Richard Pankhurst prevails in Hungerford Stakes
The lightly raced longshot Richard Pankhurst won his first group stakes in Saturday’s $194,325 Hungerford Stakes for sprinters at Newbury Racecourse in England.
Richard Pankhurst (11-1) overcame a touch of trouble in the final furlong to finish a length in front of 5-4 favorite Home of the Brave. The first two finishers are owned by Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin Racing. Richard Pankhurst is trained by John Gosden. Home of the Brave is trained by Hugo Palmer.
Richard Pankhurst, a 4-year-old colt by Raven’s Pass, stalked pacesetter Home of the Brave to the final furlong before taking the lead. Ridden by Robert Havlin, Richard Pankhurst briefly raced in traffic before finding room in the seven-furlong race on a straightaway course.
Dark Emerald, a 10-1 shot, finished third in the field of six.
Havlin said the conditions at Newbury suited Richard Pankhurst.
“I think a small field and a straight track suits him well,” he said. “You can get him organized and sit quiet on him. He loves fast ground as well. As he grows in confidence, hopefully more options will open to him.”
Richard Pankhurst has won 3 of 7 starts. He ran twice at 2 in 2014, with the highlight a win in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot. Last year, Richard Pankhurst had two starts in the final months of the English turf-flat season, winning an allowance race.
The Group 2 Hungerford Stakes was Richard Pankhurst’s third start this year and first win. He was last of 10 in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood in late July.