Festival of glee for apprentice Laura Barry (From Gazette & Herald)

Festival of glee for apprentice Laura Barry

2:28pm Wednesday 29th August 2012 in Sport By Tom O'Ryan

APPRENTICE Laura Barry enjoyed the biggest thrill of her fledgling career at York’s Ebor Festival when gaining a 33-1 success for her boss Richard Fahey aboard Mary’s Daughter, one of the Malton trainer’s three runners in the six-furlong nursery.

While stablemate Majestic Moon, a well-supported 7-2 shot, could finish only fourth after rearing in the stalls, Mary’s Daughter had no such problems and won by three-parts of a length to provide Barry, a former prolific winner in the pony racing field in her native Ireland, with her 14th winner as a 7lb claimer.

• IT was also a big week for fellow apprentice Jake Butterfield – not at York, but at Newmarket.

The Ryedale claimer, riding for his boss Ollie Pears, scored on Last Sovereign at racing’s traditional headquarters – a huge thrill for a young jockey who has made some significant strides this season.DAVID O’Meara’s excellent season at York continued at the Ebor Festival thanks to the hugely progressive Dutch Rose, who gained her fifth win of the season – and second on Knavesmire – in the fillies’ handicap under stable jockey Danny Tudhope.

“It looks as though she’s still improving,” said O’Meara. “She’s got a great attitude and we may try and get some black type (in a Pattern race) for her at the end of the season.”

O’Meara followed up by winning the valuable Lanark Silver Bell on Friday night with Edmaaj, owned by Pickering -based Kevin Nicholson, before completing a Saturday evening double at Redcar with Ingleby Exceed and her half-brother Ingleby Angel, both owned and bred by Dave Scott.

• MICK Easterby may not have had his stable star, Hoof It, representing him at the Ebor Festival, but the canny Sheriff Hutton trainer did not allow the four days to come and go without one visit to the hallowed winners’ circle.

Easterby won Saturday’s seven furlong nursery with Old Man Clegg, a 10-1 shot, ridden by Dominic Fox and owned by Irkroy Racing and Ryedale-based Steve Hull.

• THE biggest star attraction seen in years came, saw and conquered at York last week. Seldom, if ever, can anyone present have experienced such an electric and emotionally-charged atmosphere than the one generated by the truly exceptional Frankel, whose 13th straight win of his career left onlookers with a legacy and memory that will last a lifetime.

The £725,000 Juddmonte International, the richest race in York’s history, was sponsored by Prince Khalid Abdulla, a great supporter of British racing and the proud owner-breeder of the world’s highest-rated horse.

For Frankel, under Tom Queally, to win this event in such imperious fashion as he stepped up to 10 furlongs for the first time in his dazzling career – taking his Group 1-race haul to nine and his prize money earnings past the £2.2 million mark – was the result that 30,000 people on Knavesmire wanted to see.

They also wanted to see Sir Henry Cecil, Frankel’s iconic trainer, and they did. Recent treatment for cancer may have taken its toll on the great man but the reception he received as he stepped up to be presented with his trophy smacked of warmth, respect and immense fondness for Britain’s most popular trainer.

It was a privilege to be there for this never-to-be-forgotten race and all its trimmings.