Cool Hoof Luke darts to Gimcrack victory at York

Cool Hoof Luke advertised his star quality when hitting the bullseye in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Gimcrack Stakes at York.

Named after World Darts champion ‘Cool Hand’ Luke Humphries, Andrew Balding’s son of Advertise has performed admirably in defeat since making his winning debut at Chelmsford, finishing fourth in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot before going a place better in the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood.

With experience under his belt, Oisin Murphy’s mount was sent off at 8-1 and breezed smartly into contention approaching the business end of the Group Two event.

Once hitting the front, he put his racecourse knowledge to good use inside the final furlong to hold off the challenge of Charlie Appleby’s previously unbeaten Shadow Of Light, with Adrian Keatley’s Symbol Of Strength outrunning odds of 80-1 for third.

Balding was represented by his wife, Anna Lisa, who said: “He’s a big horse, a big two-year-old. It doesn’t always happen, but it happened and it’s just fantastic.

“You look at him and you think he’s going to be a better three-year-old, we weren’t sure about the trip, it was going to be a question mark today – he’s bred to be a sprinter, looks like a seven-furlong horse – and again, the trainer got it right.

“I think we were a bit disappointed at Goodwood, but he came back and won the right one today.

“Andrew will be making the decisions, but it is exciting.”

Of the runner-up, Appleby’s assistant Alex Merriam said: “We’re happy. That was his first step up into Group company and it is a big step up. I think he’s probably learned a lot, he’s run his race, but he just got beaten by one better on the day.

“I think the trip is fine for him, he’ll stick at six for now, but he just got beat by one on the day.

“I did just say to Charlie, though, that it looks good for Aomori City as he beat the winner at Goodwood, so we’ll take that.

“We can’t complain, it’s only his third run and first in Group company.”

Keatley had been keen on the chance of Symbol Of Strength and felt he was vindicated.

He said: “I’d like to think I’ve been looking at them long enough now to know when we’ve got a good one, but I was starting to doubt myself when I saw he was the outsider of the field yesterday. I thought that was ridiculous.

“He’s a good horse, he’ll have no problems getting seven furlongs and next year maybe even a mile, he’s got scope and will grow a bit, we think a lot of him and the sky is the limit.

“He’s in the Mill Reef and that will probably be the target, he’s also in the Middle Park, but we’ll go to the Mill Reef as long as the ground is not too soft.”