Epsom debutant Jackknife looks smart prospect in the making

Roger Varian’s Jackknife could have a bright future after excelling on his debut at Epsom on Tuesday.

A Kameko half-brother to the trainer’s Group One-winning Defoe, it was perhaps fitting he made his racecourse bow at the scene of sibling’s finest hour. Sent off at 13-8 for the Weatherbys Digital Solutions Novice Stakes, he showcased his potential in seeing off William Haggas’ 6-5 favourite The King’s Falcon.

Varian said: “I’m delighted and I’m pleased to have a winner for Sheikh Fahad and the Qatar Racing team. We’ve always liked him and we liked him last year, but he had a little setback and never saw the racecourse.

“He’s by Kameko who is Sheikh Fahad’s stallion and he is a half-brother to Defoe who is a very dear horse to us and won the Coronation Cup, so we feel quite linked-in to the horse on pedigree anyway.”

Jackknife travelled stylishly throughout in the hands of his jockey Oisin Murphy, impressing his Carlburg Stables handler in the process, with Varian now able to sit and ponder future options.

Varian added: “It was a good debut and he travelled nicely and moved into it well. For an unraced horse around the contours of Epsom, he did well to defy that and win and I really liked how he travelled into the race, you were drawn to him two furlongs out and that is often a good sign.

“We’ve liked him this spring. Oisin sat on him last week and thought he was ready to get started and we’re very pleased with how he’s handled the track. He’s a very well-balanced horse and the ground was lovely, as it is always is at this meeting.

“We’re delighted, but we’ll see how he comes out of the race and how he is before we make any big plans. I’m sure he will have learned plenty and hopefully he is OK in the morning and then we can think what we can do with him, but hopefully he is a nice horse for the summer.”

Also on the card, David Menuisier was thrilled to see 9-4 favourite City Of Delight follow up a recent Doncaster win in the Lilley Plummer Risks City & Suburban Handicap.

“I’m glad, because before I decided to go to Doncaster, it was always may plan to run in the City & Suburban so I’m delighted he’s gone and won both,” said Menuisier, who was winning the race for the second time in four years.

“He’s gone and done it in style as well and at one stage he never looked like getting up, but then when he hit the rising ground he found another gear and won quite well at the end.

“Fingers crossed this isn’t the end of his winning and with a bit more improvement he could be a horse with black-type potential.”

Menuisier was, however, out of luck in the following Weatherbys Global Stallions App Great Metropolitan Handicap, as his 3-1 favourite Master Builder had to play second best to Dylan Cunha’s Asgard’s Captain who landed the spoils at 13-2.