A good week for Kieran Shoemark turned into a great one when Noble Champion ran out an impressive 25-1 winner of the Jersey Stakes (G3) June 21 at Ascot Racecourse.
The jockey, who lost his job as first rider to John and Thady Gosden in May, has put a challenging six weeks behind him with two winners in two days.
After winning the non-black-type Sandringham Stakes on Never Let Go June 20, Shoemark once again teamed up with Ed Walker to score aboard Noble Champion.
The 3-year-old was unconsidered in the market after failing to make an impression in three starts this year, most recently in the Carnarvon Stakes.
However, stepped back up to seven furlongs, he returned to form when stretching 3 1/4 lengths clear of Godolphin's 20-1 shot Spy Chief.
"It's been a great week," Walker said. "We've had a few blips but we're thrilled. I'm just so pleased for this horse. We had a massive belief in him coming into this year and for one reason or another we've just not get it right but today everything fell into place.
"He's fast, hence why we brought him back over six furlongs, because he was keen over a mile. I just got it wrong. The stiff seven furlongs was absolutely perfect. He's as good a work horse as we've had; he's got such a high cruising speed and he's just a very, very smart horse."
"I allowed him to drift because I knew we were clear and he was always going forward with plenty of momentum," Shoemark said. "I wasn't panicking, he galloped through the line well. He's got lots of class and Ed Walker has always held him in the highest regard. For one reason or another, things haven't gone his way this year but the stiff seven furlongs here with a fast pace to aim at really suited him. Ed's yard really is flying and it's a lovely team. It's a really impressive operation. I feel very fortunate to have partnered some good horses this week."
Private Purchase Humidity Returns Dividends in Chesham
Humidity proved money well spent as he kept it in the family by emulating brother Holloway Boy and landing the Chesham Stakes at Ascot in the Saturday opener.
He was bought privately by Wathnan Racing after making a successful debut under Oisin Murphy at Newbury Racecourse last month and repaid a slice of the purchase price with a taking success.
The 4-1 shot made all the running under James Doyle and found extra once challenged to hold on by a length from Thesecretadversary.
"He wasn't doing much late on," Doyle said. "They came at me, he fought them off and then he was waiting for them to come again. That's generally a good sign when they're pricking their ears in the last half-furlong, it certainly felt like he'd have responded well if something had come to me. We live the dream.
"I remember texting Oisin (Murphy) saying 'Is Humidity any good?' He just put the rocket emoji back so that got me excited."
Godolphin's Treanmor, a $2,164,886 yearling who was sent off 5-4 favorite, could manage only fifth place.
Humidity was a fourth winner of the five-day meeting for Wathnan, following Haatem, French Master, and Crimson Advocate, but their first successful juvenile of the week.
"I'm so pleased," Humidity's trainer Andrew Balding said. "This horse at the beginning of the week we felt was probably our strongest chance. He's a lovely horse. He had to battle hard today but he's done it well. This was always the plan but we'll work back from something nice in the autumn. He's an absolute dude this horse, very relaxed. He's got a lovely long stride, he's got a bright future."
United States-bred runners Moments of Joy, a daughter of Justify , and Tailgunner Joe, a colt by Knicks Go , ran third and sixth, respectively.
Moments of Joy, trained by Aidan O'Brien for the Coolmore-affiliated Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Derrick Smith, is out of the Galileo mare Shell House, making him a half brother to 2021 Cinema Stakes winner Hudson Ridge.
MyRacehorse's Get It Scores in Wokingham Stakes
Get It, trained by George Baker and ridden by Seamie Heffernan, gave MyRacehorse and partners a victory during the royal meeting when the 7-year-old sprinter took the Wokingham Stakes, a Heritage Handicap with class 2 status.
The win marked another international success for MyRacehorse, which offers fractional ownership with low-cost shares.
More Thunder was second, beaten a head, and Ten Pounds was a close third in the 28-horse race.
