Group 3 breakthrough for homebred Extra Elusive
8 August 2020
Extra Elusive benefitted from an excellent ride from our newly retained jockey Hollie Doyle to win the Group 3 Rose Of Lancaster Stakes at Haydock Park on Saturday.
Allowed on this occasion to make the running, Extra Elusive settled well in front and showed a game attitude to repel the runner-up Certain Lad by over two lengths.
“Mr. Charlton and the owners said they wanted to change things up because he can pull quite hard,” said Hollie Doyle. “I just dropped my hands and rode him where he was happy and he settled well in front. He’s a long striding horse, he pricked his ears and I managed to get into a good rhythm for the first half mile which really suited.
“I got taken on quite early by the Channon horse but I managed to reserve a bit – I knew he would stay a bit further. He’s a very good horse on his day.
“It was important that these first rides [for Imad Al Sagar] went well as all eyes are on.”
Extra Elusive is out of Nessina and therefore a half-brother to Ajaya, our homebred winner of the Gimcrack Stakes who is off the mark with his first crop of two-year-olds.
Extra Elusive is the third foal out of the daughter of Hennessy, who is a sister to Tantina, in turn dam of the smart young sires Bated Breath, a Group 1 sprinter on his day, and Cityscape, himself a Group 1 winner. Both were also trained at Beckhampton by Roger Charlton.
It is also the further family of champion Australian sire Redoute’s Choice.
Nessina, who was purchased by Tony Nerses for 300,000gns to join Blue Diamond Stud in 2012, also has a two year-old filly by Fastnet Rock named Mariam with Roger Varian and a yearling colt by Siyouni. She foaled a cracking filly by Ajaya’s sire Invincible Spirit this year.
