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| Staff Writer |
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Jouncy secured a comfortable victory in the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden for two-year-olds, showing his class under the guidance of trainer Andrew Balding and jockey Oisin Murphy.
Bred by Juddmonte, Jouncy is a progeny of Wootton Bassett and the mare Joyeuse, a half-sister to the legendary Frankel. After finishing a close second at Kempton Park in his previous outing, he delivered a strong finishing kick to overtake Carrados in the final furlong, ultimately winning by three-quarters of a length, with Wheels Of Fire a nose further back in third.
Balding commented, "Jouncy is a grand horse. I feel a bit guilty because he looks like he’s crying out for another furlong. He got away with it today; he’s a classy horse. It looked like the horse was always in top gear, and class got him through.”
Murphy added, “Jouncy is a very well-bred horse by Wootton Bassett out of a half-sister to Frankel, so he has a very important pedigree. He might get a little bit further – that’s why I was aggressive from the stalls and let him roll away. I thought there was some strength in depth to the race – the second, James Doyle’s horse, has some good form.”
Trainer Archie Watson expressed satisfaction with Carrados, saying, “I am delighted with him. He has really come on physically since being gelded. The plan was to go to Royal Ascot, but the ground went from Good to Firm to Heavy on his first run, which he didn't like, and in his second run, he bumped into a very good winner of Richard Hannon’s [Principality] in a strong maiden here. After that, the plan was to come to this race, which is important for the owners [Wathnan Racing]. It’s frustrating, of course, but I was pleased with how he performed. The right three have come to the fore, and hopefully, winning a maiden is now a formality.”
Richard Hannon, trainer of Wheels Of Fire, stated, “He has run a super race, and we are delighted. This is always a very strong maiden. He has come alive in the last three weeks, and he is a nice horse to look forward to for the rest of the year. We will try to win a maiden before thinking about something more ambitious."