WHILE Andrew Balding’s stable stalwart Vanderlin bids for more Listed success following his win at Chester on Saturday, his young jockey again showed why he could be set for the very top of the game.
The Balding stable has had several top apprentices down the years, including Merseyside’s Classic-winning rider Martin Dwyer, and young Buick again showed his prowess in a saddle with a big-race double on the Roodee.
Buick used the perfect draw in stall one to good effect in the opener when leading from start to finish to enable Lancashire trainer Eric Alston’s Cocount Moon to secure success in the betterbetcorbett.co.uk Handicap for a second successive year.
He then secured a short-head success on veteran eight-year-old Vanderlin in Chester’s £40,000 heritage handicap.
Both Vanderlin and Buick showed their fighting qualities to hold on from runner-up Laa Rayb. And while Vanderlin has never been out of the first three on his visits the Roodee, Buick was only riding in his sixth race on the tight turns at Chester.
But Balding said: “At the beginning of the year he hadn’t ridden anywhere. He’s an absolute natural.”
And on Vanderlin, he added: “The horse thoroughly deserved that
“He’s never run a bad race here and the handicapper has given him a chance, which I’m grateful for. I don’t know quite what we’ll do with him now but we might try and find a Listed race.”
Meanwhile RedRed Evie will bid for back-to-back victories in the Coolmore Fusaichi Pegasus Matron Stakes title at Leopardstown next weekend after pleasing connections in a workout on Saturday morning.
Michael Bell’s four-year-old filly, owned by Liverpool-born businessman Terry Neill, won her Group One race in the contest last season and returned to form last time out when winning the Hungerford Stakes at Newbury.
Trainer Bell said: “She worked very nicely and it’s all systems go for the Matron now. She did everything we wanted and hopefully she can go and win it again. It was a bit of a relief to see her get back to winning ways last time.”
TODAY’S NAP: Beneath The Trees (3.10pm Lingfield).
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