Denton Hall News

Falcon swoops at Glorious Goodwood - and Dods believes there's more to come

MICHAEL Dods believes there’s a lot more to come from his latest Glorious Goodwood winner Prairie Falcon.

The two-year-old, owned and bred by Bearstone Stud, in Shropshire, showed great battling qualities to win the Jaeger-Lecoultre Nursey over seven furlongs today.

Michael revealed that the colt had been aimed at Goodwood because Terry Holdcroft, who runs Bearstone Stud, was spending the week at the festival and wanted to have runners.

Prairie Falcon had made his debut down the field at Redcar in May before running two solid races at Ayr to be third and fifth respectively.

Michael said: “I think he would have won at Ayr last time, but he missed the break before finishing well.

“Terry was going to Goodwood for the week so it made sense for us to send him down there, otherwise we might have chosen a different route. We thought the step up to seven furlongs would suit him and he’s seen it our well.

“It was obviously a competitive race and, with him still being quite green, we weren’t sure he would handle the track but, luckily, he got a good draw and Hollie’s given him a top-drawer ride.

“We always liked him. It was all a bit too much for him first time at Redcar, but he’s come on a lot since then, and he’s a horse with a future. He’s still a big, weak horse and will improve with time. You could see him getting a mile but there’s no reason to step him up yet.”

Prairie Falcon is by Belardo out of New Approach mare, New Falcon. Belardo won the 2014 Dewhurst Stakes as a two-year-old and went on to win the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury as a four-year-old when trained by Roger Varian.

There are no plans yet on where Prairie Falcon will run next, with Michael saying he wants to talk to the owners first before making any decisions.

The colt’s game victory follows Commanche Falls winning last year’s Stewards’ Cup for the Dods yard, and Michael is delighted to hit the 25-mark for the season with another Glorious Goodwood winner.

“It’s always nice to have runners at the likes of Glorious Goodwood, York, Newmarket and Ascot and great when you come away with a winner,” he said.

Commanche Falls goes for a repeat in Stewards’ Cup on Saturday and will be joined in the line-up by fellow Denton Hall inmate, Tinto. Last year’s victor will again by ridden by Connor Beasley while Tinto will be the mount of David Probert.

Michael said: “It was very different ground when Commanche Falls won it last year. It’s a lot faster this year and we’ll have to see whether he has enough toe to cope. Tinto has done nothing wrong. He could do with easier ground and it’s very competitive, but the draws are OK (Commanche Falls 19, Tinto 18), so hopefully, they’ll both run well.”