Europe
Inspiral gives Dettori 500
Frankie Dettori's farewell tour took another notable turn on Saturday as Cheveley Park Stud's brilliant Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) dominated the G1 Sun Chariot S. to provide the rider with his 500th Newmarket winner.
Running into second was Mqse De Sevigne (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}), with Heredia (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) back in third.
“She showed the world today what a superstar horse she is,” Dettori said after the expected warm welcome back to the winner's enclosure he knows so well and where he received a curtsey from the filly's owner-breeder Patricia Thompson. “We knew the pace wasn't going to be that strong and she wants a much stronger tempo. She has got a crescendo of three furlongs and I didn't want to mess around so I thought, 'Come on let's go and let them come and try to catch you'. She has strode out really well.”
“She gave me a nightmare ride in France, but today she was good,” Dettori added. “I was quite worried when she was so quiet, as when they are quiet it is maybe because they are over the top or maybe they are in season, but that wasn't the case. She was quiet because she was having a good day. It has been my home for 38 years. It is fantastic to be able to do it in a Group 1 on a special filly. I couldn't have written a better ending.”
Stakes winner 35 for Starspangledbanner
The Coolmore-based sire Starspangledbanner sired his 35th stakes winner overnight at the Curragh courtesy of the Fozzie Stack-trained Aussie Girl (Ire).
Aussie Gal proved too slick for her rivals in the Listed Testimonial S.
Winning rider Colin Keane said, “She probably deserved that as she has been very consistent in Listed and Group company.
“She jumps, she travels and she’s tough.”
Second stakes winner for Calyx
Patrice Cottier trainee Classic Flower (GB) (Calyx {GB}) had collected prizemoney for the Gousserie Racing and Jean-Etienne Dubois partnership in all three prior black-type outings and held firm against a strong British raiding party to double her freshman sire's Pattern-race tally in Saturday's G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte at Chantilly.
“Classic Flower had not been blessed with luck in her last couple of races (over seven furlongs) and six is probably her optimum trip,” said Pauline Chebhoub. “She was freshened up, the break did her a lot of good and she looked outstanding in the preliminaries today. Travelling handy is probably better for her and she deserved to win at this level. She will come back next year with Classic ambition.”
Galileo's Content on top at the Curragh
Ballydoyle second string Content (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) sent to post as an unconsidered 20-1 chance returning off a sub-par sixth in last month's G3 Weld Park S., stepped forward in style to claim a first stakes triumph in Saturday's G3 Staffordstown Stud S. at the Curragh.
“It was a nice spare (ride) to get,” expressed Chris Hayes. “She's obviously well-bred and if you ignored her last run, and came straight here from Champions Weekend, she had to have a chance. She rolled around a little bit late on, but it's holding ground and we were going an even tempo. Aidan (O'Brien) wanted to teach her, so it was important to get cover and a smooth run. I think she will improve and she won snug in the end.”
Content becomes the 248th Pattern-race winner for her sire and the first for dual G1 Nunthorpe S. heroine Mecca's Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}).
United States of America
Krikorian and Justify on fire
Prominent owner George Krikorian and Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott enjoyed a productive weekend adding two new Group 1 winners to their honour roll.
The Mott-trained and Kirkorian-owned Just F Y I (USA) supplied her Triple Crown-winning sire Justify (USA) with his fourth individual Group 1 winner worldwide when she took the G1 Frizette S. at Aqueduct Racetrack.
“The track was the big question and we didn't know,” Mott said after saddling his first Frizette winner since 1998. “You don't know until you run them. We thought she was a nice filly and, in this day and age, I guess if you break your maiden impressively you're looking at going to a stakes race because there aren't many allowance races.”
As for a start in the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita, Mott added, “That would be the plan today. We'll wait and see how she comes back and go from there.”
Krikorian and Mott were also represented one race earlier on the card by G1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S. winner War Like Goddess (USA) (English Channel {USA}).
“It's very special,” Mott said. “Mr Krikorian has been a very good client and he sends me some horses that he thinks are going to be okay. I have a small group of horses for him, but they are all quite nice.”
Krikorian added, “It's very special. I couldn't be more pleased, I'm ecstatic.”
Candy Ride's Candied stays perfect in Darley Alcibiades
Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Candied (USA) (Candy Ride {Arg}) stayed perfect while stretching to two turns in Friday's 'Win and You're In' G1 Darley Alcibiades at Keeneland.
“That was my biggest concern,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said of Candied diving into the deep end at just second asking here. “I thought the filly had the talent to do it. I was just concerned about the seasoning. Several of the fillies in here that we had to beat today had good, solid campaigns and she was just making her second start.”
Pletcher continued, “But I'll tell you, she trained impressively before her debut and she then just kept getting better afterwards. She was finishing her work and galloping out like she wanted more ground. Luis (Saez) has been pretty high on her since he first worked her at Saratoga, so we're happy to see her meet expectations.”
Super sire on the board
Leading North American sire Into Mischief (USA) added two new stakes winners to his tally over the weekend, bringing his total to 137 stakes winners worldwide.
The Siena Farm and WinStar Farm-raced Timberlake (USA) took the G1 Champagne S. at Aqueduct.
The victory prompted trainer Brad Cox to consider the colt for the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in November.
“He ran good,” winning trainer Brad Cox said. “I was very proud of him. He got a good, clean trip today. Florent (Geroux, jockey) did a great job. He got away well. We had a bit of a rough trip in the Hopeful. I thought with a little bit of a cleaner run he maybe would have got to the wire first, but that's the way it goes. I'm very proud of the effort today. It was a huge win.”
Cox continued, “You obviously turn your attention to the Breeders' Cup (Juvenile) as it comes up first. We'll get him back to Kentucky and see how he comes out of it and let him tell us if we take a march towards Santa Anita. We'll enjoy this victory and go from there.”
The king of Spendthrift then saw his Group 1-winning daughter Gina Romantica (USA) add the G1 First Lady S. at Keeneland.
While at Gulfstream Park, Into Mischief’s daughter Three Witches (USA), scored the G3 Princess Rooney S.
She's headed to Santa Anita to line up in an all-expenses paid spot in the G1 PNC Bank Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.
“She's run some decent races where she showed some glimpses of hope and then she'd disappoint after a couple races,” said trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. “We gave her a break and she came back to win well. Today, she put it together. Obviously, she had to make a jump, and she did.”
“The Breeders' Cup, we'll talk about. It's another jump up. She earned the right to go. We'll have to decide. (Owner) Bob Edwards is going to make that decision. I'll give him feedback on how she's doing, but he'll make the call,” Joseph added.
Gun Runner’s super Saturday
The Three Chimneys Farm-based Gun Runner (USA) brought his stakes tally to 23 after his juveniles - Chatalas (USA) and Locked (USA) took out stakes races over the weekend.
Rancho Temescal Thoroughbreds and Dan Agnew's Chatalas took out the G2 Chandelier S. at Santa Anita Saturday and earning a 'Win and You're In' berth to the G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.
“Cloud nine, now that would describe it,” said Agnew. “Especially with a homebred like this, it is a great thrill and Mark's (Glatt) done a great job with the filly. The man that was on the farm said, 'This is one I think you ought to keep and I think he was right.' I think the way Gun Runner has proven a great sire to both fillies and colts was a big reason I decided to keep her and race her. On to the Breeders' Cup. We hope that she comes out well and we are looking forward to it.”
While Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Walmac Farm's Locked showed his class as the 3-5 favorite while overcoming a wide trip in Saturday's 'Win and You're In' G1 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity S. at Keeneland.
“He's a colt that we always felt like the further, the better,” said winning trainer Todd Pletcher.
“He kind of got a little bit of two-turn experience in that sort-of two-turn mile race at Saratoga, which is always a difficult race. But I thought he was super impressive at Saratoga, and he's just been a colt that's done everything right since day one.”
Pletcher added, “You like to think it moves them forward. He was hung out very wide on both turns. He didn't have a real easy trip, but he's talented enough to overcome it.”
Good Magic's 'rising star' Muth takes the American Pharoah
Zedan Racing Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Muth (USA) (Good Magic {USA}) second after pressing a blistering pace in the G3 Best Pal S. showed a new dimension by coming off the pace while making his two-turn debut in style in Saturday's 'Win and You're In' G1 American Pharoah S. at Santa Anita. It was 4l back to his Bob Baffert-trained stablemate Wine Me Up (USA) (Vino Rosso {USA}) in second.
Japan
Bricks And Mortar sires first stakes winner in Japan
American Horse of the Year Bricks And Mortar (USA) sired his first stakes winner when his first-crop son Gonbade Qabus (Jpn) ran out a 2l winner of the G3 Saudi Arabia Royal Cup at Tokyo on Saturday.
