Last-to-first success for Bedouin’s Story in Cambridgeshire

Bedouin’s Story stormed home to provide Godolphin with a first success in one of the UK’s most prestigious heritage handicaps, the Cambridgeshire, at Newmarket on Saturday, 25 September.

The nine-furlong highlight of the Cambridgeshire meeting has gone the way of several notable horses through the years including Halling, who went on to post five G1 victories in the Godolphin silks, and this year’s G1 Dubai Turf scorer Lord North.

Bedouin’s Story broke slowly and was held up in last of a group that came up the stands’ side as the 26 runners split in two.

The Saeed bin Suroor-trained runner started to make headway between horses with three furlongs to race. He continued to pick off horses under Jamie Spencer and quickened well to hit the front inside the final half-furlong before going on to beat Anmaat by three-quarters of a length.

Saeed bin Suroor said: “Bedouin’s Story always misses the break. Frankie Dettori won a handicap from the rear on him in Dubai, so I told Jamie Spencer before the race not to worry where he jumped as he always finishes his races strongly.

“He is a horse who has always had ability and tries really well. This is a big result for him. We could come back here next month for the G3 Darley Stakes over the same distance or we might look for another big handicap.”

Jamie Spencer added: “Bedouin’s Story is habitually slowly away and we just followed them along. At around halfway, I started to pick a few up and I tried to follow the right horses.

“I could see Jim Crowley was getting away a bit on Anmaat but Frankie Dettori told me that Bedouin’s Story was a classy horse who has a very good turn of foot when he has something to aim at. It’s not easy carrying a big weight, so it’s a good result.”