Europe
Charm Spirit's Shaquille brilliant in the July Cup
The Julie Camacho and Steve Brown-trained Shaquille (GB) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) has placed himself among the very best sprinters in Saturday's renewal of the G1 July Cup when partnered by Rossa Ryan.
Finishing behind Shaquille was the gallant Kinross (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and running into third Run To Freedom (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}), while the disappointing result was equal-favourite Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never {USA}) who failed to deliver.
“He's some horse to do that and it was just an incredible performance taking on the older horses,” Ryan said. “I tried to settle him in behind, but he wasn't having it. I was out of control really and I had to make a move in the middle part of the race – I had no option. Nine times out 10 that would be a disaster, but he has just got a lot of ability and that is the long and the short of it. I just let him blow out and grab his wind and he just went away. Two out, he kicked and he stayed going. I saw someone out of the corner of my eye and he kicked again for me at the half-furlong pole and picked up all the way to the line. He's something else.”
“I just wish he'd do things right,” co-trainer Camacho said after becoming the first female trainer to exceed £1 million (AU$1.9 million) in prizemoney in a season. “I keep saying I wish he'd do everything right. He drives us mad. It is just nice that people in the north can have a bit of success, because there are some really good trainers in the north and if we can get the ammunition, we can do well with them. We will probably go to Haydock, although we will put him in at Deauville (for the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest). Steve will discuss it with Martin (Hughes). I'm only a very small part. Steve plays a bigger part than I do.”
Brown said, “Oisin was quiet with him at Ascot, but Rossa chose to get close to the pace early and I thought we were doing too much from a fair way out, but to pick up from that you have to say he is a special athlete. He seems to be fluffing his lines a bit at the start. We hoped Ascot was an exception, but he's getting something in his mind – it's possibly the rug.”
“It has been a slow process,” Brown added. “You go back to last December and we were at a cold Wolverhampton on a Saturday night, I believe, so we didn't see the talent at this level immediately. All-Weather Championships day was a disaster and we were forced down a different route. At home, he is a lovely character, very laid-back and doesn't put a foot wrong but doesn't immediately show his talent. We would have three or four horses who would comfortably work better than him. At some point I wouldn't mind giving him a couple of quiet weeks to let him strengthen. He is still a baby, for all he is a talented one. We will have a chat over a cup of tea.”
Justify's TDN Rising Star City Of Troy emphatic in the Superlative
They may have missed out on the English Triple Crown this year, but team Ballydoyle have another contender for that mythical pursuit in 2024 after TDN Rising Star City Of Troy (USA) (Justify {USA}) destroyed the opposition in Newmarket's G2 Superlative S. on Saturday with Ryan Moore in the saddle. Following home City Of Troy was Haatem (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}) and Oddyssey (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}).
“He's a very unusual and special horse,” Aidan O'Brien said of the winner, who had been impressed with his attitude as well as his stride during his Curragh maiden win at the start of the month. “He has loads of speed and is happy to do whatever – he can go from the front or take a lead and can go with anything at home. City Of Troy has that unbelievable rhythm and seems to just keep pushing it out and there doesn't seem to be any limit to his trip. He's a lovely-natured horse with that unusual demeanour and temperament. He has the stride and ability, speed and stamina all rolled into one.”
“Ryan said what happened at the Curragh had never happened to him before – he galloped out after the line down to the wall as if it wasn't there and I knew he'd go early today as there isn't too long a run to the pull-up here!,” O'Brien added. “Then going by the line he started to go again and was heading off and I thought 'oh no!' I wasn't going to run him when the rain came, as he's a really good-ground horse but the lads said to run and find out how he goes on it with the future in mind.
“Dean (Gallagher) has done an unbelievable job with him at home and he looks an incredibly special horse. He's exactly what John (Magnier) wanted from Justify, a true Classic horse. The (G2) Futurity, (G1) National and (G1) Dewhurst are all open to him. We backed him up a little bit quick here because the race came up for him and Little Big Bear was coming. The experience of coming over will stand him in good stead and we always like to try and travel them at two. He's got loads of speed and will go any distance, so there are many roads open to him.”
City Of Troy becomes the 14th stakes winner for Justify who will shuttle to Coolmore Stud, Australia, for the 2023 breeding season for a fee of $77,000 (inc GST),
United States of America
Danzing Candy's Yo Yo Candy upsets Sanford
Yo Yo Candy (USA) (Danzing Candy {USA}), a distant third behind Gold Sweep (USA) (Speightstown {USA}) in the Tremont S. downstate on June 11, pulled off a 46-1 shocker with blinkers added in Saturday's G3 Sanford S. at the 'Graveyard of Favorites.'
Yo Yo Candy debuted with a 3l victory going 4.5 furlongs at Parx on May 23 prior to his effort at 26-1 in the Tremont.
“I jumped from the balcony over here,” winning trainer Danny Velazquez said after winning his second career Graded stakes race. “I don't even know how I got here. This is a dream come true. As a kid you dream of winning races here and here I am.”
He continued, “The blinkers adjustment was huge. In his last race, we didn't have the blinkers because he won for the first time out and we were happy with that. I watched him break last time and he broke a little sluggishly. He has more speed than that tactically. I added the blinkers and took him back to the gate a couple of times after the race. I told Angel (Castillo), 'If he's as good as we think he is, we're going to be competitive.' No respect on the board, but we knew coming in that we did everything right coming into this race. I was very, very satisfied watching him out there warm up.”
Velazquez added that the G1 Hopeful S. on September 4 at Saratoga could be next.
Whitebeam upsets in Italian in Diana; Chad Brown goes 1-2
It was no surprise to see trainer Chad Brown standing in the winner's circle after saddling four out of the five runners in Saturday's G1 Diana S., including the race's defending winner and imposing 1-4 favorite 'TDN Rising Star' In Italian (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).
It was the longest-priced runner of the Brown-trained quartet and Juddmonte homebred Whitebeam (GB) (Caravaggio {USA}), however, who gave Brown his eighth win in the Diana with an upset nose victory at nearly 8-1 over the aforementioned chalk in Saturday's feature at the Spa.
“It's a very big part of our annual schedule,” Brown said of the Diana. “We circle this race early on and through the years, I've had so many nice fillies sent to me and my team from all over. Really, my team deserves all the credit for developing these horses. You're talking about eight runnings of this race (we've) won with all different kinds of horses – you have to have a lot of talent to be able to work with horses of all shapes and sizes from all over the world to continually show up in this race and have them ready. They deserve all the credit.
“It was really tight there and In Italian ran her heart out,” Brown said. “I think the turf's pretty soft and she was going pretty quick there. Whitebeam, she ran just a little bit better today and was able to handle the soft ground and showed a lot of heart late. (Whitebeam) trained as good as (any) in my top handful of horses all winter at Payson Park. I was shocked she got beat first time out (in the US) to be honest. She trained really well and I'm just so fortunate Juddmonte sent me this horse in excellent shape. This might be her limit (in distance) as far as what she wants to do, but she's just a beautiful, well-bred horse; a typical Juddmonte horse. She's always trained brilliantly.”
Brown added that Whitebeam and In Italian could target Keeneland's G1 First Lady S. on October 7. The latter won the one-mile contest in Lexington last fall.
