Hugs Dancer earns a Royal Group One date

RACING: Hugs Dancer continued on the upgrade with a thrilling success under Dean McKeown in the £120,000 Tote Chester Cup at Chester yesterday and he now has a date in Group One company at Royal Ascot next month.

The James Given-trained gelding was skilfully extricated from an unpromising position with a circuit to run by McKeown, who weaved through to be perfectly placed on the home turn.

Once unleashed, Hugs Dancer lengthened his stride to cut down Knavesmire Omen inside the final furlong and then hold the challenge of the unlucky favourite Big Moment, who did not have the clearest of runs off the home turn, by half a length.

Given's confidence in the gelding's chance had been boosted by two bits of work he had done.

He said: "He worked at Southwell, and although he hated the sand, he beat Crow Wood, who won at Doncaster on Monday.

"Then we took him to Ripon and he again worked well, even though he does not handle the soft - and he was the same weight as when he won the Ebor last year, so we were hopeful!" The Gainsborough trainer added: "He has been improving all the time and the handicapper keeps putting him up, so we will have to look for higher targets. He is in the Yorkshire Cup next week, but that might come a bit soon.

"People say we are tilting at windmills, but he is in the Ascot Gold Cup (10 to 1 from 20 to 1 with Coral) too, and that is a target. He is a proven stayer and few horses stay as well as he does - he is an immensely proud horse to have around the yard."

Given, who trains Hugs Dancer for David Maloney and Graham White, went on: "He is so tough. When he ran in the Cesarewitch, he had given so much when winning the Ebor that Dean said he was running on empty for the last five furlongs but he still stayed on to finish fifth."

McKeown (43) has no thoughts of retiring and no wonder as he is riding as well as ever, and he was doubly delighted as he was instrumental in Hugs Dancer being bought out of the Michael Stoute stable.

He explained: "He is not the best horse I have ridden, but he is my favourite -- Declan O'Shea tipped me off about him and I advised Enn Reitel to buy him - and I have been associated with him ever since.

"I think he is one of the most versatile horses in training. He won the Cumberland Plate over a mile and a half at Carlisle and then he was beaten only a length in the Northumberland Plate, and after that the Ebor was always going to be a formality - and he has won over two miles five furlongs!"

McKeown went on: "I know I am not going to get many good ones to ride from now on. Him and Tedburrow are the main two and they are both highly rated now - Hugs Dancer was off 93 today and I suppose the handicapper is going to put him up to a hundred, so I suppose we will have to win something like the Ascot Gold Cup"!

A visit to the dentist awaits Hammiya after she gave her trainer Marcus Tregoning back-to-back wins in the UPM-Kymmene Cheshire Oaks.

The filly, who had lost a tooth when banging her head on the stalls at Beverley on her previous outing, reopened the wound when she did the same thing again before the start of this Listed prize.

But it did not put the brakes on the 9 to 1 chance as she flew fast and late to land the spoils under Willie Supple.

The daughter of Darshaan was held up off the pace in the initial stages and she had to produce a telling turn of foot down the outside of the pack to land the race.

Favourite Halawanda had moved into the lead over a furlong out but had no answer to the winner's challenge and went down by one and a quarter lengths.

The Jim Bolger-trained Snippets was a further two lengths away in third place and did not get the clearest of runs. Jockey Kevin Manning had to sit and suffer on the inside before extricating the filly in the last couple of furlongs. But the winner had flown at that stage.

Tregoning was reluctant to commit Hammiya to the Vodafone Oaks, the race in which last year's Cheshire Oaks winner Shadow Dancing was third. "She might really need another race as she lacks a bit of racing experience, but it will depend upon what Sheikh Hamdan wants to do," he said. "This was only her third run, although you'd have to be pleased with the way she quickened up and saw out the trip.

"If we don't go to Epsom then there are plenty of races later in the year for nice fillies like this one." The Lupe Stakes at Goodwood in a fortnight's time could represent the ideal opportunity for the filly to put some more miles on the clock before next month's Epsom Classic. It could come too soon but two weeks might be all right. We will have to see," said the trainer.

"We always thought a lot of her. That's why she made her debut in what is normally a very hot maiden at Goodwood. But it was a big step up from a maiden at Beverley to this and I am very pleased with her."

Supple, who came in for the ride through the suspension of Hamdan Al Maktoum's first-choice jockey Richard Hills, was suitably impressed. "You couldn't ask for any more than she did today," he said. "I am sure Sheikh Hamdan will decide whether she is ready to go for something like the Oaks or whether he has other fillies in mind for that race." If Hammiya is to go to Epsom, connections will have to supplement her.

The Aga Khan's filly Halawanda, on the other hand, is already entered for the Vodafone Oaks. "I think she would appreciate a more galloping track than this - it was the first time that she had really been in a race, so she should come on for it too," said racing manager Pat Downes.

Trainer-in-form Clive Brittain extended his purple patch in the opening Bank of Scotland Handicap as Santando did favourite-backers a good turn. Champion jockey Kieren Fallon was hard at work on the 7 to 4 chance from a long way out but the winner kept responding and just did enough to beat 20 to 1 chance Crathorne by a head.

Another trainer celebrating was Preston-based Eric Alston, who enjoyed a local success with No Grouse in the Tess Graham Memorial Handicap.