Newmarket’s crisp September air set the stage for a pulsating finish in one of the season’s most eagerly anticipated handicaps, the £175,000 Cambridgeshire. For the second consecutive year, Karl Burke struck gold in the historic nine-furlong contest, as Boiling Point, owned by Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum and guided by Clifford Lee, claimed victory under top-weight.
A four-year-old colt by Too Darn Hot, Boiling Point made his presence felt early, settling on the far side of the track and dictating the pace with authority. Despite a late surge from Indalo, trained by Roger Varian, Boiling Point held on by the narrowest of margins, winning by a nose in a finish that had the Newmarket crowd on the edge of their seats.
Karl Burke reflected on the triumph: “He is a very good horse and is really a Group horse – he will win a good Group race. Cliff is so good from the front. There was no point pulling him round, even with top-weight. It was about getting him into a nice rhythm, and he was either going to be good enough or he wasn’t. We were always going far side from that draw, and it worked perfectly.”
Burke, celebrating back-to-back Cambridgeshire successes after Liberty Lane’s win last year under the same top-weight, praised the quality of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid’s homebreds. “You have got to have the right horses, and his horses are so good. Liam O’Rourke does a fantastic job organising the mares and coverings. It’s brilliant, and we are very, very happy,” he said.
Indalo, who finished a close second after previously being trained by Roger Varian, showed tremendous promise. “It’s frustrating but that’s racing – someone has got to win and someone has to be second. He ran great and is very progressive. When he puts it all together, he has a very big future,” Varian commented, optimistic about the colt’s potential for next season.
Boiling Point’s victory underlines Karl Burke’s outstanding season and the strength of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid’s breeding program. With this display of determination and class, the colt is likely to return to Group company, adding another exciting chapter to his rising career.
Read the full report on this exciting Cambridgeshire victory at RaceBuzz.
