Custom Cut, Western Hymn, Master Apprentice score at Sandown

Custom Cut, Western Hymn, Master Apprentice score at

Sandown

On a roll last term when rattling off a trio of pattern-race successes, Custom

Cut (Notnowcato) defied

a penalty for the latest of those in Newmarket's Joel S. (Eng-G2) to regain the

winning thread in Friday's Sandown Mile (Eng-G2).

Coaxed to a peak by David O'Meara last summer, the Moyglare cast-off built

on

listed wins in Windsor's Midsummer S. and Pontefract's Pomfret S. when adding

Leopardstown's Desmond S. (Ire-G3) over this trip in mid-August. Nine days after that

foray

back to his native Ireland, the bay turned back the challenge

of the subsequent Woodbine Mile (Can-G1) hero Trade Storm (Trade Fair) to win

the nine-furlong Strensall S. (Eng-G3) at

York before reverting to a mile to annex the Joel.

Disappointing when only eighth on his final outing in the

Queen Elizabeth II S. (Eng-G1) at Ascot on Champions Day, Custom

Cut proved that was a blip with this typically tenacious

effort in a renewal lacking the kind of potential it has

advertised in recent times. Always close to the early pace,

he was committed on the front end with over 2 1/2 furlongs

remaining by Daniel Tudhope and stayed on grimly as the

similarly penalized Here Comes When (Danehill Dancer) tried to make a fist of

it.

"He is every jockey's dream, as he travels so well and

gives you everything," Tudhope said. "He's still an improving horse and this is

a good start

to this season. He had a hard campaign last year and you can put his final run

behind him,

as we went too hard early on that day and it probably took its toll on him. I

think Group 1s

are probably on the agenda and, as he switches off, it will give him every

chance of

staying a mile and a quarter."

Connections are eyeing a tilt at the Lockinge S. (Eng-G1) at Newbury May 16, where he

is

likely to renew rivalry with the runner-up.

Western Hymn (High Chaparral), gelded since his fourth placing in Ascot's Champion S.

(Eng-G1) in October,

returned to the scene of his success in last year's Classic Trial (Eng-G3) to upset

his

more-fancied Newmarket rivals Postponed (Dubawi) and Cannock Chase (Lemon Drop

Kid) in the Gordon Richards (Eng-G3) at Sandown.

At home on

testing

ground when registering a workmanlike success on this card 12 months ago and

when

impressive in the Prix Eugene Adam (Fr-G2) at Maisons-Laffitte in July, the dark bay

had also

at times looked an awkward conveyance with his high head carriage. Sixth when

failing to

handle Epsom's contours in the Derby (Eng-G1), he never threatened on his last two starts

when

fourth in the Prix Guillaume d'Ornano (Fr-G2) at Deauville in August and in the

Champions Day

feature, but arrived here with a gelding operation offering some hope that his

kinks had

been removed.

Settled in second early by Frankie Dettori as the favorite,

Postponed, led at

a sound clip, Western Hymn was edged ahead of that rival approaching the quarter

pole

and kept on despite the runner-up's game persistence as Cannock Chase wilted on

this

comeback.

"He is a good horse and when he got there he ran around a bit, so he's

got his own mind as well as an engine," his rider said.

Trainer John Gosden

commented,

"He's been off a long time and got stuck in bottomless ground at Deauville and

it was

pretty bad at Ascot in the big race there, so it's good to have him back and see

him

running his race. I think the horse in front is a pretty good horse and it was

noticeable that

Postponed came back again when our fellow was idling in front, but having said

that he's

beat him fair and square."

Connections are looking at the Hardwicke S. (Eng-G2) at

Royal Ascot

June 20.

An upset ensued in Friday's renewal of the Classic Trial. Sent off the

outsider of the quartet, having finished last of nine when put to

a proper test in the Criterium International (Fr-G1) at Saint-Cloud in late October, Master

Apprentice (Mastercraftsman)

made all to upstage his flashier peers and reward jockey David Probert's

enterprise in this

Derby prep.

Earning a crack at the Saint-Cloud end-of-term highlight with an

all-the-way

maiden success over an extended mile at Windsor in early

October, the gray failed in his bid to dominate that

contest and faded out of the action in the last furlong.

Shadowed throughout by Snoano (Nayef) on this return, he had

begun to dispatch with that rival approaching the furlong

pole as Ballydoyle's Cape Clear Island (Fastnet Rock) stayed on to

emerge as the sole threat. As Snoano cracked and the 4-6 favorite Commemorative

(Zamindar) proved a huge

disappointment well adrift, Master Apprentice kept finding

to cause the upset.

"He's comfortable going a mile and a

quarter, so we'll look at the Tercentenary S. ([Eng-G3] on June 18) at Royal

Ascot or, if he wants further, the

King Edward VII S. ([Eng-G2] June 19)," trainer Andrew Balding commented.

"We always felt he was

more a

Royal Ascot horse than an Epsom one. We got away with this ground today, but

he's fairly

versatile with regards to that and he has a good engine."

His rider added, "It

was quite a

smart performance in a tactical race and he put it to bed sharpish when I asked

him. Last

year going to a Group 1 was a big stretch for him, but the way he won there

suggests he's

going to progress further."

Master Apprentice is out of a half-sister to dual Group 1 winner Lillie

Langtry

(Danehill Dancer).

Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com