Shaquille nets Carnarvon prize for Camacho

Julie Camacho looks set to send Shaquille to Royal Ascot for the Commonwealth Cup after a decisive all-the-way win in the Carnarvon Stakes at Newbury.

James Doyle’s mount was completing a four-timer after a couple of novice wins last year and a soft-ground success in a decent handicap at Newmarket to open his three-year-old campaign.

Shaquille was clearly fresh and well, having almost dispatched his rider on the chute from the parade ring to the track and bounced out in the six-furlong contest.

He did not see another horse, with odds-on Noble Style restrained in the early part of the race and Desert Cop, who tracked the leader all the way, fending off the reminder to take second.

It was a wonder that an emotional Camacho even saw the winner, she explained: “I’ve only just arrived. We have had a terrible journey down here.

“It means an awful lot, especially since we’ve had such a rough trip down. It was bit hectic. They shut the A34 and we ended up in Oxford, reversing up streets. It should have taken four hours and we left at 8.15am.

“Newbury has never been a lucky track for us. It is very competitive, but we have managed to have winners at other tracks.

“When you are so far wrong in the ratings, you wonder if you should be here, but he showed he does deserve to be.

“He did it well and he’s a homebred, so it means a bit more.”

She added: “He has taken a while to pull him up. At Newmarket he did everything wrong and still managed to win. He must have some engine to do what he did at Newmarket. It wasn’t the plan to make all, but if nothing wanted to go on, there was no point in fighting him.

“We will go home and think about Ascot, but I think the plan will be to go there.”

Aidan O’Brien was thinking in terms of a Derby trial for Bertinelli (9-2), but decided instead to head to the BetVictor London Gold Cup – a decision which proved justified as Ryan Moore’s mount stayed on nicely to land the 10-furlong prize from Bold Act and Exoplanet in a head-bobbing finish.

The Ballydoyle hander said: “It is lovely race to win at a lovely track. It is a great distance for three-year-olds and it’s just perfect – a perfect situation for Ascot, we thought it was a lovely run-in for the horse.

“I’m absolutely delighted. Ryan gave him a beautiful ride.”

Bertinelli could now be set for Royal Ascot, with O’Brien adding: “Ryan was obviously discussing with the lads to see what they want to do, but that would be an option (King Edward VII Stakes), or he could go for the mile and a half three-year-old handicap (King George V Handicap)

“He is a big horse and he’s still a baby who I think is going to be way better next year, so the key to him is not to over-face him this year.

“He is like his dad (Justify), he’s massive, with a big stride. He is a beautiful mover and I’d say he would have really appreciated the ground, but he is a very big horse, so I think we just have to be gentle with him now.

“If we go to Ascot, it will be on the lesser side. I think we should keep the bar as low as we can for him. He’ll fill into his frame.”

Bear Force One (22-1) came with a rattle to land the BetVictor Handicap under a fine ride from Oisin Murphy.

The Roger Teal-trained seven-year-old had won at Kempton over a mile in April, but had a bit to prove on his subsequent showing at Ascot.

However, he relished this quicker ground to score with a bit to spare. Teal said: “It has been a frustrating week at York, but coming nearer to home has helped.

“Oisin has given him a peach, let him go through the gears. He just kept it simple. He doesn’t like getting too much cover, but Oisin let him fill up his lungs and he had enough in the tank to pull away at the end.

“He doesn’t handle the hotter weather so we might put him away and come back towards the backend. He’s a horse who gets affected by the environment – pollen and stuff.

“He can lose his form, as he did last year. So we decided to get him in early, have a spring campaign and then maybe go for the London Mile Final in September.”

William Buick then enjoyed another victory on the card as he followed up his Lockinge triumph with a win in the Connect It Utility Services Handicap aboard Shobiz.

Trained by Charlie Hills, the 8-1 chance travelled at the head of affairs and battled to a one-length success over the 5-1 favourite, Seamus Durack’s Sir Thomas Gresham.