Trainer’s trio secures clean sweep in the Scottish sprint highlight.
Karl Burke pulled off an amazing coup in the Virgin Bet Ayr Gold Cup as Lethal Levi stormed to victory, spearheading a one-two-three finish for the trainer. Burke was absent from the track, preferring the Spigot Lodge yard in Middleham, but his presence was palpable as his three runners dominated one of Scotland's premier races. HFA Lethal Levi, a 5-year-old who had been in imperious form all season, was a 20-1 outsider in this race under jockey Clifford Lee.
What, it seemed at the draw, was a bad draw—stall 20—did not appear to materialize because Lethal Levi adopted his front-running policy and was able to outstay his stable companion, Silky Wilkie. The two gallopers battled out for early supremacy, but as the race wore on, it was Lethal Levi who kicked for home and left Silky Wilkie to come home three lengths clear. This stayed Silky Wilkie ahead of another Burke-trained runner, Korker, by a short head. Armit Grey completed the line-up in fourth, short of the podium behind the trio of Burke.
"I think it does rank as the best day of my life," Burke said. "Today was a reminder of when I first won the Ayr Gold Cup 21 years ago. I prepared the first and second two times back then, but this season, one, two, and three were better.". Speaking after the victory, Burke said he had been divided about whether to go to Ayr or Newbury, where his two-year-old, Andesite, was due to run in the Mill Reef Stakes. Andesite had been withdrawn from that race on grounds of heavy ground, and Burke was watching at home when Lethal Levi made his breakthrough.
"I should probably have gone the other way," he joked. Although Burke wasn't there, he didn't lack belief in Lethal Levi's ability. If everything went to plan, I did think Lethal was our best chance, as he's been in great form," he said. Lethal Levi's victory over seven furlongs at Newbury brought him a 4lb rise in the weights, but he had a lot more in hand of that than he showed at Ayr, where he smashed a track record for six furlongs. Another indeed is Silky Wilkie, who capped the race to place second. Burke credited his gelding's improvement to the donning of blinkers that he believes made a "huge difference."
Third on the plump list was Korker. "It's not a surprise," said Burke of this finish, pointing out that Korker was always unpredictable at the start. Burke is already mulling over what to do next with Lethal Levi, believing the horse has come through handicaps and is ready to move up in grade. "That was at least a Group Three performance and he'd have deserved the step up," he said, leaving his options open.
Burke's involvement with the Ayr Gold Cup started back in 1994 with Daring Destiny winning the event. Talking about his early wins, he reminisced about how Daring Destiny had almost been a two-time winner when it went close to beating its stable companion Always Alight in 1998. "It is a great race to win, especially for those of us based in the north, and I am happy to win it again," he concluded. It's a welcome win for the champion, but more than that, it shows how seriously he takes this caper: he remains master of Ayr. Here's hoping this could be the start of an intriguing future for Lethal Levi and company.
