Tattersalls Stakes result: Fuel The Jet lands Group 3 at Newmarket

Fuel The Jet won the Group 3 Tattersalls Stakes for Neil Callan and Tom Clover at Newmarket on Thursday afternoon. The 3pm contest headlined the opening day of the Cambridgeshire meeting.

The son of Space Blues is beginning to prove aptly-named, with a wicked turn-of-foot enabling him to put this race to bed. Fuel The Jet has now won three of his five starts, including the last two, stepping forward likeably from claiming a Doncaster nursery at the St Leger meeting to impress on the Rowley Mile upped in class.

Clover’s charge has been a keen racer so far, proving difficult to settle. That cost him on debut at Thirsk, and in York’s Group 3 Acomb Stakes in which he finished ninth of ten. Despite still requiring some nursing from his rider though, he has improved substantially the last twice on Town Moor and at HQ.

Settled in rear by Callan, Fuel The Jet was in the ideal part of the track to mount his challenge. Boxing in favourite Mezzo Forte, his kick down the left-hand wing of the field was powerful, enabling him to move to the front into the dip before putting the race cosily to bed inside the final furlong.

This will not prove one of the strong Group races of the juvenile flat season. Nevertheless, the victory provided welcome Group race honours for trainer Clover and jockey Callan, the latter of whom said “I’ve been riding him since the spring and I’ve loved him,” after his Doncaster triumph. Both can now dream of pitching the winner into higher company next season.

Favourites disappoint in Newmarket Group 3

Fuel The Jet was a 13/2 winner of the race, but both Mezzo Forte and Great Balls O’ Fire were comfortably clear of him in the betting at different parts of the build-up to the Tattersalls Stakes. Neither was able to land a blow.

William Haggas had enjoyed a surprise 22/1 victory with Zooming earlier on the card. However, he could not emulate that feat with Mezzo Forte, who was boxed between runners and produced far less than the required finishing application to catch the winner once out in the clear. This was only a third career start for the Wootton Bassett colt though, who can progress further after staying on for third.

It was a different story for Great Balls O’ Fire. Richard Spencer’s runner was installed as the ante-post favourite when markets opened earlier in the week. However, the market told the story, as the least experienced runner in the field after just one run drifted to be only the 6/1 third favourite at the off. He and Saffie Osborne faded to last.