Seven days on from saddling the first three home in the Ayr Gold Cup, Karl Burke added another significant handicap success to what is already a record-breaking season for his Middleham stable. Liberty Lane, the top weight in a field of 31, defied his 9st 12lb burden to finish nearly three lengths clear in the Cambridgeshire Handicap and keep his trainer in the running for a first top-three finish in the title race.
Burke started the day with only Aidan O’Brien, Andrew Balding and William Haggas in front of him in the trainers’ table, and the former champions, Charlie Appleby and John Gosden, in his wake. He has yet to win a domestic Group One this season – although Fallen Angel, a top-class but fragile three-year-old filly, took the Irish 1,000 Guineas in May – but has still put together his best campaign in terms of prize money by placing his horse with expert precision in races that suit their ability.
