and France, joined the Newmarket stables of trainer Luca Cumani earlier this year.
The move followed a split between Italian trainer Luciani d’Auria and owner Luciano Salice.
“He grew too big for Italy really and the owners decided to send him on to England to play on the international stage,” Cumani told Channel Four television.
“I was lucky enough to get him and he’s never let me down.”
Falbrav was beaten into fifth place on his British debut by Nayef in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot last month but turned the tables this time on Marcus Tregoning’s charge.
Holland sent Falbrav to the front two furlongs from home and the pair quickly opened up a gap. Hills dug deep on the favourite and went in pursuit but Falbrav’s stamina held firm to the line.
“He never found his rhythm at Ascot but today he showed what he is capable of,” added Cumani.
“He showed tremendous courage to take it up and go clear, and then battled all the way up the hill in splendid isolation.”—Reuters
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