MOLLIE Phillips's form is as blistering as the weather in bagging her fifth winner in less than a fortnight when Trusty Rusty blitzed away her rivals in the six-furlong handicap at sweltering Salisbury yesterday.
And nobody can be a bigger fan than her famous father. Dad is Kevin, a once fearsome striker for Southampton and Aston Villa.
The mare gave Phillips her first success at the track, her 10th overall, and it could not have been easier after she had been given an uncontested lead and upped the tempo at halfway. Though top weight Silent Flame closed towards the final furlong, the five-year-old stayed on well, enabling the young rider to ease her over the line.
Attached to the winning stable of Tony Carroll, Phillips knows that Trusty Rusty has a habit of taking off too early for her own good but yesterday she was able to settle her into her own rhythm.
And of her own form, she quipped: "Four winners at the Brighton festival last week, just keeping it going!"
Hollie Doyle certainly is.
If history repeated itself when she won Wednesday's feature race, she took the track's major prize of the season for the first time when Tempus, transformed since being gelded, snatched the one-mile Sovereign Stakes - despite not relishing the conditions. The quicker ground and undulating track were not in his favour but as Doyle reported, he has guts and a big heart.
William Buick had set a sedate pace on the favourite Modern News and looked as if he had Tempus in trouble two out, but the six-year-old responded to Doyle's firm driving to run out a three-quarters of a length winner.
It was a good in the household, with husband Tom Marquand taking the valuable fillies handicap on Sea On time.
Newmarket trainer George Bougay is not renowned for having first time out winners but he possibly has a useful filly in Peace of Mind who scored on her debut in the seven-furlong maiden.
Buick was impressed by what he rode.
"Very professional," he said of the Fast Company colt who had to be pushed along two out before coming with a sweeping late run to deprive Creme Chantilly. "I know George likes her. It was her first time out and you don't know what to expect but she equipped herself well. Trip-wise that suited her and she will obviously get further."
The two market choices predictably had the finish to themselves in the novice stakes and once David Egan pressed the button on Faatik, he surged Time Step with the remainder jump racing distances behind.
"Today was a swinging canter," reflected Egan of the Bated Breath colt, an eye catching third on his debut at Lingfield where he was slowly away. "He missed the break last time. It was a great leap forward and stayed on well."
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