Orthodox bounced back from his Prix Morny defeat to strike at the highest level for the first time in the Tattersalls Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket. Force Noir cut out the early running as he set a sharp pace at the head of field, but Rossa Ryan put down his challenge early and asked Norfolk Stakes winner Orthodox for an effort at the three-furlong marker. The Clive Cox-trained 7-2 chance was pushed all the way to the line by Robson De Aguiar's Force Noir at a big price and just prevailed by a neck, with favourite Inner City Blues never getting into it.
It was a welcome return to winning ways for the Royal Ascot scorer and Cox said: "We always had confidence in him and it was always a question of would he handle the track with the quicker ground a bonus for this time of year. "Sometimes it is not as quick as this and I'm just thrilled he has shown what we all see at home, as he is pretty special in the mornings and he's special in the afternoons as well. He's tough and very able and it was a big team effort to get him here and I'm over the moon.
"I think he got away with the track and Rossa was supreme the way he coaxed him through the dip and then set sail after that. I thought it was a supreme ride and I'm thrilled. Rossa is a regular in the mornings and knows exactly what he's riding and what he's up against as well." It was the third time Cox has scooped the Middle Park after Reckless Abandon (2012) and Supremacy (2020) who like Orthodox was owned by Jason Goddard.
With his future clearly lying in the sprint division in which Cox regularly thrives, Orthodox was handed a quote of 12-1 by Ladbrokes and Coral for next year's Commonwealth Cup at the Royal meeting. However, before that a trip to America for the Breeders' Cup will be discussed by connections. Cox continued: "I would be hugely excited by this fellow.
I know his family really well and his aunt won the Queen Mary for us (Heartache). "I think he's blessed with the ability to race over five furlongs or six, but I don't think there can be any doubt he gets six and he proved that today. "He had the gears to win well over five furlongs at Ascot and he's a very talented sprinter and a joy to have.
"It's a joy to have these horses and it means the world. He could go to the Breeders' Cup and we'll see how he comes back and discuss it with Jason. It is a possibility, but we have to enjoy today first and then discuss the future over the next few days." Never miss a story with all the latest racing news, interviews and features on your phone.
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