Battling Bobby
Thu 18 Jul 2024
Winner 54 of 2024: BOBBY BENNU trained by Roger Varian and ridden by Silvestre de Sousa. ‘Army Benevolent Fund EBF Novice Stakes’ over 7f at Thirsk.
After his exciting debut and very impressive victory at Chester, Bobby Bennu went off favourite on his third start, despite the softer ground conditions.
Very much like his run at Chester, he was quickly into stride after leaving the stalls, took the lead and was able to dictate from the front. Bobby Bennu was incredibly tough and very game to fight off all challenges in the final furlong under a brilliant Silvestre de Sousa. A tenacious win under a penalty in very game fashion after a tremendous battle against another lightly raced, timeform rated 94, opponent.
“Bobby Bennu finding plenty, and wins …” Watch the full race replay here: https://www.racingtv.com/watch/replays/17-jul-2024/thirsk/1522
Timeform rated his back-to-back win with a 94+, saying: "Didn't need to improve any further to defy a penalty but showed a good attitude all the same, seeing his race out well considering some early keenness; led, not settle fully, shaken up approaching 2f out, tackled over 1f out, responded well."
Roger Varian commented after the race: "Bobby Bennu was an impressive winner of his last start, storming to a 7L victory at Chester a few weeks ago. There was much to like about his performance this afternoon at Thirsk too, as he made all and was not for passing, putting up a tremendous display of grit to hold off challenger Germanic. Congratulations to all his owners."
See the official photo gallery here: https://www.hannahaliphotography.co.uk/r4-170724
Syndicate Manager Tim says: "What a thrilling victory and great ride from Silvestre to manage to hold off the runner up. He has shown us a fantastic attitude today, and as Adele Mulrennan from Racing TV kept mentioning, his tenacity won today's race. He could be a big player at some of the racing festivals during the second half of the season. Exciting times. A huge well done."