MCMAHON BANKS ON JEWEL TO SHINE

Ed McMahon would not be surprised if Artistic Jewel give the yard a second successive victory in the Bathwick Tyres St Hugh's Stakes at Newbury on Friday.

Success for Electric Waves in this Listed event 12 months ago featured among four juvenile victories for the filly, who signed off the year with a Group Three triumph at Ascot before being sold to race abroad.

Artistic Jewel got her career off to the perfect start with victory at Windsor and McMahon feels she should continue to progress.

"I'm hoping she can improve for her first run. She did everything fairly professionally at the end of the race at Windsor, but she ran a little bit green in the first half of the race," said the Lichfield handler.

"If she can come on from that and run the first half of the race as professionally as she did the second half, then I'm hoping she'll run well.

"I don't want the ground to be too slow. I think good or good to firm would suit her much better than good to soft as she has a good action."

The Bryan Smart-trained Excelette took a little longer to break her maiden tag but after recording a first win at Chester, she followed up in style at Musselburgh.

Smart said: "I think we've got to run in a race like this now.

"She's won a conditions race well, beating horses who have won races.

"Royston (French) keeps the ride on her as Tom (Eaves) is riding up north. He came and rode her work on Tuesday and was very pleased with her.

"She's surprised me a bit, to be honest. I just thought she was a nice, early two-year-old, but she's not stopped growing and strengthening.

"There could be a bit more to come yet."

Like Artistic Jewel, the Queen's Free Verse made a winning introduction at Windsor.

Trainer Richard Hannon told his website: "We thought that Free Verse might need that first race, so, while she had been working like an above-average filly at home, it was a pleasant surprise to see her win so impressively.

"There is not a lot of her, but she has a big engine and she was electric from the stalls at Windsor and had the race won at five (furlongs), so this shorter trip won't be a problem."

Posted in: News