 |
|
| Staff Writer |
 |
Ninth Crusade emerged as a potential Royal Ascot contender after making an impressive debut at Wolverhampton on Tuesday evening. The Michael O'Callaghan trained colt, settled in second by Cieren Fallon, stormed past Comic Strip two furlongs from home before holding off a strong challenge from She's Divine to score by half a length.
"He travels well and I've got the Coventry in mind for next week," said O'Callaghan. "He did things a little bit wrong, and got a little bit lit up down the back when he got a bump. Cieren said he felt far more impressive than he may have looked visually. He quickened up and got a little bit idle waiting for a second bit of company."
The Kildare-based trainer was pleased with his US$250,000 breeze-up purchase, adding: "He has an awful lot of ability. He would have learned plenty from today and come forward a good bit. We'll see how he comes out of it when we get home, with Ascot in the back of our mind."
The restricted novice contest witnessed pre-race drama when Mister Invincible attempted crawling out from under the stalls. After reloading, Spicy Jalapeno refused entering the gates, resulting in both horses being withdrawn pending successful stalls tests.
Azure Zain passed his examination with flying colours, winning by six and a half lengths for Richard Fahey and Jack Garritty.