Paul Hanagan Achieves Majestic Surprise Victory in Cambridgeshire Handicap at Newmarket

Majestic Dawn tore apart his rivals and a surprise 40-1 victory in the bet365 Cambridgeshire Handicap over Newmarket gave handjockey Paul Hanagan a hugely emotional victory.

The two-time champion had feared his career was over after breaking his T-6 vertebra in a fall in Newcastle in February and did not return until August.

The 40-year-old said: ‘This gave me so much pleasure, it was very special. I was off for six months and I didn’t think I would make it, so I’m really happy.

“It was a tough time, but days like this make it all worth it.”

The 27-runner Cambridgeshire is one of the toughest handicaps of the season, but the foal trained by Paul and Oliver Cole turned it into a procession, running half a mile ahead and winning by four and three-quarters lengths.

Majestic Dawn had finished fifth in the race last year, but was held off track this season by a series of glitches until a run at Kempton earlier this month.

Hanagan rides Majestic Dawn (R, green) to victory in the Cambridgeshire Handicap

Hanagan had previously finished third with Richard Fahey-trained Umm Kulthum in the Group 1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes won by Andrew Balding-trained Alcohol Free.

The Middle Park Stakes in Group 1 went to Supremacy, who made it all under Adam Kirby’s lead before holding back Lucky Vega half length with Minzaal two and quarter lengths further back in third place.

Trainer Clive Cox said of Supremacy: “He is a speedball and likes to continue with it.”

Cox has profound strength in his two-year team. He won Friday’s Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket with Isabella Giles, while Nando Parrado, who won the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, will have either the Group One Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Longchamp on Sunday or the Dewhurst Stakes back at Newmarket in two weeks. to go. .