Great start for new partnership as homebred Faisal is an impressive winner
4 August 2020
Our association with Hollie Doyle opened in great style on Tuesday as our new retained jockey steered homebred Faisal to an impressive debut success in the 1m2f maiden at Lingfield Park.
His win for John Gosden came hot on the heels of a highly promising debut second by his stable-mate Amtiyaz in division one of the same maiden.
Green and slow to begin from his inside draw, Doyle gave Faisal plenty of time to find his feet. The leader, John Locke, appeared to have flown as the field entered the straight but Faisal was eating up the ground under Doyle, and with an impressive sweeping move, charged past John Locke to win by two lengths going away. The pair pulled almost nine lengths clear of the third Spanish Kiss.
“I’m pretty thrilled to be honest,” Hollie Doyle told At The Races. “I’m grateful for Imad to give me the opportunity like this. Faisal didn’t jump great – he took a furlong or two to get into a rhythm and but once he did, they steadied the pace up and he was carting me up the back straight. Luckily I managed to keep a lid on him and then I was just looking for a run. He gave me a great feel and a furlong out, he really changed gear.
“He was the pick of the paddock. I’m sure this track wouldn’t be his track so there might be plenty of improvement to come.”
From the first crop of champion Golden Horn, Faisal is the first foal out of our homebred Bella Lulu. The daughter of Iffraaj, who carried our colours to victory at Doncaster as a three-year-old, is a half-sister to our multiple stakes-winning sprinter Justineo, and out of Loulwa, who won the Listed River Eden Stakes for us at Lingfield.
Amtiyaz, a Frankel colt out of Goldikova’s relation to Rose Of Miracles, also ran an excellent race on his debut, staying on to good effect to be second to Dark Spectre.
“I was really pleased with Amtiyaz,” said Hollie Doyle. “He didn’t jump great either and it was a bit of messy race early on but I brought him through a few horses and he really stuck to the task.
“It’s great to get a winner. There’s pressure as people have put a lot of trust in your riding so it’s good that it’s paid off today.”
