Aidan O'Brien's Merrily stuns rivals with surprise victory at Newmarket's Oh So Sharp Stakes, winning by half a length at 25-1 under jockey Wayne Lordan.
Merrily, considered Aidan O'Brien's second choice, caused a surprise by winning the Godolphin Lifetime Care Oh So Sharp Stakes at Newmarket. Ryan Moore opted to ride Ecstatic in the Group Three race, leaving Wayne Lordan to take the ride on Merrily, who had shown decent performance in her five previous races but appeared to have her limits revealed.
The focus was on Ralph Beckett's Cathedral, an impressive winner in her sole start so far, and Ollie Sangster's Flight, who performed well in the May Hill last time. With two furlongs remaining, Flight seemed to be moving very strongly under Oisin Murphy as she shortened the trip, while Cathedral also started gaining momentum with David Egan in the Amo Racing colors.
As they approached the uphill stretch, Cathedral was gaining an advantage over Flight. However, on the outside, Merrily executed a sweeping run and comfortably overtook the more favored filly to secure victory by half a length, with odds of 25-1. Flight finished more than three lengths behind in third place.
