Just a few hours after William Haggas' Al Aasy got back to winning ways, Relief Rally proved herself a high-class juvenile filly by fetching the best part of £125,000 in the Weatherbys Super Sprint later on the card.
The daughter of Kodiac made an impressive winning debut at Windsor before following up in some style in a Salisbury conditions event. She looked a touch unlucky to lose her unbeaten record when failing to get up in the dying strides in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot last month and was subsequently sent off a warm order at Newbury.
The pace looked fairly even across both sides of the track as twenty juveniles sped down the five-furlong straight course at Newbury. That said, favourite backers would have had a slight moment of worry as the far side definitely gained an advantage entering the final few furlongs, but Relief Rally proved a cut above her rivals, by storming down the near side rail to an emphatic three-length win.
Richard Hannon, whose father helped set up the race, saddled the runner-up Dapperling (33/1) with Harry Eustaces' Payment In Kind (33/1) back in third.
William Haggas said: "She was in front before the line and after the line, but not on the line at Ascot. She ran a good race there. She is a pretty good filly. I don't know where the second on the stands' side finished, but she won easy and when he asked her, she picked up well."
Speaking with ITV Racing Marquand added: "To be honest, I was getting towed as far as I could while being happy, but whilst never worried that the other side had a bit of an advantage on us. I was lucky enough to be on her at Ascot, so I know the turn of foot she has.
"I was confident that this ground was even more to her liking. It was as straightforward as you would have hoped it would be, but it doesn't always prove straightforward. The other side did have a march on, but she is a very good filly and thankfully she has had a decent day in the sun now and I'm sure she will have a few more."
"She is every bit as exciting as you'd want her to look for the future and I think my heart is still broken [after Ascot], but it is gluing back together a little bit after that. She has done it well. She has got bags of speed, she is super-straightforward, I think she is improving, and I think she improved for having a day like she had at Ascot – she had to race that day and it was obviously a frustrating day, but she will have come on for that and I think she showed that today by the way she just raced on by herself on her side."
Paddy Power cut the winner to 7/1 from 10/1 for Nunthorpe success next month but trainer William Haggas suggests a different path may well be on the cards.
When questioned about the Nunthorpe, the trainer added: "I don't think so – I think the Abbaye, but who knows? I think the French race is such a draw race. If you get a low draw, it is such an advantage, whereas the Nunthorpe you can win from anywhere. In France, you cannot win wide. If our luck is in at that time of the year, we will get a low draw. We will see."
