Questioning lands a narrow victory in the Weatherbys Earl of Sefton Stakes
Questioning created excitement in the Weatherbys Earl of Sefton Stakes (Group 3) at Newmarket, as he battled for victory with the race favourite, Twice Over on 19th April, 2012.
Nobody predicted a victory for Questioning, as he raced with a chance of 10 to 1, but his brisk pace proved everyone wrong.
Trained by John Gosden, for owner, H R H Princess Haya Of Jordan, the young runner ran with motivation, and a desire to prove himself as he broke through the wire a head before the Sir Henry Cecil trained seven-year-old horse.
The son of Elusive Quality, out of Am I, showed remarkable progression compared to last season.
Bred by Fortbarrington Stud, the victory meant redemption for the colt, as he finished in fourteenth place at this track in the Betfred Cambridgeshire (Heritage Handicap) at Newmarket on 24th September, 2011.
John Gosden spoke of his runner after the race and stated that: "He's been an unlucky horse. He was unlucky at Doncaster and he got chopped up in the Cambridgeshire here last year."
Owned by Khalid Abdullah, Twice Over had a shot of 6 to 5, and was close to victory but it just wasn’t his day as he couldn’t close in on the narrow margin.
Finishing as a runner-up did not break the spirits of his connections, and fans as Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to Khalid Abdullah stated that: "That was a nice run and he probably blew up coming out of the Dip. It was good to see he retains his
enthusiasm and he will probably run in the Brigadier Gerard [at Sandown] next."
This performance is commendable as the horse still races with the same zeal which he ran with when he was younger.
Beatrice Aurore performed well and managed a solid finish in third as she fell 1 ¾ lengths adrift of the runner-up.
The three runners who secured the placed finishes were in contention in the final stages of the race, but it looked like luck was on Questioning’s side.
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