Cracksman destroys Ascot rivals again to end career with stunning triumph
Champions Day demands a champion’s performance.
For the second consecutive year it came in the Champion Stakes from the same magnificent but enigmatic horse, as Cracksman, whose career has been troubled by fast ground, an aversion to heat and untimely arousal, bowed out in style with a performance that has surely not been bettered all year.
On this day last season he thumped one Sir Michael Stoute-trained superstar by seven lengths. On that occasion it was Poet’s Word who received the drubbing. This time Stoute’s Crystal Ocean suffered the pulverising, the hero of 12 months ago producing an almost carbon-copy display with his six-length tour de force.
Watch Cracksman win his second Champion Stakes
In doing so he again emulated his father Frankel, who retired to stud having won this £1.3 million showpiece six years ago. Now Cracksman will follow his lead having put the seal on a day when John Gosden completed a famous treble and received his third trainers’ championship trophy.
There are more than two months of that title still to run but, like Cracksman on his glorious swansong, it is a race in which Gosden is miles clear.
Where Anthony Oppenheimer’s four-year-old will begin stallion duties remains unclear, although he had wanted to begin them at Ascot in June after noticing fillies who had run in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes.
His mind was then on other matters when lining up in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. He was beaten into second as 2-5 favourite that day and had not been seen since. We will not see him again but, by jove, he went out on a high.
“I really enjoyed that – all the lights were on,” said jockey Frankie Dettori who, together with Gosden, has completed back-to-back wins in the Qipco-backed Champion Stakes and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Cracksman’s connections avoided that contest last year and did so again this year. Connections of Crystal Ocean also avoided Cracksman’s stablemate Enable in Paris, only to find him rolled over by a juggernaut who stands down after a campaign in which he also captured the Prix Ganay and Coronation Cup.
“He won the Ganay in exhilarating style but was never quite the same after that,” said Gosden, who on this occasion equipped Cracksman with blinkers for the first time.
“He wasn’t really with us at Epsom but got the job done. Then at Royal Ascot he got very distracted by the girls coming back from the previous race. He shouted at them, which was not very good of him. I had to say to him, ‘The stud career is not yet, old boy’.
“We’ve freshened him up, come here and he’s back to his best. He’d been showing me at home he was ready to do that. He did today what I thought he would do.
“He’s a hugely talented horse and showed it again here. I just felt if we could focus his mind he would fly – and he literally flew.”
Dettori partnered that flying colt and began celebrating half a furlong from home, thrusting his arm in a theatrical manner that suggested he might be floating the idea of Strictly Come Dancing on horseback.
“He has been a wonderful horse for me,” said Dettori.
“I told John my feeling is he doesn’t like hot weather. He was very lethargic in the summer but back to his best today. Turning for home he couldn’t wait to go. I knew we were in business.
“Not many horses can accelerate like he did. I knew I was going twice as fast as the others. I was able to really enjoy the screams of the crowd through the last furlong and raise my arm through the last 100 yards.”
During those yards Crystal Ocean – who finished three-parts of a length in front of Czech raider Subway Dancer – saw Cracksman disappearing into the distance. The admirable runner-up lost a shoe but may have needed an extra couple of legs to stand any chance.
“I was in a bit of a tricky spot coming into the straight but it opened up for me and Crystal Ocean ran a good race,” said rider William Buick.
Cracksman ran an exceptional race.
“I’ve never known anything quite like it,” said Oppenheimer. “We knew he was a good horse but it has been very frustrating having to wait so many months.
“I don’t know where he goes to stud as we had to see how he did today. We’ll start negotiating with somebody.”
As those negotiations start a fabulous career ends. The career of a champion.
Roaring Lion to retire to Tweenhills at end of three-year-old campaign
Son of Kitten’s Joy further strengthens the Qatar Racing stallion ranks
Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Stakes hero Roaring Lion will join the Qatar Racing stallion ranks at Tweenhills Stud next year, after a possible crack at the Breeders’ Cup – with a decision on that made in the coming week depending on how well he recovers from his heroics in the Qipco-sponsored race.
The four-time Group 1 winner is one of three newcomers to the roster at the Gloucestershire operation for 2019, along with Sussex Stakes winner Lightning Spear, a keeping-on seventh behind Roaring Lion at Ascot, and exciting young Australian stallion Zoustar.
David Redvers bought Roaring Lion on behalf of Qatar Racing at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $160,000, and the colt entered training with John Gosden.
He won his first three starts at two, including in the Royal Lodge Stakes, before being narrowly touched off by Saxon Warrior in the Racing Post Trophy.
In an admirably busy campaign at three this year he finished third in the Craven Stakes, fifth in the 2,000 Guineas, won the Dante Stakes and took third in the Derby before embarking on a brilliant Group 1 spree that took in triumphs in the Eclipse, Juddmonte International, Irish Champion Stakes and British Champion Stakes.
Qatar Racing chairman Sheikh Fahad Al-Thani said: “Roaring Lion has been the horse of a lifetime for us; he has exceeded our expectations while cementing his status as the best three-year-old colt in Europe after winning four Group 1s this season.
“My brothers and I are incredibly passionate about horse racing and to have a horse like him has been a truly magnificent experience.
“His victories at Sandown and York were incredible and then to follow it up in Ireland was an amazing feeling. We always knew how good he could be, we just hoped he would prove it. He did that at York and has been incredible ever since.”
Regarding plans for Roaring Lion for the rest of the year, the sheikh added: “He has run his final race in Britain, but the Breeders’ Cup has always been an option and we are definitely not ruling it out just yet.
“Today is Qipco British Champions Day and it is fitting that we celebrate Roaring Lion’s success; he should go out as a champion no matter what happens in America.”
Roaring Lion was bred in the US by Ranjan Racing out of the Grade 1-placed Street Sense mare Vionnet, a half-sister to the high-class pair Moulin De Mougin and Schiaparelli.
He is by North America’s standout turf sire Kitten’s Joy, a grandson of Sadler’s Wells via El Prado who is the source of 12 Group/Grade 1 winners including Eclipse and Dubai Sheema Classic victor Hawkbill and Breeders’ Cup scorers Bobby’s Kitten, Oscar Performance and Stephanie’s Kitten.
Gosden paid tribute to his star colt, saying: “Roaring Lion is a gorgeous horse to look at. He is really a bit of a pin up boy! He stands over a lot of ground, has a great head and outlook, great neck and shoulder, and wonderful depth.
“He has all the attributes of a top-class middle-distance horse but with this tremendous turn of foot. It’s his acceleration that impresses me so much. His ability to switch off and then go. The Leopardstown win off a low pace showed everyone how he can do that so well.
“It’s very important in a stallion that they can take their racing. We started in February, have been hard at it since then, and he is still showing all the right signs and credentials. He’s just a really lovely horse to be around and a thoroughly great character.”
Redvers, racing and bloodstock manager to Qatar Racing, said: “We’ve loved Roaring Lion since we first set eyes on him back in September 2016.
“I’m a big fan of his sire Kitten’s Joy and Roaring Lion was easily the best looking and best moving colt we’d seen by him.
“We couldn’t believe we got him for the price we did as he just looked like exactly the type of horse we set our sights on. To see how it has all panned out has been an amazing journey.
“He should prove a very exciting prospect at stud. We can’t wait to get him settled in at Tweenhills and begin the process of finding him suitable pairings.”
Fees for the enlarged Tweenhills stallion roster will be announced in the coming weeks.
Lah Ti Dar defeat in Fillies & Mares saves relieved layers ‘tens of millions’
Bookmakers were spared a ’tens of millions’ hammering on Saturday when Lah Ti Dar could finish only third behind Magical in the Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot.
She was the only one of a John Gosden-trained quartet of market leaders in the Group races who failed to win, with Stradivarius (evens), Roaring Lion (2-1) and Cracksman (5-6) all delivering for favourite backers.
“John Gosden came into Champions Day with an incredibly strong team, and before a race had been run the fourfold on his quartet of favourites had been backed into 14-1 (from 20) with us, and that was before day-of-race punters got stuck into the accumulator,” said Coral’s David Stevens.
He added: ”There was still plenty for punters to cheer, but with Sands Of Mali causing a mini-shock in the Sprint, this year’s Champions Day can be called a score-draw.”
William Hill punters were among those cheering, according to the firm’s Rupert Adams.
“It’s been a hard day in the office for the bookies, ending what has been a tough season for us,” he said. “We can only thank our lucky stars that Lah Ti Dah did not deliver too.”
Paddy Power’s Paul Binfield added: “Magical pulled a rabbit out of the hat for the bookies as the Gosden four-timer would have cost the industry tens of millions.”
fonte : RacingPost
Roaring Lion to Stand at Tweenhills in 2019
Roaring Lion | Racing Post
Qatar Racing’s MG1SW Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy-Vionnet, by Street Sense), who won Saturday’s G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. at Ascot on British Champions Day, will stand at Tweenhills in 2019. The John Gosden trainee, who was winning his fourth Group 1 in a row after the Coral Eclipse, Juddmonte International S., and QIPCO Irish Champions S., will be joined by fellow Group 1 winner and Qatar Racing colorbearer Lightning Spear (GB) (Pivotal {GB}–Atlantic Destiny {Ire}, by Royal Academy) at Tweenhills next year.
“Roaring Lion has been the horse of a lifetime for us; he has exceeded our expectations whilst cementing his status as the best 3-year-old colt in Europe after winning four Group 1s this season,” said Sheikh Fahad Al Thani, Chairman of Qatar Racing. “My brothers and I are incredibly passionate about horse racing and to have a horse like him has been a truly magnificent experience. His victories at Sandown and York were incredible and then to follow it up in Ireland was an amazing feeling. We always knew how good he could be, we just hoped he would prove it. He did that at York and has been incredible ever since.”
Bred by Ranjan Racing, Inc. in Kentucky, the grey was famously purchased by Qatar Racing’s bloodstock and racing manager David Redvers for only $160,000 out of the 2016 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Off the mark for Gosden at first asking last August, the colt made it two on the bounce trying Kempton’s all-weather and saluted in the G2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge S. last September. Facing off against Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) in Doncaster’s G1 Racing Post Trophy S., he found that rival a neck too good that day and was sent to winter quarters. Third in the G3 Craven S. resuming this term and a close fifth to old rival Saxon Warrior in the G1 2000 Guineas in May, he rolled to a 4 1/2-length victory in the G2 Dante S. at York and was a solid third to his Craven conqueror Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) in the G1 Epsom Derby upped to 1 1/2 miles. It was the last time Roaring Lion would taste defeat this season, as his four Group 1 victories followed. A Breeders’ Cup start will be decided later, depending on how the colt comes through Saturday’s effort and his record currently stands at 12-8-1-2 and $3,575,197 in earnings.
“Roaring Lion has run his final race in Britain, but the Breeders’ Cup has always been an option and we are definitely not ruling it out just yet,” Sheikh Fahad added.
Said Gosden, “He stands over a lot of ground, has a great head and outlook, great neck and shoulder, and wonderful depth. He has all the attributes of a top-class middle-distance horse but with this tremendous turn of foot. It is very important in a stallion that they can take their racing. We started in February, have been hard at it since then, and he is still showing all the right signs and credentials.”
Out of the GI Rodeo Drive S. third Vionnet, Roaring Lion’s second dam is the two-time Grade III winner Cambiocorsa (Avenue of Flags), a full-sister to MGSW and Breeders’ Cup Sprint victor California Flag (Avenue of Flags). She in turn produced Grade II winners Moulin de Mougin (Curlin) and Schiaparelli (Ghostzapper), as well as SW & GSP Bronson (Medaglia d’Oro) and MSW Alexis Tangier (Tiznow).
“We’ve loved Roaring Lion since we first set eyes on him back in September 2016,” said Redvers. “I’m a big fan of his sire Kitten’s Joy and Roaring Lion was easily the best looking and best moving colt we’d seen by him.”
A fee will be announced later.
Another Champion Display At Ascot From Frankel’s Cracksman
| 5th at ASC, Gr. Stk, £1,300,000 | G1 Qipco Champion S. (British Champions Middle Distance) | (9f 212y) | Winner: Cracksman (GB), c, 4 by Frankel (GB) |
Cracksman | racingfotos.com
By Tom Frary
It was seven lengths 12 months ago and while the winning margin was slightly less on Saturday, the manner of the performance from Anthony Oppenheimer’s Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) was practically identical as he dominated the feature G1 Qipco Champion S. for a second time. Finally granted the rainfall he craves at the beginning of the week, racing’s most vivid reminder of the unparalleled racing prowess of his sire strode to the line in a relative victory lap with Crystal Ocean (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) struggling six lengths behind in his wake. Capping a memorable afternoon for John Gosden, the 5-6 favourite needed restraint rather than urging from Frankie Dettori in contrast to when last seen at the Royal meeting and after surging to the fore at the top of the straight allowed his rider time to raise his whip in salute. ” He’s shown what he is, a high-class horse–when he’s in the zone, he’s very good and he’s Frankel’s best son,” commented his trainer after completing a trio of wins in four of the main races on the day. “He won the Ganay in explosive style and I don’t think he was quite the same after going down the hill at that pace at Longchamp–things were bothering him. He still managed to win at Epsom and run well in the Prince of Wales’s when he wasn’t with us mentally and he’s a mighty impressive horse. I’ve had a lot of luck using blinkers–the great Secretariat and Northern Dancer raced in them–and sometimes they are needed to focus their minds. He had those semi-blinkers on and he’s been showing me at home that he was ready to do that. Full marks to the staff at home, who work so hard to get them to hold their form deep into the season.”
The Cracksman that was on show during the British flat season’s most high-octane afternoon was that which first showed flower in last August’s G2 Great Voltigeur S. at York and which achieved full bloom when proving a crowd-pleaser here a year back. Able to truly let down and flourish on easy ground, he was getting back to basics having possibly stretched himself out of his comfort zone with a swashbuckling performance on slick going in the G1 Prix Ganay at ParisLongchamp Apr. 29. His two efforts in the June 1 G1 Coronation Cup and June 20 G1 Prince of Wales’s S. had led to genuine misgivings about his developing unprofessional demeanour, but he had excuses for both anti-climactic runs. Reported to have hit his head in the stalls at Epsom, a track he is patently unsuited to, he was led astray by the presence of fillies and mares before the Royal contest where the dried summer turf meant he was unable to gallop freely. It was his reluctance before the start at Royal Ascot that caused most alarm, but all that is history now as he put matters to rights before embarking on a stud career that will be a fascinating new chapter in the Frankel saga.
Until Saturday, this year had been as much about what Cracksman has missed out on rather than what he had obtained. Oppenheimer, with his DeBeers family’s link with the King George, must have been desperate to run in the midsummer showpiece, having passed it over last July due to the colt’s immaturity. However, the summer storm that afflicted the 2017 edition failed to materialise this time and he had to swerve it once again. Whatever losses were incurred there, they have been more than made up for in this race for the past two seasons. He could have led from the outset here, giving Frankie all the signals that he was on his mettle even in the preliminaries but he was held back in fourth with the stable’s Maverick Wave (Elusive Quality) leading out up ahead.
With only one or two brief lapses, most notably in Swinley Bottom when he momentarily lost his action on the heavy ground, the overall effort was as near to the smoothness of 12 months ago as is possible. William Buick on Crystal Ocean was holed up on the inside for a period before the home straight and Dettori seized the day at that juncture, asking for that familiar surge reminiscent of Frankel himself. Delivered direct from the genetic material of what must be considered the single greatest performer in at least the modern history of flat turf racing, it was immediately decisive and led to the first back-to-back winner of this prize since Twice Over (GB) (Observatory). There is that Sir Henry Cecil link again. Cracksman is also the first consecutive winner since the race was switched to Ascot where the fulfilment of a life’s work of that late great master of Warren Place was played out six years ago.
Dettori had cut a glum figure at the Royal meeting, but the ebullience that has marked his career and will characterise his enduring legacy was back again. “That is the old Cracksman back,” he said. “He felt fantastic. What a horse he is–I love him dearly. Full credit to the owners and John for being patient. They were not tempted to run on firm ground and got the reward today. He did it on his own. The blinkers worked and he was concentrating. I kept him away from Rhododendron, the filly, and even in the first bit of the race I knew. It came good for me at the three-furlong pole and I knew we were in business.”
Of the contrast with his Prince of Wales’s performance, his rider added, “He was very lethargic in the summer–like one of those ponies of your kids’; you have to drag it everywhere. Cool weather, autumn, a bit of rain and he was back to his best today. I was able to put him where I wanted him. Usually he makes my life difficult but today I had a beautiful position. As the race developed, the more and more he came on the bridle, and turning for home he actually couldn’t wait to go. When he accelerated–not many horses can do it–I was able really to enjoy the scream of the crowds in the final furlong and raise my arm in the last 100 yards. Full credit to the Gosden stable and the trainer himself–he’s a genius to me and for me the things he has done are amazing. Our all horses performed to their very best and it’s been an amazing day.”
If last year’s edition of this tells us anything, it is that a good horse can suffer a great reversal and still make it to the top and Crystal Ocean’s connections will take heart from that fact that he was beaten just under the distance Poet’s Word (Ire) (Poet’s Voice {GB}) was last year. Jockey William Buick said, “Crystal Ocean ran a great second, but Cracksman won very impressively today and he looked the same Cracksman he was last year. I was in a little bit of a tricky spot coming into the straight, but it opened up for me and he ran a good race. He’s very effective over a mile and a half as well.” Surprise of the race was the 66-1 shot Subway Dancer (Ire) (Shamardal), who was just 3/4 of a length away in third for the Czech Republic trainer Zdeno Koplik and brother Radek who steered the gelding. Ingrid Koplikova, the trainer’s daughter, said, “That is a shock for me, but very good for my family. He ran a very nice race and we are all so happy. He is a very classy horse and he loved this ground. My father bought the horse before he had run and he has progressed. After the last race, my father decided to run here, because it would be a dream for him, for my uncle and all the family. My father has 28 horses in his yard, but this is the best one and the only one that could attempt a race like this. It is a dream to come to Ascot. I have never been here, but it is the best racecourse in the world.”
After a season of fluctuating fortunes for both Cracksman and Enable, it is testament not only to their superior class but also to the handling of their campaigns that the Arc-Champion double-double was pulled off. It looked much more likely in 2017 than it did in 2018, even as recently as midsummer, but both he and his brilliant contemporary still managed it. The greatest shame of their era was that they never met, with circumstances conspiring against the eventuality. That is impossible now that Cracksman departs this scene, but his swansong only further empowers his owner-breeder’s regenerated bloodlines. His listed-winning dam Rhadegunda (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), who also produced the G3 Solario S. winner Fantastic Moon (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}), is a granddaughter of the G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Sussex S. heroine On the House (Be My Guest). This family was always able to throw up a genuine top-class individual in the past, with the G1 Coronation S. heroine Rebecca Sharp (GB) (Machiavellian) one of the most notable before the G1 Epsom Derby, G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and G1 Eclipse S. hero Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) arrived to give new gravitas to it three years ago. Whether it contains one who can eventually unearth that King George winner remains to be seen. Perhaps it will be Rhadegunda’s foal full-sister to Cracksman.
Saturday, Ascot, Britain
QIPCO CHAMPION S.-G1, £1,300,000, Ascot, 10-20, 3yo/up, 9f 212yT, 2:08.79, sf.
1–CRACKSMAN (GB), 131, c, 4, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Rhadegunda (GB) (SW-Fr), by Pivotal (GB)
2nd Dam: St Radegund (GB), by Green Desert
3rd Dam: On The House, by Be My Guest
O-A E Oppenheimer; B-Hascombe & Valiant Studs (GB); T-John Gosden; J-Lanfranco Dettori. £737,230. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Eur at 9.5-11f, G1SW-Fr & G1SP-Ire, 11-8-2-1, $3,692,311. *1/2 to Fantastic Moon (GB) (Dalakhani {Ire}), GSW-Eng. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Crystal Ocean (GB), 131, c, 4, Sea the Stars (Ire)–Crystal Star (GB), by Mark of Esteem (Ire). O-Sir Evelyn de Rothschild; B-Southcourt Stud (GB); T-Sir Michael Stoute. £279,500.
3–Subway Dancer (Ire), 131, g, 6, Shamardal–Sub Rose (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). (€60,000 RNA Ylg ’13 AR13; €3,000 3yo ’15 DEANOV; €110,000 RNA 5yo ’17 ARARC). O-Bonanza; B-SCEA Haras de Saint Pair (IRE); T-Zdeno Koplik. £139,880.
Margins: 6, 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 0.80, 2.75, 66.00.
Also Ran: Capri (Ire), Rhododendron (Ire), Verbal Dexterity (Ire), Monarchs Glen (GB), Maverick Wave.
Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Kitten’s Joy’s Roaring Lion Battles To QEII Glory
| 4th at ASC, Gr. Stk, £1,156,250 | G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. (British Champions Mile sponsored by Qipco) | (8f) | Winner: Roaring Lion, c, 3 by Kitten’s Joy |
Roaring Lion | racingfotos.com
By Tom Frary
If toughness is transmitted genetically, Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy) had it all from the beginning with his rock-hard sire combining with the gallant ill-fated Vionnet (Street Sense) and the results of that ensemble was in evidence on Saturday in the culmination of Ascot’s G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. Made to labour on ground that blunts his greatest weapon, Qatar Racing’s redoubtable grey who had carried all before him since early July showed the other side of his character as he toughed out a fourth straight win in a prestige event. Having to race without cover throughout, the 2-1 favourite was kept within hailing distance of the leaders by Oisin Murphy and after grinding his way past Century Dream (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) with 150 yards remaining held out from Ballydoyle’s 3-year-old filly I Can Fly (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) by a neck, with a half length back to Century Dream in third. “His owners are very game and brave to come here, as they had everything to lose and nothing to gain,” trainer John Gosden said. “He’s proven his class and had the guts to get there, as I think he hated every second of running on that ground. He found that soft ground too deep, you could tell by his action, but he has a lot of heart and got the job done. He’s got so much bigger and stronger with all the races I’ve thrown at him and he would have won by five if the ground had been good-to-firm.”
“I told Sheikh Fahad that he wouldn’t win the Craven,” Gosden revealed after this race, harking back to the dark days of the non-existent British spring when all Roaring Lion was interested in was showing his lighter side to all around him. Few colts can have their intent honed in the manner that he has and come back each time wanting more, but from Craven to Guineas to Dante to Derby he was just offloading his excess baggage and concentrating more and more on the task of becoming a ruthless thoroughbred machine. When it came to the Eclipse on the first Saturday of July, he had to overcome a horror trip trapped wide throughout but still managed to break down his Racing Post Trophy conqueror Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) with his most professional display yet. By the time he had thrashed that rival and the King George hero Poet’s Word (Ire) (Poet’s Voice {GB}) in the Juddmonte International at York Aug. 22, Roaring Lion had truly cast aside all boyish tendencies and another dynamic run in the Sept. 15 Irish Champion left him with little to prove on turf.
This added that extra dimension, proving a resilience to fight to the death when the workload was demanding against a soft-ground specialist like Century Dream and a filly on the up from Ballydoyle. As they came into line inside the last 100 yards, it was nip-and-tuck but Roaring Lion had the final say as if he had come here a fresh horse and not one who had been on the go since April. The last point to prove seems to concern the Breeders’ Cup Classic and there is some of the Giant’s Causeway and the Sakhee about this high-class turfiste. His owner believes that could be his final posting. “This eclipsed York, without a shadow of a doubt,” Sheikh Fahad commented. “In fairness to him, he owes us nothing and has done us proud all year long, winning every race he could have won next year. The Breeders’ Cup is under consideration, but I’ll talk with my brothers and John. If he does, he might go for the Classic–that is the most likely on the dirt. I want to see his sons and daughters racing and his retirement wasn’t an easy decision for me, but we all agreed on it. Trying to upgrade our breeding operation is the most important part of the long game and he’s going to help with that.”
Roaring Lion’s aforementioned dam Vionnet, who was third in the GI Rodeo Drive S., was euthanized at Rood and Riddle in February after developing laminitis when six-months pregnant. Only one week away from foaling, she broke her hock in the Rood & Riddle clinic and her More then Ready filly was born but could not sustain life as her lungs were too weak. Breeder Jan Vandebos Naify was on hand to witness this moment of glory and Sheikh Fahad revealed that there had been emotional scenes. “Jan loves this horse–she was in tears and the horse knows her too. He saw her in the paddock, I swear, and it was if he was saying “mother’s here”! Qatar Racing’s leader also revealed that the operation’s G1 Sussex S. hero Lightning Spear (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), who was seventh, is Breeders’ Cup-bound. “Soft ground didn’t suit and as long as they don’t get rain then he’s off to the Breeders’ Cup Mile and then to stud,” he added.
Gosden is wary of the Classic challenge and said, “He’s American-bred and while I think he’ll act on the dirt on pedigree, the problem with the dirt is the kickback. They go hard and do 22-and-change throw dirt in the face of those behind and they lose their rhythm and breathing. We’ll see how is tomorrow and next week is the pre-entry stage. It comes up a bit quick, but we’ll see.”
Ballydoyle were encouraged by the effort of I Can Fly, who was building on a win in the G2 Boomerang S. and a fourth in the G1 Sun Chariot S. and who was making up for the withdrawal of the stable’s main hope Happily (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who had been second in the latter contest. Withdrawn after becoming upset in the stalls, she was led back unscathed. I Can Fly’s rider Donnacha O’Brien said, “She’s run a cracker. Everything went smooth and I’m delighted with her–there are no excuses. She has shown big improvement today and run really well.” Century Dream’s trainer Simon Crisford commented, “I thought at the furlong pole we were going to win–my heart was beating like you can’t imagine. We freshened him up after the Arlington Million, hoping that this race would cut up and that it would be desperate ground. It didn’t cut up, but he has run with great, great aplomb. I think we will prepare him for the Duty Free in Dubai–I think a mile and one round Meydan would suit him very well. He’s getting better as he gets older; he’s just such a super horse and a great flag-bearer for the stable.”
Vionnet was one of five stakes performers out of the GIII Las Cienegas H. and GIII Senator Ken Maddy H. winner Cambiocorsa (Avenue of Flags), headed the GII Royal Heroine Mile S. winner Schiaparelli (Ghostzapper) and the GII John C. Mabee S. winner Moulin de Mougin (Curlin). Cambiocorsa is a full-sister to California Flag, who was successful in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint and three times in the GIII Morvich H. Vionnet’s 2-year-old colt Fran the Man (Medaglia d’Oro) was unsold at $265,000 as a Keeneland November foal, but the following year was bought by Spendthrift Farm for $550,000.
Saturday, Ascot, Britain
QUEEN ELIZABETH II S.-G1, £1,156,250, Ascot, 10-20, 3yo/up, 8fT, 1:42.48, sf.
1–ROARING LION, 127, c, 3, by Kitten’s Joy
1st Dam: Vionnet (GISP-US, $175,140), by Street Sense
2nd Dam: Cambiocorsa, by Avenue of Flags
3rd Dam: Ultrafleet, by Afleet
($160,000 Ylg ’16 KEESEP). O-Qatar Racing Ltd; B-Ran Jan Racing Inc (KY); T-John Gosden; J-Oisin Murphy. £655,709. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Ire, 12-8-1-2, $3,575,197. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–I Can Fly (GB), 124, f, 3, Fastnet Rock (Aus)–Madonna Dell’Orto (GB), by Montjeu (Ire). (240,000gns Ylg ’16 TAOCT). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Rockwell Bloodstock (GB); T-Aidan O’Brien. £248,594.
3–Century Dream (Ire), 130, c, 4, Cape Cross (Ire)–Salacia (Ire), by Echo of Light (GB). O-Abdulla Belhabb; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Simon Crisford. £124,413.
Margins: NK, HF, 3/4. Odds: 2.00, 33.00, 25.00.
Also Ran: Stormy Antarctic (GB), Recoletos (Fr), Lord Glitters (Fr), Lightning Spear (GB), Laurens (Fr), Romanised (Ire), Hey Gaman (GB), Beat The Bank (GB), Addeybb (Ire), Gabrial (Ire). Scratched: Aljazzi (GB), Happily (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Galileo’s Magical Wins the Fillies and Mares
| 3rd at ASC, Gr. Stk, £600,000 | G1 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares S. | (11f 211y) | Winner: Magical (Ire), f, 3 by Galileo (Ire) |
Magical | racingfotos.com
By Tom Frary
Aidan O’Brien entered this Champions Day with his least convincing cast in some time, but Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) made sure the outfit went home with something major as she registered an impressive display in the G1 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares S. Not disgraced when 10th in the Arc 13 days ago, the 5-1 shot travelled with ease throughout before swooping on the even-money favourite Lah Ti Dar (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) passing the two-furlong pole and readily asserted for a length verdict over Coronet (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), with Lah Ti Dar 3/4 of a length away in third. “We really fancied her for the Oaks, but she had a little setback then and when she ran in the Arc Wayne [Lordan] rode her and loved her,” the Ballydoyle trainer said. “She had been working lovely and Ryan was always going to take his time on her and she relaxed lovely. The lads will decide what’s next, but the Breeders’ Cup is a possibility.”
Magical had put herself at the forefront of the Ballydoyle juvenile fillies when winning the G2 Debutante S. under Donnacha last August, but she had to give best by a short head to Happily (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) after Ryan Moore jumped ship with O’Brien junior again the beneficiary. Fourth in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac at Chantilly and G1 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket the following month, the bay was again in that position on her return in the G3 Prix de la Grotte at ParisLongchamp Apr. 15. Due to start favourite for the June 1 G1 Epsom Oaks, she picked up an issue shortly beforehand and was next seen taking The Curragh’s G2 Kilboy Estate S. over nine furlongs July 22. Fourth in the G1 Matron S. over an inadequate mile at Leopardstown Sept. 15, she was one of the better closers in the Arc where she was beaten just over five lengths in total.
Cruising throughout this contest under perfect cover against the rail in contrast to the wide-running Lah Ti Dar, Magical was always going to pick up that rival once the gap opened at the top of the straight but she had to truly see out the mile and a half as the proven stayer Coronet bore down late. “We had a very nice trip through the race and the ground made a big difference to her,” Moore explained. “She was a very good two-year-old but never quite managed to win one of these even though she had run a lot of good races. She had a wide draw in the Arc, but showed she gets a mile and a half there and with a bit of cut in the ground here she showed she is a high-class filly.”
John Gosden’s momentum was only temporarily halted in this race, but in saddling both the second and third it could hardly be called a setback. He said of Coronet, “She was forced wide by the draw, she got a clear run and ran an absolute blinder but full credit to the winner. The other filly [Lah Ti Dar] ran a super race, but as you can see from looking at her, she’s big and rather unfurnished and is a next-year filly when she’ll be bigger and stronger. She will be put away until next year, while Coronet is going to Italy–assuming she comes out of this race in good order–for the [G1] Premio Lydia Tesio [at the Capennelle Nov. 4].” Lah Ti Dar’s owner-breeder Lady Lloyd Webber added, “I thought she might win it at one stage, but we haven’t seen half of her yet. Just wait until next year, as all of that family make better four-year-olds. Her mother Dar Re Mi was placed in a couple of Group 1s as a three-year-old, but she didn’t win one, but at four she won the Pretty Polly Stakes and the Yorkshire Oaks, and then at five she won the Dubai Sheema Classic. Lah Ti Dar and her brother Too Darn Hot will both winter with John, as they are too valuable to come home to Watership Down. Too Darn Hot is a completely different type and too exciting to talk about, but the whole thing has been just fantastic.”
Magical just continued the fairytale for her dam’s bloodlines, with the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas, G1 Nassau S. and G1 Sun Chariot S. heroine Halfway To Heaven (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) also responsible for Galileo’s triple group 1-winning Rhododendron (Ire) and the G3 International S. scorer Flying the Flag (Ire). With a yearling filly by that sire to follow, she is out of the triple group-winning sprinter and G1 July Cup runner-up Cassandra Go (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) whose other black-type winners are the G3 Abernant S. and G3 Sandown Sprint S. winner Tickled Pink (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and the G3 Summer S. winner Theann (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire). She in turn threw the GI First Lady S. and GI Rodeo S. heroine Photo Call (Ire) from a mating with Galileo, and this year’s G2 Richmond S. scorer Land Force (Ire) (No Nay Never). Cassandra Go is kin to the G3 Coventry S.-winning and G1 Irish 2000 Guineas-placed late successful sire Verglas (Ire) (Highest Honor {Fr}) from an amazing family which was also recently updated by the G3 Gordon S. winner Cross Counter (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}).
Saturday, Ascot, Britain
QIPCO BRITISH CHAMPIONS FILLIES & MARES S.-G1, £600,000, Ascot, 10-20, 3yo/up, f/m, 11f 211yT, 2:33.28, sf.
1–MAGICAL (IRE), 125, f, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Halfway To Heaven (Ire) (MG1SW-Eng, G1SW-Ire & G1SP-Fr, $941,139), by Pivotal (GB)
2nd Dam: Cassandra Go (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire)
3rd Dam: Rahaam, by Secreto
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £340,260. Lifetime Record: MGSW-Ire & G1SP-Ire, 11-4-2-0, $786,506. *Full to Rhododendron (Ire), Hwt. 2yo Filly-Ire, MG1SW-Eng, G1SW-Fr, GSW & G1SP-Ire, GISP-US, $1,741,071; and Flying The Flag (Ire), GSW-Ire & GSP-SAf, $195,702. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Coronet (GB), 131, f, 4, Dubawi (Ire)–Approach (GB), by Darshaan (GB). O/B-Denford Stud Ltd (GB); T-John Gosden. £129,000.
3–Lah Ti Dar (GB), 125, f, 3, Dubawi (Ire)–Dar Re Mi (GB), by Singspiel (Ire). O-Lord Lloyd-Webber; B-Watership Down Stud (GB); T-John Gosden. £64,560.
Margins: 1, 3/4, 3HF. Odds: 5.00, 6.00, 1.00.
Also Ran: Kitesurf (GB), Hydrangea (Ire), God Given (GB), Broadway (Ire), Pilaster (GB), Sizzling (Ire), Flattering (Ire), Bye Bye Baby (Ire).
Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Panis’s Sands of Mali Wires Ascot’s British Champions Sprint
| 2nd at ASC, Gr. Stk, £632,500 | G1 Qipco British Champions Sprint S. | (6f) | Winner: Sands of Mali (Fr), c, 3 by Panis |
Richard Fahey and Paul Hanagan hug after Sands of Mali won the Sprint | racingfotos.com
By Sean Cronin
Off the board in three Group 1 outings since registering a half-length second in Royal Ascot’s June 22 G1 Commonwealth Cup, The Cool Silk Partnership’s Sands of Mali (Fr) (Panis) returned to the scene of that effort and caused a 28-1 shock in Saturday’s G1 Qipco British Champions Sprint. The bay was sharpest into stride and secured immediate control of the straight six-furlong dash. Nudged along passing the quarter-mile marker, he would not relent and kept on strongly under a final-furlong drive to withstand the persistent threat of Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) by a length. Donjuan Triumphant (Ire) (Dream Ahead) emerged from the pack to finish best of the rest, 1 1/4 lengths back in third. “He just got nailed at the Royal Meeting and things went pear-shaped after that,” admitted trainer Richard Fahey. “He’s always worked like a nice horse at home and today he’s proven that he is. He’s had a few goes at Group 1s and today it’s come good so I’m delighted. I felt he ran okay at Haydock last time, but today was where we thought he should be. What they should be and what they actually do are quite different sometimes. It’s great for the owners [Cool Silk Partnership], and for [agent] Matt Coleman, who buys all their horses.” Jockey Paul Hanagan added, “We’ve always thought a lot of him, today he showed everyone what we’ve always believed and I quite enjoyed that. I was never headed and couldn’t believe how well I was going with two furlongs to go. I knew he would handle the ground and just loved the way he picked up again when Harry Angel came to challenge him. I can’t put into words what it means to win for Richard [Fahey]. He’s never left my side and has always been there for me so I owe him a lot.”
Godolphin’s Harry Angel yoyo’d in and out of the stalls during the loading process, but was away on terms to hound the eventual winner throughout. However, he was unable to reel in this term’s G3 Prix Sigy and G2 Sand Lane S. victor and went down bravely attempting to end his course hoodoo, which now reads zero-from-six. “He’s run an absolute blinder and I’m very pleased with him as he’s shown his true level today,” said trainer Clive Cox. “It’s been a frustrating year because he’s been a better horse at home all year. To bring him here and show everyone else what we’ve been seeing–that he’s a proper and proper Group 1 horse–I’m very proud of the performance. It’s good to sign the season off with him like this. He’s a horse who has a change of gear as well, but fair play to Richard [Fahey]. It’s his day today and it is well deserved. There’s always a moment of worry with Harry because he knows what’s coming the other side [of the gate] and he likes to get on with it. He’s equipped himself in the best possible way and I will be looking forward to seeing his stock when he goes to stud.” Jockey Adam Kirby added, “He’s a superstar and, of course, I’m proud of him. It’s a shame to get beat, but nice to end things on a high. He’s been a great horse and the ground here just blunted his gear-change so I feel a bit sorry for him. He probably gets a little claustrophobic in the stalls, but one thing I will say is well done to Clive Cox and all involved with the horse. They have always done a remarkable job with him. He owes us nothing, he’s been a fantastic sprinter and a pleasure to deal with.”
Sands of Mali, half-brother to the winning 2-year-old filly Flawless Jewel (Fr) (Kheleyf) and the yearling colt Kherizzi (Fr) (Kheleyf), is one of two winners and the leading performer produced by an unraced daughter of Listed Grand Criterium de Bordeaux and Listed Prix La Sorellina placegetter Kapi Creek (Fr) (Sicyos). Kapi Creek is herself the best representative of Listed Prix Belle de Nuit third Kirigane (Fr) (Vitiges {Fr}), who in turn is a half-sister to Mexico’s G1 Clasico Malinche runner-up Ladakh (Fr), from a family which includes MG1SW dual Argentinian champion distaffer Miss Terrible (Arg) (Numerous).
Saturday, Ascot, Britain
QIPCO BRITISH CHAMPIONS SPRINT S.-G1, £632,500, Ascot, 10-20, 3yo/up, 6fT, 1:14.21, sf.
1–SANDS OF MALI (FR), 127, c, 3, by Panis
1st Dam: Kadiania (Fr), by Indian Rocket (GB)
2nd Dam: Kapi Creek (Fr), by Sicyos
3rd Dam: Kirigane (Fr), by Vitiges (Fr)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€20,000 Ylg ’16 OSLATE; £75,000 2yo ’17 TATABR). O-The Cool Silk Partnership; B-Simon Urizzi (FR); T-Richard Fahey; J-Paul Hanagan. £358,691. Lifetime Record: GSW-Fr, 12-5-1-0, $908,130. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Harry Angel (Ire), 128, c, 4, Dark Angel (Ire)–Beatrix Potter (Ire), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB). (£44,000 Ylg ’15 DNPRM). O-Godolphin; B-CBS Bloodstock (IRE); T-Clive Cox. £135,988.
3–Donjuan Triumphant (Ire), 128, h, 5, Dream Ahead–Mathuna (Ire), by Tagula (Ire). (€58,000 Wlg ’13 GOFNOV; €50,000 RNA Ylg ’14 GOFORB; 30,000gns 2yo ’15 TATBRE). O-King Power Racing Co Ltd; B-Patrick Cosgrove & Dream Ahead Syndicate (IRE); T-Andrew Balding. £68,057.
Margins: 1, 1 1/4, HF. Odds: 28.00, 4.00, 16.00.
Also Ran: Brando (GB), Sir Dancealot (Ire), Projection (GB), The Tin Man (GB), Tasleet (GB), Limato (Ire), Son of Rest (GB), Librisa Breeze (GB), Speak In Colours (GB), Dream of Dreams (Ire), Bacchus (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
fonte : TDN
