Liberty Lane sparks Festival celebration
After blowing away the cobwebs in the Doncaster Mile, Karl Burke's five-year-old gelding was a staying-on third behind The Foxes in the Group Two Huxley Stakes at Chester and was sent off at 3-1 for this 10-furlong contest.
Market leader Silver Knott was prominent at the two-furlong pole but the writing was on the wall for his supporters when Liberty Lane loomed up alongside him.
Clifford Lee kicked for home and that proved a decisive move, as he got first run on Meydaan and was always doing just enough to hold on by a neck.
Lee told Racing TV: 'He did everything right today, he jumped nicely, I was always in a lovely position, going a nice gallop.
'He can be quite keen, so because he was nice and relaxed, I thought we were going to have a nice run.
'Going through the three to the two, once I switched out and made headway a little bit, he's travelled really well and seen the trip out nicely.
'He obviously won the Cambridgeshire off top weight and this is a step up to Listed class, so this will probably be his best career effort so far, he's improved and I think he'll probably even stay further.'
Liberty Lane's best form has come with a bit of cut underfoot and Lee felt the watered good ground at the Sussex track suited his mount well enough.
He added: 'I felt like it was just riding on the easy side, it was kicking up a little bit, but maybe if I was on a different horse, it would feel a bit quicker.
'For my lad, I knew cantering to the start he would enjoy this ground today.
'He travels so well and that soft ground probably just slows them down a little bit and it also stops the other horses as well.
'But he's a lovely, big horse and we're looking forward to the rest of the season with him.'
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