First Group win for Okeechobee

Five-year-old gelding Okeechobee (Time Test - Scuffle) put up a game performance to take his first blacktype win the the Group 3 Gordon Richards Stakes at Sandown on Friday (26th April).

Taken from the Thoroughbred Daily News, 27th April 2024, by Sean Cronin:

Okeechobee returned from a long break to finish second in the Listed Magnolia Stakes at Kempton at the beginning of April and stepped forward in game fashion to claim a career high in the Gr.3 Gordon Richards Stakes at Sandown.

The 10-3 joint-second favourite, who garnered three wins from four starts as a three-year-old in 2022, settled off the pace towards the rear in sixth for most of this 10-furlong heat. Coming under pressure to close with three furlongs remaining, Okeechobee bounded into a share of second passing the furlong pole and was driven out to overhaul Israr inside the final 100 yards and hold the late lunge of Desert Hero by a head. Ryan Moore was at his forceful best in the plate and extended his race-record haul to six, with all five prior wins coming for the Sir Michael Stoute stable.

"I thought he would go very close beforehand, but watching it was less enjoyable," said trainer Harry Charlton. "Turning in, Ryan [Moore] said they really kicked off the front, which we thought might happen, as it was a field full of stamina horses. He had quite a lot of ground to make up and Ryan was impressed with him from the three to the two to the one. He just got there and, like they sometimes do, he just leaned in, but it was impressive. He obviously ran a lovely race at Kempton the other day and was entitled to come on for that. He came here 10 kilos fitter and I think he can probably tighten again. That's only his sixth race and there's scope for more hopefully. Dare I say it, we might have to look at something like the [Gr.1] Prix d'Ispahan or the [Gr.1] Tattersalls Gold Cup next. It will be one of those two I suspect."