Maxfield leads banner day for Bernardini

It was a banner day for Darley Australia’s former shuttle stallion Bernardini (USA) on Saturday when three runners out of his daughters won stakes on the Churchill Downs card, led by the undefeated Maxfield (USA) (Street Sense {USA}) in the Grade 3 Matt Winn.

Forced to scratch out of last year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile due to injury, Maxfield was making his highly anticipated 3-year-old debut in the race for Godolphin and trainer Brendan Walsh. Forced wide around the first turn of the 1700 metre race, Maxfield ran near the back of a tightly bunched pack just a few lengths behind a duelling trio of leaders.

The race turned into the perfect educational opportunity for the lightly race colt when he had to navigate traffic to find running room in the middle of the track down the straight. In the final furlong, Maxfield had to deal with a wandering Ny Traffic (USA) (Cross Traffic {USA}) but didn’t back down from being crowded by the rival, taking the lead with 100 metres left to run.

Maxfield had his ears pricked when finishing 1l ahead of Ny Traffic with Uncle Mo’s (USA) Pneumatic (USA) 0.75l back in third. The win earned him 50 points toward the Kentucky Derby, taking his total to 60 points after winning last year’s Grade 1 Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland for 10 points.

“He came off the layoff today at 1 1/16 miles and did very good,” said jockey Jose Ortiz. “Brendan did a fantastic job getting him ready off the layoff and I don’t think (the Kentucky Derby distance of) 1 ¼ miles will be a problem for him.”

Undefeated in three Kentucky starts, it's likely Maxfield will travel for his next race with the Grade 1 Belmont S. in New York kicking off the Triple Crown series on June 20.

By former Darley shuttle stallion Street Sense (USA), Maxfield joined Dunbar Road (USA) (Quality Road {USA}) and Owendale (USA) (Into Mischief {USA}) as stakes winners on the Churchill Downs card out of Bernardini daughters. Maxfield and Dunbar Road are two of eight Grade 1 winners out of Bernardini mares with Owendale one of 19 graded stakes winners from his daughters.

A Godolphin homebred, Maxfield is a grandson of Grade 3 winner Caress (USA) (Storm Cat {USA}), the dam of Grade 1 winner and sire Sky Mesa (USA) (Pulpit {USA}) and Grade 3 winner Golden Velvet (USA) (Seeking The Gold {USA}).

United prevails in G2 Charles Whittingham

Making his first start in nearly four months after traveling for a Dubai World Cup night race, United (USA) (Giant’s Causeway {USA}) showed the trip hadn’t taken anything out of him with a win in the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham on Saturday night.

Starting on the downhill turf course in the 2000 metre race, United was happy to gallop just behind the leading Synthesis (USA) (First Samurai {USA}) early on a few lengths in front of the rest of the field. Moving to the leader’s hip half-way down the backstretch, United went head to head with the 4-year-old in the far turn and Synthesis quickly faded as United took control of the race.

The gelding enjoyed a brief unchallenged lead until the field hit midstretch when he was taken on by both Rockemperor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) and Originaire (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) with Desert Stone (Ire) (Fastnet Rock) also taking part in the challenge. In the end, it was a tight finish with United getting his head down just in time to beat Rockemperor by a nose.

The results took a few minutes to be pushed official with the stewards first having to examine the photo for a winner than look at an incident between Rockemperor and Originaire that saw Rockemperor demoted to third behind Originaire.

The race proved to have a strong Australian connection with each of the top five finishers’ sires shuttling to Australia during their stallion career, led by fourth place finisher Desert Encounter’s sire and Coolmore Australia stalwart Fastnet Rock.

A son of the late Giant’s Causeway, United is a half-brother to Grade 3 winner Harlan Punch (USA) (Harlan’s Holiday {USA}) and Listed winner Tensas Punch (USA) (War Front {USA}) from the family of Grade 1 winner Liaison (USA) (Indian Charlie {USA}).

Breeders’ Cup winner Sharing wins 3-year-old debut

Last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Sharing (USA) (Speightstown {USA}) started her 3-year-old campaign off with a bang on Saturday when winning the Tepin S. at Churchill Downs.

Breaking strongly, Sharing went into the first turn of the 1600 metre race a few paths off the rail but sat comfortably under jockey Manny Franco a few lengths behind the leader. The Eclipse Thoroughbreds and Gainesway Stable-owned filly started making up ground around the turn and was even with the leader as they entered the stretch. It didn’t take long for Sharing to get the lead and she easily fended off a late run from Abscond (USA) (Blame {USA}) to win by 0.5l.

The only Breeders’ Cup winner whose sire and dam have also won Breeders’ Cup races, Sharing is out of 2010 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf winner Shared Account (USA) (Pleasantly Perfect {USA}), who is also by a Breeders’ Cup winner in Pleasantly Perfect.

Co-owned by Eclipse Thoroughbreds, who also co-owned Group 1 VRC Oaks winner Pinot (Pierro), the filly is one of three winners from three to race out of her dam, including Listed winner Riley’s Choice (USA) (Distorted Humor {USA}).

Shared Account’s third winner I’m Pretty Strong (USA) (Street Cry {Ire}) was purchased by Australian-based Boomer Bloodstock for US$220,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Sale and made three starts in Australia before visiting Dundeel (NZ) last season.

Unbeaten Daring Tact makes history in Japan

Short-priced favourite Daring Tact (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) has claimed the G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) (2400 metres) with a barnstorming finish.

Jockey Kohei Matsuyama settled Daring Tact a long way off the pace, and halfway down the straight, the filly's cause looked a lost one as she spotted Win Mighty (Jpn) (Gold Ship {Jpn)) a huge start.

But given a clear run late on, she closed strongly over the final 100 metres and while for a brief moment the eventual runner-up Win Marilyn (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) looked like she might cause an upset having shot through along the inside, the momentum was with the favourite and she recorded a narrow win. The two Win horses, Marilyn and Mighty, filled the placings.

Now a winner of all four of her lifetime starts, Daring Tact is the first filly in 63 years to win both the G1 Oka Sho and the G1 Yushun Himba while remaining unbeaten. Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) completed the double two years ago, but was beaten at her track debut.

Daring Tact is trained by Haruki Sugiyama, owned by Normandy Thoroughbred Racing and was bred by Hasegawa Bokujo.

Regally bred Charm Spirit colt wins Derby du Midi

Off since mid-February, the well-bred Fantastic Spirit (Fr) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) won his third race of the year – and his first stakes race – when taking home the 164th edition of the Listed Derby du Midi.

Breaking from the rail in the 1750 metre race, Fantastic Spirit quickly took his spot in midpack a few lengths behind the leading Sayidah Kodiac (GB) (Kodiac {GB}). While Sayidah Kodiac opened up a few lengths on the field early on, he came back to the field with 800 metres left to run to place Fantastic Spirit in a perfect position to pounce as the field entered the final 100 metres of the race.

Fantastic Spirit quickly overtook the leader but had to face a tough duel with Again Music (Fr) (Palace Episode {USA}) to earn his first black type success. In the end, he was able to hold off that foe by a short neck to become the 12th stakes winner under his first three dams for trainer Jean-Claude Rouget and owner Ecurie Antonio Caro.

The seventh stakes winner for Windsor Park Stud shuttle sire Charm Spirit, he is one of two winners from his dam Fantastic Cuix (Fr) (Fantastic Light {USA}).

A half-sister to the dam of Group 1 winner Goldream (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) and granddam of Group 1 Two Thousand Guineas winner Galileo Gold (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}), Fantastic Cuix is out of a half-sister to champion racehorse and successful sire Montjeu (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells {USA}) and the dam of Irish Champion 2YO Again (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}).

Back-to-back for Exultant

Exultant (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) has claimed his fifth Group 1, showing plenty of courage to win the G1 Champions and Chater Cup at Sha Tin.

Ridden by Zac Purton, the Tony Cruz-trained Exultant made it back-to-back wins in the race, taking control from early leader Time Warp (GB) (Archipenko {USA}) at the top of the straight.

Both Chefano (SAF) (Silvano {Ger}) and Furore (NZ) (Pierro) were there to challenge over the final stages, but Exultant kicked on and held a clear 1l margin on the line over Chefano, with Furore filling third, another 0.25l away.

Exultant had won the G1 QEII Cup last time out and he has won four of his seven starts for the season, making him a front runner to be named Hong Kong Horse Of The Year.