Cover image courtesy of Racingfotos.com
Enable wins third King George
A late-night scratch of Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) on Friday left Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) facing only two rivals in the G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot on Saturday. While both rival hailed from the same barn, in the end she made her third victory in the race look like a paid workout.
Looking to become the first three-time winner of the race, Enable allowed Sovereign (Ire) (Galileo) to lead by open lengths for much of the race with his stablemate Japan (GB) (Galileo) in last as they galloped around the track in a downpour. Ridden by William Buick, Sovereign looked to be weakening with 800 metres left to run and soon had Buick pulling out all the stops to stay ahead of Enable as they swung into the stretch.
All Enable needed was for Frankie Dettori to ask her for another gear to take the lead and it was clear she wouldn’t be threatened as she made easy work of the field. Given a tap with 300 metres left to run, Enable sped up yet again to win by 5.5l over Sovereign with Japan proving to hate the weather when finishing 16.5l behind the winner.
"Enable has really, really trained beautifully for this race,” said trainer John Gosden. “I made it very clear to everyone that she wasn't tuned properly for a mile and a quarter [in the Eclipse last out] at that pace, but the race put her right. I told Frankie to ride her with a lot of confidence and travel for a long as he could, and she did. She is back in top order, no doubt about that. We have been thrilled with her at home. I never expect things like that but I was expecting to see that, but life can be full of disappointments.”
The third winner by Galileo or one of his sons in the last decade, Enable also gave Dettori a seventh victory in the race to tie him with Lester Piggott for all-time number of King George victories.
"She is unbelievable,” Dettori enthused. “As a six-year-old and John has done a great job to keep her going. Three King Georges has never been done before and now we have to try the impossible and go for three Arcs. What a horse, what can you say? It's no burden to say I love her so much. My favourite girl! "She is so consistent and I love her. It is very sad that I am only going to be on her for another couple of months. She has touched my heart.”
The best of the six winners from six runners out of Listed winning Concentric (GB) (Sadler’s Wells {USA}), Enable is a half-sister to two other stakes placed horses with her 3-year-old three-quarters’ sister Portrush (GB) (Frankel {GB}) breaking her maiden last week.
As to be expected from a Juddmonte homebred, Enable has a strong page behind her with her dam a full sister to Group 2 winner Dance Routine (GB), who is also the dam of U.S. Champion Flintshire (GB) (Dansili {GB}). Overall, under Enable’s first two dams are 15 stakes horses and 12 stakes winners.
Volatile continues win streak in Alfred Vanderbilt
Making his Grade 1 debut, a bit of drama before the start of the G1 Alfred G Vanderbilt S. didn’t deter Volatile (USA) (Violence {USA}) from running a professional race with the colt leading all the way to register his fourth straight victory.
The grey broke sharply in the 1200 metre race and had his nose in front from the beginning with Mind Control (USA) (Stay Thirsty {USA}) and Whitmore (USA) (Pleasantly Perfect {USA}) closely attending him. Speeding up as they worked their way to the finish, Volatile opened up a length lead going into the turn and still held his advantage as they entered the stretch.
It looked like he may be threatened with 300 metres left to run but he quickly put that to bed when jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. asked him to run on and he won by 1.25l. Whitmore proved to be the best of the other three in the race with Mind Control holding on to third over Firenze Fire (USA) (Poseidon’s Warrior {USA}).
"For a Grade 1 sprint race to be allowed that first quarter was very fortunate,” said trainer Steve Asmussen. “I think the anxious moments were all pre-race with the incident at the gate. Once he was away from the gate smoothly and they threw up the first quarter, he would be awfully hard to beat from there. We saw the first two races from him this year and they were absolutely brilliant. I feel very good about getting those races into him before he met accomplished horses like this. But from an ability or a speed level, he has it all."
An $850,000 Keeneland September purchase by Kerri Radcliffe for Phoenix Thoroughbreds and co-purchaser Three Chimneys Farm, the colt registered his fifth career victory from six starts and became the third worldwide Grade 1 winner for Violence.
One of two stakes winners on the day for his sire, Volatile is a full brother to Listed winning Buy Sell Hold (USA) and one of 24 Grade 1 winners out of Unbridled’s Song (USA) mares. Their Listed-winning dam Melody Lady (USA) is a daughter of dual Grade 1 winner Lady Tak (USA) (Mutakddim {USA}) and a half-sister to Listed winner A Shin Spartan (USA) (Zensational {USA}).
Volatile comes from the extended family of Deanna’s Bird (USA) (Storm Bird {USA}), the matriarch of an Australian family that includes Group 3 Bunbury Cup winner Load And Lockett (Serheed {USA}) among five stakes winners from the mare’s immediate line in the country.
Belgarion secures first Group 1 in Durban July
It was a stampede to the finish in Saturday’s G1 Vodacom Durban July at Greyville but in the end, it was Belgarion (SAF) (Dynasty {SAF}) who took home his first Group 1 victory by 0.75l.
Racing over 2200 metres, Belgarion spent his first few hundred metres trying to angle toward the rail from his wide barrier with the gelding positioning himself toward the back of the field. As the field settled down to tackle the majority of the race, Silvano’s Pride (SAF) (Silvano {Jpn}) set the pace over 5l in front of the spread-out field with Belgarion nearly 20l behind the leader at one point.
As they swung into the straight for the final 400 metres, the leader came back to the field and it was anyone’s race from there.
Belgarion found a path near the outside rail and showed a strong kick as he hooked other runners in midpack who were also aiming for the lead. With 100 metres left, the gelding had reached the leading trio and was still full of steam as he passed Got The Greenlight (SAF) (Gimmethegreenlight) to take the win.
Got The Greenlight was able to stay on for second when keeping his head in front of Do It Again (SAF) (Twice Over {GB}) with Golden Ducat (SAF) (Philanthropist {USA}) 1l behind them in fourth.
By the late Dynasty, Belgarion is a full brother to Group 3 placed Qing (SAF) and half-sister to two other stakes-placed runners.
Maximum Security returns a winner in San Diego
A barn change, five-month layoff, and misstep couldn’t stop Maximum Security (USA) (New Year’s Day {USA}) on Saturday when he registered a win in the G2 San Diego H. for his fifth consecutive victory.
Going immediately to the lead in the 1700 metre race, Maximum Security was joined by Midcourt (USA) (Midnight Lute {USA}) around the first turn. That rival took the lead as they entered the backstretch as Maximum Security started easing up to drop back to a distant third under Abel Cedillo.
The colt regained his stride half-way up the backstretch and refocused on Midcourt as he joined the second-placed Higher Power (USA) (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}) with Midcourt 1l in front of the pair. Cedillo had to urge the colt on from the time they entered the turn but Maximum Security dug in deep to catch Midcourt and enter into a knock out battle down the stretch.
Neither horse was willing to give in in the final 300 metres with Maximum Security just able to get his nose in front of Midcourt at the line with Higher Power 6 1/4 lengths behind the pair in third.
The victory was his first for trainer Bob Baffert, who took over training duties from Jason Servis earlier this year when that trainer was indicted on doping-related charges in March.
It was the latest chapter in a tumutulous career for last year’s U.S. Champion 3-Year-Old with Maximum Security making his debut in a $16,000 claiming race in December 2018 before working his way up to becoming a three-time Grade 1 winner.
The colt also crossed the wire first in last year’s G1 Kentucky Derby, though was controversially disqualified to 17th for interference. He came back that summer to win the G1 Haskell Invitational S. and G1 Cigar Mile to secure his Championship honours.
Maximum Security is one of three winners from four to run out of Lil Indy (USA) (Anasheed {USA}), who was exported to South Korea in 2018 after selling for US$11,000 at Keeneland’s November Breeding Sale. The mare was repatriated the following Spring thanks to her son’s early season exploits and sold for US$1.85 million last November at the same sale.
A two-time winner herself, Lil Indy is out of two-time Listed winner Cresta Lil (USA) (Cresta Rider {USA}), who is also the dam of three-time Grade 1 winner Flat Out (USA) (Flatter {USA}) and Listed winner Our Best Man (USA) (Runaway Groom {USA}).
Last year’s Champion 3-Year-Old colt in the United States, Maximum Security is set to retire to Coolmore’s Ashford Stud in Kentucky upon retirement after the operation purchased 50 per cent of him from owner-breeders Gary and Mary West last year.
Aspetar pulls upset in York Stakes
Going off at odds of 11-1, Aspetar (Fr) (Al Kazeem {GB}) found the winner’s enclosure for the first time since winning a Group 1 in Germany last September with a win in Saturday’s G2 York S. over 2100 metres.
Breaking widest from the barrier, Aspetar raced last just behind Lord Glitters (Fr) (Whipper {USA}) as Elarqam (GB) (Frankel {GB}) set the pace. The field was willing to let Elarqam have a fairly unpressured lead about 1l in front of the pack until they swung into the stretch for the last 800 metres.
Nearly all of the field elected to stay on the inside rail while King Of Comedy (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) chose the far outside path as they straightened in for the run home. With 600 metres, Aspetar crept up from his last place position and by the time the field hit the final 400, he’d taken over the lead.
Lord Glitters tried to chase him down on the centre of the track while Fox Chairman (Ire) (Kingman {Ire}) ran up the inside rail but there was no catching the winner, who won under a vigorous hand ride with only a few taps near the line.
A homebred for Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the gelding is trained by his sire’s trainer Roger Charlton.
One of two stakes winners for his subfertile sire, Aspetar is also one of two stakes horses for Bella Qatara (Ire) (Dansili {GB}). From three-time Group 1 winner Alexandrova (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells {USA}), Bella Qatara is a half-sister to Fastnet Rock’s Group 2 winning Somehow (Ire) among three group stakes-winning siblings.
Alexandrova is also a half-sister to the dam of Listed Warrnambool Cup winner Tall Ship (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who is in training with Dale Wagstaff in Australia.
