Europe
Oisin Murphy and Godolphin combine for Group 1 glory in Germany
By Sean Cronin, TDN Europe
Saeed bin Suroor and Oisin Murphy teamed up to snag 2018's G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis - Bayerisches Zuchtrennen with Godolphin's Benbatl and repeated the dose in this year's renewal of the Munich feature when G3 Hampton Court Stakes runner-up Tornado Alert (Too Darn Hot) made a belated breakthrough in stakes company.
“We were uncertain about the (soft) ground, but he loved it and it's fantastic to win a Group 1 on this fellow,” commented Oisin Murphy. “He ran very well in the G1 Derby, he was second at Royal Ascot and today he was brilliant.”
The 51-10 chance raced second through the early stages, but was shuffled back one spot along the backstraight. Coming under pressure to regain second soon after turning for home, he seized control passing the quarter-mile marker and was ridden out thereafter to comfortably hold Wathan Racing's first German Group 1 contestant Map Of Stars (Sea The Stars) by 2.5l. Stall Lucky Owner's G1 Deutsches Derby third Lazio (Make Believe) fared best of the remainder and finished 1.25l adrift in third.
Pedigree Notes Tornado Alert becomes the fourth Group 1 winner and 16th pattern-race scorer for his sire, who is also responsible for Saturday's G3 Princess Margaret Stakes victrix Fitzella and Listed Marble City Stakes winner Emit. He is the second Group 1 winner produced by Bint Almatar (Kingmambo), whose first was G1 Metropolitan Handicap hero Just Fine (Sea The Stars). The February-foaled bay's second dam, stakes-winning G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches runner-up Firth Of Lorne (Danehill), has four black-type winners to her credit headed by multiple Grade 1-winning Breeders' Cup Mile hero Master Of The Seas (Dubawi) and G3 UAE Oaks victrix Falls Of Lora (Street Cry).
The latter's progeny includes multiple Group 1-winning dual G1 Australian Cup victor Cascadian (New Approach) and G1 Summer Stakes winner Albahr (Dubawi). Firth Of Lorne is the leading performer for G3 Cherry Hinton Stakes victrix Kerrera (Diesis), herself kin to G2 Gimcrack Stakes-winning sire Rock City. Bint Almatar has the 2-year-old colt Wadi (Earthlight), a yearling filly by Zoustar and a weanling colt by Sea The Stars to come.
America
Sovereignty continues to rule in the Jim Dandy
By Sean Cronin, TDN America
Ninety-five years ago, a horse named Jim Dandy upset Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox at odds of 100-1 in the G1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga. Saturday, with the traditional Travers prep race now named in honor of that monumental beating, the team behind G1 Kentucky Derby and G1 Belmont Stakes winner Sovereignty (Into Mischief) reminded everyone why their colt is the top of the class, avoiding any drama to take the G2 Jim Dandy Stakes. Not that there was ever any doubt. With G1 Preakness Stakes winner Journalism (Curlin) 3000 miles away in California, Sovereignty was left to deal with four rivals he'd already soundly beaten before.
There was Baeza (McKinzie), who ran second to Journalism in the G1 Santa Anita Derby before settling for third in both the Derby and the Belmont. Mark Casse runner Sandman (Tapit), who debuted with blinkers Saturday, could do no better than seventh in the Derby and third in the Preakness.
Hill Road (Quality Road), who won the traditional Belmont prep in the G3 Peter Pan Stakes, wound up fifth in the final leg of the Triple Crown. The only new shooter on the scene was New York-bred Mo Plex (Complexity) who projected to be the speed of the race off a nice win in the G3 Ohio Derby at Thistledown last month.
“I'd say it was good, it was a winning trip, a winning ride, a winning run,” said winning conditioner Bill Mott. “We hope he comes back good and hopefully he trains as well for the Travers as he did for this. It is interesting (running closer to the pace). Junior (Alvarado) said by the time he got to the first turn he was already starting to relax with him. I guess in some races it is good to be able to have a little early position, rather than come from as far back as he did in the Derby and some of his other races.”
Of his star's next expected start, Mott said, “We are trying to get ready for the Travers and that is the main objective for everybody, I think. It is a race I've never won, and I'd really like to win it before I check out (laughs). We'll give it our best go.”
“I was 100% confident of what I had underneath of me.” Alvarado added. “(Sovereignty) got to get out and I stayed with my horse and by a little bit before the three-eighths pole when I asked him, he started picking it up a little bit. He just jumped right away and went after them. Then I didn't want to kind of pass by those horses right away. I didn't want him to be on the lead too early turning for home so I kind of nursed him out a little bit with those horses. When I asked him, right after we turned for home, he took off and then after that once again just doing enough to keep him in the lead without really asking him for his best. I got to about 75%, 80% out of him. We thought this was a prep. We don't need to get everything out of him today. That was the idea and sometimes those are the races you have to run and I thought we were kind of taking it easy coming into the stretch and just hoping for his best and that's what he did. Now, for the next couple races coming up, we are going to do what we did in the Derby and the Belmont.”
Pedigree Note: Sovereignty is yet another Grade 1-winning son of super-sire Into Mischief who also counts Derby winner Authentic to his credit. It's also a feather in the cap for leading broodmare sire Bernardini whose daughters have 118 stakes winners including champion 2-year-old filly Immersive (Nyquist).
Godolphin made a splash into the family by picking up first dam Crowned for US$1.2 million (AU$1.82 million) as a yearling at Keeneland September in 2014. Crowned, who passed in 2024, was a daughter of G1 Juddmonte Spinster winner Mushka who sold for seven figures twice in her own career before lastly bringing US$650,000 (AU$988,200) at the 2016 Keeneland November Sale for SF Bloodstock and Newgate Farm. Sovereignty has two full sisters, one of whom was a winner. Crowned's last foal was a yet-to-be-named Nyquist colt born last year.
