Hilitany hits top gear again at Windsor Races

Hilitany leads home the field. Credit: Sue Orpwood

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Hilitany made it two wins out of two at Windsor when landing the Oktoberfest Comes To Windsor EBF Novice Stakes on Monday, writes Dave Wright.

The two-year-old ridden by Billy Loughnane was particularly impressive in this six-furlong contest, powering home five and a half lengths clear of runner-up Torbados.

The 5/6 favourite was following up his victory at the track in July.

Trainer George Boughey already has bigger targets in mind, including the Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury on September 20 or the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket a week later.

Another making it a double at Windsor was the Jonjo O'Neill-trained Just Adair (2/1 favourite), who won the Albus Studios Handicap in the hands of David Egan. The three-year-old had won at the track two weeks earlier when a 20/1 shot.

The Racecourse Marina Riverside Lodges Handicap was won by Naasma (8/1), who had also triumphed at the course before, in June and August. Pat Phelan's three-year-old, ridden by Rhys Clutterback, had to battle hard to beat Respiro Solitario by a neck.

Odds-on favourite Livonian outclassed his 13 rivals in the one-mile Ivor Laws Memorial Race Handicap, finishing four lengths clear of Canopus, with Hector Crouch riding for Ralph Beckett.

This annual event is held in memory of Reading-born Lawes, who worked at the Ascot, Epsom and Windsor tracks before retiring at the age of 90. He died in 2011.

The ARC All-Weather £1Million Bonus Returns Handicap was split, with Wheels Of Fire (7/1) winning Division 1 and Eminency (4/1) Division 2.

Ridden by Alec Voikhansky, Wheels Of Fire gave trainer Richard Hannon his eighth win at Windsor this year, leaving him joint top of the track's 2025 Winning Trainers list with William Haggas and Tony Carroll.

Carroll's Justcallmepete finished a neck behind Eminency, trained by Stuart Williams, taking his course winners to seven.

The jockeys' title went to Oisin Murphy for the second successive year with 20 wins, nine more than Tom Marquand.

Their victories in Windsor's final Flat meeting of the year left Loughnane and Egan with seven and six wins respectively.

Windsor's National Hunt fixtures start on Sunday, November 23.

Commenting on his first season as the track's Executive Director, Jimmy Wallace said: "It's been a truly wonderful experience. There have definitely been plenty of challenges along the way. We haven't always got everything right, but hopefully the positives have outweighed the negatives. With a number of new team members joining the organisation this year, we feel we are in a good place as we start planning for the 2026 season."