Yorkshire Oaks plan for Poptronic after Newcastle win

Karl Burke is set to send Poptronic to the Yorkshire Oaks after she continued the Middleham handler’s great run of form, annexing the Jenningsbet Hoppings Fillies’ Stakes at Newcastle on Friday evening.

Runner-up on her all-weather debut at Wolverhampton, she came into the Listed 10-furlong contest on the back of two successive victories.

Having returned to the Midlands track to open her account in December, she opened her three-year-old campaign with an emphatic five-length romp in an 11-furlong Ripon novice three weeks ago.

Back on an artificial surface and taking a drop in trip, the David and Yvonne Blunt-owned daughter of Nathaniel was set sensible fractions by Sam James, as the free-going Auria upped the sluggish early tempo, with Lower Street and Potapova in pursuit.

Poptronic travelled well in fourth and found plenty when James asked the question with two furlongs to run.

Though Oaks seventh Rogue Millennium loomed large, once Burke’s filly hit the front approaching a furlong out, the 8-1 shot kept responding to run out a ready length winner. Pearl Beach stuck on nicely from the back of the pack to claim third, a length and a half further away.

Paddy Power were impressed, cutting Poptronic to 16-1 (from 40s) for the Yorkshire Oaks.

Burke said: “Obviously we are delighted with that. She is a home-bred and the owners are from Yorkshire.

“We talked about the Yorkshire Oaks at the Ebor meeting, so I would imagine that will be her target if she was good enough. She obviously proved herself good enough today to have a go at it .”

He added: “They went pretty steady early, but we didn’t really want to make it with her. She is a bit keen and Sam (James) said she looks a bit keener than she actually is. He said she wasn’t too bad, but swings her head around a little bit.

“It was a great performance and she is obviously a filly on the up.”