Fire Demon and Oisin Murphy winning at Newcastle© Photo Healy Racing
Oisin Murphy got his fractions spot on as Fire Demon came with a strong late run to reel in Cross The Tracks in the BetMGM All-Weather 3 Year Old Championships Handicap at Newcastle.
Owned by Juddmonte Farms, he was heavily backed into 9-4 favouritism but Andrew Balding’s charge looked to have plenty to do with two furlongs to run.
Cross The Tracks appeared to have slipped the field under Sean D Bowen, with the bottom weight holding a two-length advantage at the furlong pole.
His stride visibly began to shorten, though, just as Fire Demon was hitting top stride.
With nothing else making up any ground, it was left to Murphy and Balding to take the race for the second successive year, having scored with Desert Cop last season before the race was run as a handicap.
Murphy said: “I was in the perfect spot and this race suited him. He came here in good form, looked great in his coat and Andrew was very sweet on him.
“A stiff six (furlongs) probably does suit him. If the horse was on a different continent, you’d imagine he’d get two turns going a mile in America, maybe one day.
“He’s really straightforward to ride now. We ran him over seven a couple of times early on where he led and didn’t quite finish, but this sort of test suits him.
“He’s all there now as a three-year-old and it’s great that Juddmonte are good supporters of Park House Stables.”
Fivethousandtoone (8-1) showed a blistering turn of foot to pass almost every rival in the BetUK All-Weather Sprint Handicap to give both trainer and jockey a double.
A one-time classy juvenile, when notably finishing second in the Mill Reef to Alkumait, he is now six but finally seems to be delivering on his potential.
Having won last time out at Kempton, he had 3lb more to shoulder in a deeper race, as well as being drawn on the supposedly unfavourable far side of the track.
It mattered not a jot, though, as Murphy had him covered up nicely before unleashing him with a devastating run with over a furlong to go.
For a six-furlong race, the field was well strung out but only Misty Grey managed to stay within hailing distance of the Balding-trained winner.
Murphy said: “He relaxed really well. It was a little bit competitive in the middle stages of the race when people were jostling for position, but I was able to ride him quietly and when I asked him to go, he picked up well.
“He’s been expertly trained. He was very good at two and then lost his way a little bit, but Andrew and the owners have been patient.
“He’s won his last two and that was a good performance, so hopefully he’ll build on it.”
On his impending trip to the Middle East to partner the Balding-trained Coltrane in Saturday’s Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan, Murphy added: “I’m taking a small plane from here down to Denham, which is near Uxbridge just off the M25. I’ll then get a lift to Heathrow and get on the 10pm flight to Dubai.
“It’s actually not hard compared to driving home to Lambourn tonight.”
