Lucky 16: Lightning finally strikes at top level after so many close calls
So close so many times, Lightning Spear’s legacy looked destined to be that of the greatest ‘nearly horse’ of his generation.
Beaten a short head in the Lockinge in May when leading a stride before and after the post, and three-quarters of a length away from a career-defining victory at Royal Ascot, Lightning Spear always tried like a terrier but could never quite deliver at the top.
It was not for the fun of it, however, that in his seventh year the flashy chestnut continued to face off against a fresh crop of pretenders at the highest level, as those closest to him never stopped believing he had that elusive Group 1 in him.
Finally, at arguably his favourite track, that faith was rewarded with a Group 1 victory at the 16th attempt in the £1 million Qatar Sussex Stakes.
While there was no fault to be attributed for his Lockinge defeat, which was cruel at best, perhaps rider Oisin Murphy was in front rank too soon at Ascot.
There was no chance of a repeat here, though, with the cards falling perfectly for Lightning Spear to strike deep in the final furlong under a ride that oozed confidence and had unwavering belief in his old sparring partner.
“He’s done very little wrong apart from winning a Group 1,” said trainer David Simcock, who looked broken after Lightning Spear’s defeat at Newbury but had an air of serenity about him here.
“Just to see him fill up like that and quicken, that’s the horse we see at home an awful lot, and it was just fantastic. We felt slightly robbed at Newbury and this more than makes up for it.
“It’s great for Sheikh Fahad, the Qatar team and the yard but I’m more pleased for the horse than anyone. He deserves that.”
Simcock is the third trainer after Ralph Beckett and Olly Stevens to nurture Lightning Spear, the horse’s Group 1 journey starting for Stevens in August 2015.
His first start for Simcock came the following June, when third in the Queen Anne Stakes, and while he has twice won the Group 2 Celebration Mile at Goodwood, the post and crossbar have been rattled time and again at the highest level.
“As a trainer you’ve got to be optimistic and positive,” said Simcock. “We’ve been close several times but he’s never really let us down. We get attached and want them to win but if you didn’t feel aggrieved or emotional when they go so close there’s something wrong.”
As much a part of the success as trainer and jockey is Simcock’s wife and Lightning Spear’s gallops partner Jennie, who was the first to well up. The weight of an emotional week eventually had her husband in tears too, with Jennie revealing the trainer was dealing with the loss of his father Michael only on Monday.
“All he said was someone’s looking down on us – that’s all we’ve said to each other,” she added.
The main purpose of Lightning Spear staying in training was to secure a future career at stud, which after looking unlikely for so long was finally secured in less than a minute and 40 seconds of Group 1 action.
“Whatever happens he will go to stud at the end of the year,” said David Redvers, racing and breeding adviser for owners Qatar Racing.
“He’s by Pivotal, who is turning into a supreme sire of sires. You’d have to think that before that he might end up at a Breeders’ Cup.
“There’s plenty of season left for him and plenty of races left for him, but all that matters as far as I’m concerned is that he’s won his Group 1 and won it in style.”
LIGHTNING SPEAR’S GROUP 1 NEAR-MISSES
|
Date |
Race |
Finishing position |
Distance beaten |
|
19/06/18 |
Queen Anne |
3rd |
¾ length |
|
19/05/18 |
Lockinge |
2nd |
short head |
|
02/08/17 |
Sussex |
3rd |
1 length |
|
20/05/17 |
Lockinge |
2nd |
3 ¾ lengths |
|
15/10/16 |
QEII |
3rd |
1 ½ lengths |
|
14/06/16 |
Queen Anne |
3rd |
1 ¾ lengths |
fonte : RacingPost
Nassau nuggets: all you need to know as Stoute bids for record with Veracious
3.35 Goodwood, Qatar Nassau Stakes | 1m2f | Group 1 | 3yo+ fillies and mares | ITV/RUK
When Poet’s Word defeated stablemate Crystal Ocean in Saturday’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes he was winning a race Sir Michael Stoute first claimed 37 years earlier.
When Veracious bids for Qatar Nassau Stakes glory she will be contesting a prize with which her trainer has an even longer history.
It was in 1977 that Stoute, then aged just 31, first took the Nassau, scoring with the Greville Starkey-ridden Triple First.
Many more wins have followed, including with the likes of Islington, Russian Rhythm and Kartajana, so many, in fact, that Stoute will equal Sir Henry Cecil’s record of eight Nassau victories if Veracious is successful in the latest running.
She very well might be, given that on her belated seasonal reappearance she finished an excellent third to Alpha Centauri in the Coronation Stakes. With Frankie Dettori again on board, the daughter of Frankel steps up to a mile and a quarter as the least tested member of the field.
“We were very pleased with her at Ascot,” said Stoute. “She is obviously very smart over a mile. We’re now trying her over a mile and a quarter and I hope and think she’ll be all right over that distance.
“If that is the case I think she’ll run very well. I have been happy with her preparation.”
Chris Richardson, managing director of owner-breeder Cheveley Park Stud, said: “On pedigree she should stay ten furlongs. If she does it would give us lots more options and would also mean we can avoid Alpha Centauri.”
Pros If she can progress from her reappearance third in the Coronation – and she surely should – a big run must be likely
Cons Not yet shown she stays the trip and the bare form of her Ascot effort may not be good enough
O’Brien chasing fifth success
Aidan O’Brien has won the race four times with star fillies Peeping Fawn, Halfway To Heaven, Minding and most recently Winter a year ago, and Rhododendron, already a three-time winner at Group 1 level, attempts to join that select band.
Winner of the Fillies’ Mile at two, she ran second in the 1,000 Guineas and Oaks last year before her season was hindered when she bled badly in the Prix de Diane.
She bounced back to land the Prix de l’Opera at Chantilly in October and achieved her third Group 1 win in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury in May.
She failed to run to her best in the Queen Anne Stakes on her most recent start, finishing only ninth in the Royal Ascot event, and her trainer is hopeful of a better performance from the daughter of Galileo and the 2008 winner of the race Halfway To Heaven.
O’Brien said: “Rhododendron seems in good form and we think going back up to a mile and a quarter should suit her well.
“She’s a proven Group 1 performer and we’re hoping for a good run.”
Pros Has won three Group 1s already and step back up in trip should be in her favour
Cons Below par last time and has to be taken on trust she is back in bloom, especially with stable under a bit of a cloud
Haggas hopes Fox can be fantastic again
It is fair to say Urban Fox did rather well on her first attempt at a mile and a quarter.
Upped in distance by William Haggas, who took over training the four-year-old only this season, Danny Tudhope’s mount blossomed from her Royal Ascot fourth to take the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes in magnificent fashion.
Having travelled like a dream she pressed on from the top of the straight and routed a small but select field. Back in second was Oaks winner and subsequent Irish Oaks second Forever Together, while third home Athena went on to land a Grade 1 prize in America.
The style and substance of the performance suggests it was no fluke, a point on which Haggas would certainly agree.
“I really thought she would run well in the Pretty Polly,” said Haggas.
“At Ascot over a mile the time before she proved she needed a step up in trip, getting tapped for toe at the wrong time before staying on well. She definitely thrived for the new trip at the Curragh, showing improved form and putting up a pretty sparkling display.
“We think she’s in good form and the Nassau should tell us where we are.”
Pros Wildly impressive in the Pretty Polly and a repeat of that form would make her hard to beat
Cons That Curragh win was her standout effort by a long way, while runner-up Forever Together was below her best
Godolphin chase second Nassau win with Wild
The Godolphin blue has only once been carried to victory in the Nassau. Now, 19 years on from Zahrat Dubai’s victory under Gary Stevens, Wild Illusion bids to win the Group 1 showpiece for Sheikh Mohammed’s operation.
Since bagging the Prix Marcel Boussac in October, Wild Illusion has failed to win, but nor has she run badly.
A fourth to Billesdon Brook in the 1,000 Guineas was followed by silver medal spots behind Forever Together in the Oaks and Magic Wand in the Ribblesdale Stakes. Those last two runs were over a mile and a half. Connections believe dropping down in distance will suit William Buick’s mount.
“I think coming back two furlongs in trip is going to be ideal for her,” said trainer Charlie Appleby.
“She’s already a Group 1 winner, and if she can maintain the high level of form displayed in her career to date she will be right there at the finish.
“She has progressed well from her races in June and has pleased me in her work.”
Pros Oaks second gives her a major shout and she seems very dependable
Cons Beaten in all three of her races this year and so clearly beatable again
Marquand gets Group 1 chance on Brook
In the absence of the injured Sean Levey another key member of Richard Hannon’s jockey team gets the chance to shine on 66-1 1,000 Guineas heroine Billesdon Brook, with former champion apprentice Tom Marquand coming in for the mount.
A number of higher-profile names would have been available to partner the dual Goodwood winner, but owners Jeanette McCreery and Pall Mall Partners have again opted to stay loyal and reward a member of the Hannon squad.
“Billesdon Brook has always been a lovely, straightforward filly and is the sort of horse that you turn up for every day to try to get the ride on,” said Marquand, whose mount most recently took fourth in the Coronation Stakes, just under two lengths behind Veracious. She now tackles a mile and a quarter for the first time.
Marquand, speaking to British Champion Series, added: “The way she needs riding means the trip should not be an issue.
“She’s dropped in with cover, and it will just be a case of biding our time for a little bit longer. It should be left in our hands as to when we can flick the switch and put her alight.”
Pros Loves Goodwood, possesses a turn of foot and overpriced
Cons Hard to know whether the Coronation fourth or Guineas win is a better reflection of her true ability
Meade hopes Wilamina can steal a place
Wilamina is the Nassau’s outsider but she more than deserves her place in the line-up, having this year won at Group 3 level and twice finished second in Group 2 company.
“She is a lovely filly who is just touching on Group 1 class,” said trainer Martyn Meade.
“It would be difficult to say she is going to win but if she can beat two or three of them it would be marvellous. It’s not a vintage Nassau and tactically we can ride her how we want.”
Meade added: “I don’t think the trip will worry her and she has a decent turn of foot in her favour as well.”
fonte : RacingPost
Group One Glory At Last For Pivotal’s Lightning Spear In the Sussex
| 4th at GOO, Gr. Stk, £1,059,250 | G1 Qatar Sussex S. | (8f) | Winner: Lightning Spear (GB), h, 7 by Pivotal (GB) |
Lightning Spear | Racingfotos.com
By Tom Frary
Third in the mud in last year’s G1 Qatar Sussex S., Qatar Racing’s Lightning Spear (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) had it all fall into place as he came back to the Goodwood festival his owners proudly sponsor to finally banish the cruelty of six group 1 placings in Wednesday’s showpiece. Within touching distance of realising his ambition on his last two starts when runner-up in the G1 Lockinge S. at Newbury May 19 and third in the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot June 19, he was an insulting 9-1 shot for this race which was ultimately decided by who had the best turn of foot. Where the history-making 7-year-old Here Comes When (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) had led in 2017, Lightning Spear duly followed in a renewal marred by a lack of pace from the outset. That meant that the 7-4 favourite Without Parole (GB) (Frankel {GB}) had to make it, but Oisin Murphy was always happy in behind the leading trio and all he needed was a gap as Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) asserted himself with a furlong remaining. As soon as he had enough daylight, Lightning Spear seized the initiative and the lead 75 yards out and surged on to a 1 1/2-length success from the Juddmonte homebred, with the Queen Anne runner-up Lord Glitters (Fr) (Whipper) snatching third late, a half length away. “He’s done very little wrong apart from win a group 1 until now and is a lovely horse to train,” trainer David Simcock commented. “He’s never really let us down and that was the horse we see at home all the time. It’s just getting it to click and it’s great for the horse to get his nose in front in a group 1 like that.”
In a season of surprises and very little rhythm, Lightning Spear was an apt winner as the merry-go-round continued apace. The promise that there could be a dominant force above all else has been dashed at every step, with Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), Cracksman (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and now Without Parole failing to read the script and succumbing to one of their seemingly-exposed rivals. Only Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) has so far looked the real deal, but she was conspicuous by her absence here and so the way was opened up for a surprise especially given how poorly the 3-year-olds have fared against their elders so far this summer. Lightning Spear had first tackled the top level three years ago but it was only when he was third in the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot in 2016 that he became a bona fide member of that brigade.
Successful in the last two renewals of the course-and-distance G2 Celebration Mile, the chestnut was also third in the 2016 G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. at Ascot and runner-up in the last two editions of the Lockinge, with the latest being the real heart-breaker as he went down by just a short head to Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). He was in front too far from the line in the Queen Anne and set it up for Accidental Agent (GB) (Delegator {GB}) and Lord Glitters, so this time Murphy was intent on counting to 10. That took bravery as the classy Expert Eye forged ahead, especially given how desperate connections were to finally garner the group 1 he had long promised, but Lightning Spear’s regular partner was full of belief. Helped by his recent G1 Eclipse S. and G1 Grosser Dallmayr Preis-winning rides, Murphy attacked last to split the Stoute runner and Beat the Bank (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}) deep inside the final furlong and in so doing fully utilised his mount’s habitually brief but highly effective surge.
As far as Murphy was concerned, he was putting right a wrong here. “I never get nervous before group ones, but I was nervous today as he’s deserved to win a major group one and I felt I’d possibly left one behind me on this fellow this season,” he said referring to the winner’s near miss in the Lockinge. “He loves travelling behind heels and I wanted to ride him like that, as I was sure Expert Eye was going to fade away at some stage with his best form being over seven. What a horse, what a training performance. At seven years of age, it’s outstanding.”
Lightning Spear’s future looks very different after this landmark and David Simcock said, “He has probably had his knockers, slightly unfairly I feel as he has come across some very good horses. This year, if we are being honest, there is probably not an outstanding horse in the mile division and so it has been his time. He wasn’t any better or any worse when he was running in these races even two years ago. Eventually, you will come across a year where things go your way and he just looked really good today. He had everything pan out perfectly for him today. [Wife] Jenny rides him every day and she does a wonderful job with him. I don’t think Lightning Spear would be here today without her. He was quite headstrong and fiery when we got him and now he is just the nicest person and very straightforward to ride. Jenny and my children are so fond of him and he is just a very special horse to have in the yard.” David Redvers, racing and bloodstock manager to Sheikh Fahad, confirmed that Lightning Spear would join the Qatar Bloodstock roster of stallions at his Tweenhills Stud in Gloucestershire. “He’s one of the best-looking horses in racing, he’s won a stallion-making race and he’s by Pivotal,” he said.
John Gosden was keen to put a line through the result as far as the G1 St James’s Palace S. winner Without Parole was concerned and said, “I knew very early on he was beat. I didn’t have a pacemaker to put in and I just hoped one person would go on. There was no pace and that is not his style of racing, being in front, so he was not going to perform to his best like that.” Juddmonte’s Teddy Grimthorpe was refusing to back up the non-staying verdict for Expert Eye and said, “They didn’t go much pace. He was second in a group 1 and we will have much worse results than that this year. The way he has done it has been pleasing and I think there is something to build on still. We have to look at a variety of races now. I don’t see why you wouldn’t keep him to the mile now.”
Lightning Spear is one of four black-type performers out of Atlantic Destiny, who captured the Listed Sirenia S. in Europe and three stakes races in the States. Prior to Qatar Racing’s stalwart, her best was Godolphin’s Listed Newmarket S. scorer Ocean War (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}). Atlantic Destiny is a half-sister to Make No Mistake (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}), whose four group or graded-stakes successes were highlighted by the G2 Royal Whip S. while he was also placed in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup. From the family of the leading sire Be My Guest, Lightning Spear is Atlantic Destiny’s final runner.
Wednesday, Goodwood, Britain
QATAR SUSSEX S.-G1, £1,059,250, Goodwood, 8-1, 3yo/up, 8fT, 1:39.89, gd.
1–LIGHTNING SPEAR (GB), 134, h, 7, by Pivotal (GB)
1st Dam: Atlantic Destiny (Ire) (MSW-US & SW-Eng, $220,899), by Royal Academy
2nd Dam: Respectfully, by The Minstrel
3rd Dam: Treat Me Nobly, by Vaguely Noble (Ire)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (260,000gns Ylg ’12 TAOCT). O-Qatar Racing Ltd; B-Newsells Park Stud (GB); T-David Simcock; J-Oisin Murphy. £593,392. Lifetime Record: Hwt. Older Horse-Eng at 7-9.5f & GSP-Ire, 24-7-3-5, $1,799,709. *1/2 to Ocean War (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}), SW-Eng; Seaway (GB) (Dr Fong), SP-Eng; and First Destinity (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}), SP-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: A.Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Expert Eye (GB), 127, c, 3, Acclamation (GB)–Exemplify (GB), by Dansili (GB). O-Khaild Abdullah; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-Sir Michael Stoute. £225,938.
3–Lord Glitters (Fr), 134, g, 5, Whipper–Lady Glitters (Fr), by Homme de Loi (Ire). (€25,000 Ylg ’14 AR14; €270,000 4yo ’17 ARJUN). O-Geoff & Sandra Turnbull; B-SCA Elevage de Tourgeville & Mme Hilary Erculiani (FR); T-David O’Meara. £113,128.
Margins: 1HF, HF, NO. Odds: 9.00, 4.00, 10.00.
Also Ran: Gustav Klimt (Ire), Beat the Bank (GB), So Beloved (GB), Without Parole (GB), Orbaan (GB).
Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. (fonte : TDN)
