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Havana Grey's Vandeek has the answer in the Middle Park
The Simon and Ed Crisford-trained and KHK Racing-owned star juvenile Vandeek (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}) was utterly dominant in Saturday’s G1 Juddmonte Middle Park S. at Newmarket. Vandeek is the sixth G1 Prix Morny winner to win the double since 2012.
Placing behind the outstanding juvenile was Task Force (GB) (Frankel {GB}) who ran into second to deny River Tiber (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) the consolation prize by head.
“He's beautiful with a wonderful temperament and all of the talent to match,” Simon Crisford said. “That race took a lot of winning today and the Prix Morny was an exceptional race. When he hits the front he does tend to idle and look around a bit, but I couldn't see anything running him down so I was pretty hopeful in the last 100 yards.”
“We came here pretty confident, we knew we had something special,” Crisford Snr added. “He's been working exceptionally well and he's been such a kind horse to go with it, everything was great. He was flat out asleep until noon today. We couldn't get him up to come to the races. His mind is so good, which is important as it makes our job easy. This is something really special. He is one of the best 2-year-olds in the world and has never let us down.”
Crisford was also not discounting a return to the track for the G1 Dewhurst S. in a fortnight and added, “I think we're going to let the horse tell us as much as he can and we'll take it from there. He's a tall, leggy horse and he stands over a lot of ground, he could easily go further. Never say never, I think the person that will decide whether he comes back for the Dewhurst is the horse himself. If he tells us he wants to come here then we will.”
Winning rider James Doyle added, “I think he has shown all the qualities you need in a potential champion. He has shown he can do it on soft ground and fast ground, on a variety of tracks. It didn't go entirely to plan, as we kind of missed the break so I just came across and used Ryan (Moore) as a bit of a target as I wasn't convinced the ones drawn around us were the ones to be tracking so it actually panned out okay. By zooming across, I set him alight a bit so he took a bit of managing early. He is just a big ball of speed and when the gap came, he went through it pretty good.”
It was a red-letter day for the Crisford team shortly after Vandeek’s success, the training duo won the G2 Qatar Daniel Wildenstein at ParisLongchamp with Poker Face (Ire) (Fastnet Rock).
Porta Fortuna flies in the Cheveley Park
Donnacha O’Brien’s talented filly Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio {USA}) was a worthy victress of Saturday’s G1 Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket on Saturday.
The filly is raced by Steven Weston, Barry Fowler, Medallion Racing 2020 LLC and Reeves Racing had claimed the G3 Albany S. at Royal Ascot and has twice been placed at the Group 1 level previously. Ridden by Oisin Murphy, Porta Fortuna denied Pearls And Rubies (USA) (No Nay Never {USA}) and Sacred Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}).
“That is the first time she has had proper quick ground since Ascot and she seems to be a lot better on it back to six,” O'Brien said. “She is a very good filly. I think she is fine at seven, but I think ground is important to her as she seems to be a lot better on better ground as she travels and quickens. She hit the line strongly and the plan is to go to the Breeders' Cup and the mile. We think there is every chance she will get that as well.”
“Her performance in the Albany was probably one of the best performances of any filly and then she has probably run a little bit below par on slow ground on her last two runs and that is why she was a bit bigger in the betting, but thankfully she came back to her form today. She is very uncomplicated and very easy to train and usually the good ones are. She is owned by an American syndicate and the plan was to go to the Breeders' Cup at the end of the year, if that was how it turned out, so that is what we will do.”
“There is a lot of water to go under the bridge between now and the 1000 Guineas, but I suppose we would start her off in a trial over seven and make a decision then whether we go sprinting or go for the Guineas.”
Sea Silk Road too good for Royallieu rivals
It has been an outstanding weekend for progeny of the 2009 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victor Sea The Stars (Ire). Just Fine (Ire) gave the sire his 20th Group 1 winner in the Metropolitan H. at Randwick, Australia, while at ParisLongchamp Sea Silk Road (Ire) ran out a dominant 3l victress of the G1 Qatar Prix de Royallieu to become his 21st elite-level winner.
Sea Silk Road is raced by Sunderland Holding Inc who claimed this event last year with another daughter of Sea The Stars - Sea La Rosa (Ire).
“Mrs Tsui (owner) decided to keep her in training this year and she was right to do so as the filly is having a magnificent season,” said Maureen Haggas, wife of trainer William Haggas. “Last year, she was still very immature, but she has made big strides forward this season. She has strengthened up, won a Group 3 race before being placed in a Group 1, and today she has won her Group 1. She really picked up at the finish, but has sometimes tended to prick her ears and idle once she hits the front. We're going to discuss the next step together, but I suppose she could be retired to stud. You can't improve on a Group 1 win. It's very emotional because she was bought as a yearling by John Clarke, who passed away this year. This win is dedicated to his memory and we're all very emotional.”
Trueshan and Doyle prevail in Cadran
Jockey Hollie Doyle continued her successful association with the star stayer Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}) in Saturday’s 4000-metre G1 Qatar Prix du Cadran with a pillar-to-post victory.
Trainer Alan King, who did not make the journey to Paris, said, “I had a busy morning at home and I've just walked into Newmarket, but obviously I'm thrilled.
“I spoke to Hollie this morning and we thought there wasn't going to be much pace in the race. We said if that was the case we'd let him bowl along in front and he obviously loved it.
“He was more settled than he was at Doncaster and I think that was firstly because that run just knocked the freshness off him and second, he just settled well in front today.
“We were struggling with him in the early part of the year, but the little wind operation we gave him has clearly helped and it looks like he's right back to his best.”
Horizon Dore marches to another stakes success
The Patrice Cottier-trained Horizon Dore (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}) claimed another pattern-race feature when he took out Saturday’s G2 Qatar Prix Dollar.
The Group 2 success added to the in-form galloper’s G2 Prix Eugene Adam and G3 Prix du Prince d’Orange victories earlier in the year.
Connections advised Horizon Dore would head towards the G1 QIPCO Champion S.
Ghostwriter displays his class in the Royal Lodge
Ghostwriter (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) headed into Saturday’s G2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge S. at Newmarket as an untapped conveyance. However, it didn’t take long to realise the son of Invincible Spirit (Ire) has enough ability to count himself among the 2024 Classic contenders as he swept to deceive victory.
Ghostwriter, trained by Clive Cox and ridden by Richard Kingscote, scored a “Win and You're In” to the US$1 million (AU$1.56 million) G1 Prevagen Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, but Cox was not committing in the immediate aftermath. “He has been improving with every run and that was a big step to take,” he said. “I couldn't be more pleased with the way he has carried it out and he looks full of promise going forward. The dam won over a mile and a half and I think he has a very good middle-distance plan to go forward with. He might get a half, it is possible.
“He was very much in his comfort zone and Richard was able to play him exactly as he felt and he quickened nicely when he met the rising ground there and I couldn't be more pleased,” he added. “He has always been a nice horse, but he has always been maturing and having a frame to fill while keeping his strength moving forwards. This cements what we thought so far and the dream is very much alive for next year. We are normally known for our sprinters, but it is such a joy to have a horse like this on our hands as it does set the pulse racing. I'd say the way he is physically developing all the time means I'd probably be thinking about next year.”
United States of America
Slow Down Andy to tackle Breeders’ Cup Classic?
Slow Down Andy (USA) (Nyquist {USA}) gave his connections Reddam Racing and trainer Doug O’Neill something to think about when he ran out an easy winner of the G1 Awesome Again S. earning a berth into November’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Dr. Schivel outspeeds Speed Boat Beach
The superbly speedy Dr. Schivel (USA) (Violence {USA}) outlasted a returning Speed Boat Beach (USA) (Bayern {USA}) to claim the G2 Santa Anita Sprint Championship S. and secure his spot in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint in five weeks’ time.
Zozos lives up to star billing in Ack Ack
Barry and Joni Butzow's homebred and 'TDN Rising Star' Zozos (USA) (Munnings {USA}) took them all the way for an overdue first Graded stakes success in Saturday's G3 Ack Ack S., a 'Win and You're In' for the G1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.
“I didn't think he would get away with that easy of an early lead,” winning trainer Brad Cox said. “I thought Florent (Geroux) did a good job to not let Caddo River get too close on his outside. He's run well this year and trained well out of his last race at Monmouth.”
Cox continued, “I think he's now a really good one-turn horse. We'll see who's going where in the Breeders' Cup and make a decision on his next start soon. I don't know what we'd do if we don't go to the Breeders' Cup, but we'll let this horse tell us what's next. It's a lot to ask of any horse to make the trip from Kentucky to California against some of the best horses in the world.”
