YORK Risults Day 1, wednesday 20 august 2014   GOING: GOOD TO FIRM (Good in places; 7.0).  STALLS: 5f & 6f – Stands’ side; 1m4f – Centre; Remainder – Inside

Australia: added the Juddmonte International to his two Derby wins

 PICTURE: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Australia flies home to win International

Report: York, Wednesday

Juddmonte International Stakes (British Champions Series) (Group 1) 1m2½f, 3yo+

AUSTRALIA powered through his toughest test to date with brutal ease, adding the Juddmonte International to his expanding seasonal haul of Group 1s in an impressive display of both speed and class.

Settled in last by his fasting jockey Joseph O’Brien, Australiafollowed the field as his stablemate Kingfisher set a fair gallop. Turning for home, pace was injected and as the field straightened up it became quickly apparent the race was Australia’s.

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He travelled comfortably and as O’Brien fanned out to deliver his run he had to take a pull, so instant was the response from his mount. Having wasted his way down to ride at 8st 12lb his jockey could be forgiven for wanting to pause and take in the moment.

The feeling Australia would give him when letting out an inch of rein at this very moment had been one of the reasons O’Brien had committed to making his lowest riding weight for over two years. The way his equine companion responded it is sure to be the one that puts the biggest smile on his face.

It was an emphatic performance, especially from a horse Aidan O’Brien had openly admitted beforehand was not fully wound up. “If he was going to get beaten today it was the trainer’s fault,” he said. “I thought maybe I let him get too heavy.

“If it was an ordinary race he would probably have gone for a racecourse gallop. But obviously with the prize-money here and the way everything is done at York and being such a prestigious race – the prize-money was so enticing he had to come here rather than go anywhere else.”

Australia: rewarded his rider’s efforts to make 8st 12lb

 PICTURE: Getty Images

Yet come the line two lengths separated him from his nearest pursuer The Grey Gatsby, himself a Classic winner. Kevin Ryan’s French Derby winner, a 12-1 shot, did his bit to further the impression the current generation of three-year-olds is beyond exceptional by putting a further two-and-a-quarter lengths back to Royal Ascot winner and King George runner-up Telescope in third.

Arc favourite Taghrooda managed to put less than that into Sir Michael Stoute’s yardstick, yet Betfred and William Hill left O’Brien’s colt unchanged at 5-1 for Europe’s richest race. Paddy Power however did cut him to 2-7 (from evens) for the Irish Champion Stakes.

The trainer said: “The plan was if he came here then he would go back to Leopardstown, but the boys will decide that. The Arc is a possibility but he is never a horse who needs to go a mile and a half. The lads will decide where he goes but I don’t think he has a lot to prove to anybody.”

Two Derby wins had failed to take Australia out of the tremendous shadow cast by both his illustrious parents and his trainer’s assertions he could be the greatest he’d ever trained. With victory at York he stepped into the light for the first time, and has begun on his own path to greatness.

Postponed: strides clear for decisive Group 2 win over Snow Sky

PICTURE: Martin Lynch (racingpost.com/photos)

Postponed lands the  Voltigeur in great style

Report: York, Wednesday

Neptune Investment Management Great Voltigeur Stakes (Group 2) 1m4f, 3yo colts & geldings

POSTPONED took advantage of the late withdrawal of Kingston Hill to land the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York.

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The Luca Cumani-trained winner was 5-2 favourite in the reformed market and strode clear to score decisively from 7-2 shot Snow Sky. Odeon (40-1) was third.

Postponed was two and a quarter lengths clear at the line, suggesting Kingston Hill would have needed to be on top form to beat him.

The winner was the only Great Voltigeur runner not entered for next month’s Ladbrokes St Leger and Cumani said he was unlikely to head for the Doncaster Classic.

“He could be supplemented [for the St Leger] but my inclination would be to not stretch him that far. He’s a mile-and-a-half horse,” the trainer said.

Kingston Hill was withdrawn by trainer Roger Varian less than 30 minutes before the race on account of the fast ground, leaving nine runners.

Postponed, having been promoted to favourite, revelled in the conditions and the fast pace set by the hard-pulling Odeon.

The brave Odeon proved difficult for most of the field to catch but Postponed eased past him with a furlong and a half to run. He quickly opened a decisive gap and, although Snow Sky attempted to throw down a challenge, was never in danger of defeat.

Snow Sky finished eight lengths ahead of Odeon, who held on for third as none of the others could land a blow.

The runner-up put in the best trial of those entered for the St Leger and is a best-priced 10-1 with the sponsor for the Classic.

Kingston Hill: was a late withdrawal from Wednesday’s Great Voltigeur

 PICTURE: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Kingston Hill to go straight to the St Leger

KINGSTON HILL will go straight to the Ladbrokes St Leger after his trainer Roger Varian deemed the ground to be too fast for the Derby runner-up to run in the Neptune Investment Management Great Voltigeur Stakes on day one of York’s Ebor meeting.

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Varian said: “It was a very difficult decision but we have got to think long term, we have got to think if we want to have a crack at the St Leger in three and a half weeks’ time.

“The ground is quick and it is drying out. I walked the course before racing, I watched two races and I spoke to the jockeys – there is no jar but it is quick. We might get away with it but, if in doubt, we have chosen to sit it out.

“He has got a future, he has got big targets in the autumn and he is likely to stay in training. He is a hell of a good horse.

“I think we would have to go straight there if we go for the Leger but we can get him ready on the day. It is agonising that it has come to this with such a late call but you have to go with your gut feeling, usually in this game your gut feeling is right. “

fonte: RacingPost

York, Ebor day 1: #Australia di classe nelle Juddmonte International Stakes, battuto The Grey Gatsby con Telescope terzo. Andea Atzeni vittoria di Gruppo nelle Great Voltigeur Stakes su Postponed

 

 

I tre anni sono buoni. O meglio, rigirando la questione, gli anziani non sembrano all’altezza dei tre anni, anzi. I cavalli possono dirsi buoni se vincono il Derby e poi vincono a York affrontando gli anziani, edAustralia (Galileo) ha portato a compimento la missione anche nel Knavesmire vincendo le Juddmonte International G1 sui 2092 metri del tracciato inglese, trascinandosi dietro anche l’altro tre anni The Grey Gatsby (Mastecraftsman) il quale si era proprio manifestato al mondo vincendo le Dante a York. Australia ha fatto il compitino vincendo in scioltezza ma non impressionando, del resto era reduce da uno stop di due mesi circa dopo la farsa dell’Irish Derby, ma ha sorvolato il gruppo dall’esterno parandosi un pò nel finale ma resistendo chiaramente agli affondi di cavalli inesistenti all’atto pratico. Terzo è arrivato Telescope (Galileo), che aveva perso le King George G1 daTaghrooda che correrà domani, e poi un nervoso Mukhadram che da la misura di tutti. Arod è terminato quinto ribadendo la linea del Derby con Australia. Il tempo finale non è stato un granchè: 2m 7.35s (slow by 0.35s) su terreno duro, niente a che vedere con il 2m 05,29s diSea The Stars, il 2m 06,59s di Frankel o i 2m 05,74s di Declaration Of War lo scorso anno. IL VIDEO DELLE JUDDMONTE INTERNATIONAL STAKES QUI.

 

 

 

La fatica maggiore, si può dire, l’ha fatta Joseph per cercare di rientrare nei 56 chili e dunque un paio di giorni passati in sauna non possono aver scalfito l’umore dell’altissimo jockey irlandese. Gli obiettivi di Australia sono ben chiari, verso l’autunno, e riguardano le Champion Stakes G1 sui 2000 metri di Ascot o l’Arco a Parigi sui 2400. Ecco, la tematica semmai è questa: Secondo voi, Australia è un cavallo genuino da miglio e mezzo o è perfetto per i 2000 metri? 

Poco prima nel convegno, soddisfazione di Gruppo per Andrea Atzeni e Luca Cumani nelle Neptune Investment Management Great Voltigeur Stakes G2 grazie al progressivo Postponed (Dubawi) che ha tratto vantaggio dal ritiro del favorito Kingston Hill (Mastercraftsman), causa terreno duro, per mettere un paletto importante della sua carriera e in quella di Andrea che invece poteva avere il morale più basso in linea teorica prima della partenza, essendo lui parter abituale di Kingston. Ma i contratti si rispettano ed Obaid crede tanto nel jockey di Nurri e dunque è arrivata l’affermazione per il figlio di Dubawi (Dubai MIllennium), con mamma da Dubai Destinationfatto tutto in casa Darley. Postponed è passato ad essere il favorito della corsa ed ha vinto chiaramente tenendo a bada l’onesto, pur con dei limiti, Snow Sky (Nayef) ed al terzo la sorpresa Odeon (Galileo), che era a 40/1. Il vincitore era l’unico della compagnia a non avere l’iscrizione al St Leger di Doncaster, ma Luca Cumani ha frenato sulla questione dicendo che si, potrebbe essere anche supplementato, ma forse i metri potrebbero diventare troppi per un cavallo che al massimo arriva al miglio e mezzo. Non di più. IL VIDEO DELLE GREAT VOLTIGEUR STAKES.