Racing: Rutter rides off on the crest of Airwave's win
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Your support makes all the difference.Chris Rutter went out in style and Russian Rhythm went out in the 1,000 Guineas betting as the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket yesterday ended surprisingly.
Michael Stoute's Russian Rhythm, the unbeaten 8-13 favourite for the Group One race, had been expected to enhance her prospects for next spring's first fillies' Classic. That, though, was to disregard Henry Candy's Airwave, who transported Chris Rutter to his first win at the highest level in 20 years as a jockey.
It was a shock also for the rider, who promptly announced this would be his final effort before taking up new employment as a stewards' secretary. "I'd love to retire on Airwave," Rutter said, "but as I have booked mounts at Sandown I'll ride them if the boss wants me to."
Candy, it appears, will let his old collaborator go out at the top. "It was a great way for Chris to go out," the trainer said. "He's been a wonderful and dependable stable jockey who has made very few errors on the racecourse.
"I still think Michael's filly is very good indeed, but Airwave is amazing and next year we will try to win the sprinting crown with her. There's no way she'll be asked to go a yard over six furlongs because that's the limit of her stamina."
Connections of Russian Rhythm, who is now out to 5-1 (from 3-1) with Coral for the Guineas, felt they were ambushed on this occasion. "I'm still looking forward to riding her next year because we were beaten by a specialist sprinter," Kieren Fallon said. "My filly already wants a mile."
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