Europe
Sensational Chaldean provides Frankel his Guineas winner on Frankie’s farewell
Persistent rain in the lead-up to Saturday's G1 Qipco 2000 Guineas turned the ground to Soft at Newmarket and while several of the race's big names floundered, Juddmonte's ultra-professional Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) stayed straight and true to win with authority.
Providing Frankie Dettori with the ultimate final ride in the mile Classic, the Andrew Balding-trained second favourite tracked the TDN Rising Star Hi Royal (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) up the centre and as that horse began to veer left heading into the dip and duly took control.
Forging clear up the rising ground, the G3 Acomb S., G2 Champagne S. and G1 Dewhurst S. hero who had dramatically unseated Dettori at the start of the G3 Greenham S. a fortnight earlier, hit the line strong with 1.25l to spare over the Kevin Ryan-trained outsider. Royal Scotsman (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) was 0.5l away in third as the hot favourite Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) to beat only two rivals home and one of those was the last-placed Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never {USA}) who pulled up lame after an interference.
“I can't believe it's really happened, it's mad and I have mixed emotions, I don't know whether to laugh or cry,” Dettori said. “My last Guineas, to win it in front of my home crowd, it's amazing and beyond my wildest dreams.”
Other than when he was beaten on his debut at two and when finishing riderless in the Greenham, Chaldean has proven as reliable as he is classy.
Although Chaldean’s trainer Andrew Balding had doubts about the colt’s stamina.
“I was a bit worried about the mile in this ground, but what a brilliant ride from Frankie,” the master of Kingsclere said after greeting his second 2000 Guineas winner in four years,” Balding said.
“What can't you say about Frankie? Since I've been involved in the sport he's been an omnipresent superstar of the sport and what a fitting way to ride his last 2000 Guineas.
“What can't you say about Frankie? Since I've been involved in the sport he's been an omnipresent superstar of the sport and what a fitting way to ride his last 2000 Guineas.” - Andrew Balding
“He always looked to be travelling comfortably, I was just a bit worried about getting past Oisin (Murphy, jockey) because he can get extra lengths out of a horse. It's a mixture of relief and elation, it's a big deal.”
The master of Ballydoyle, Aidan O’Brien said of his pair, “It was a non-event for Ryan's (Moore) horse (Auguste Rodin) and then Wayne's (Lordan) horse (Little Big Bear) got badly bumped and just got lit up. The whole thing was a bit of a non-event really. The travelling over is what it is.”
The 2023 edition of the G1 2000 Guineas provided the Juddmonte Farms-based Frankel (GB) with his first G1 2000 Guineas success after winning the race himself in 2011.
Chaldean is the sixth foal from the Dutch Art (GB) mare Suelita (GB). She in addition to Chaldean has produced the G2 Mill Reef S. winner Alkumait (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) and the Listed winner The Broghie Man (GB) (Cityscape {GB}).
Frankel is standing the 2023 breeding season for £275,000 (AU$511,000) at Juddmonte Farms’ Barnstead Manor.
No Nay Never sires 47th stakes winner
The Joseph O’Brien-trained Caroline Street (USA) (No Nay Never {USA}) provided her sire with his 47th stakes winner in the G3 Blue Wind S.
Caroline Street found plenty in the straight to lead home her stablemate Lumiere Rock (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) in the 2000-metre Naas feature.
“They are two very nice fillies and it was a great result,” said O'Brien. “I was quite impressed with Caroline Street and, when Dylan (Browne McMonagle) asked for a bit of gas at the bottom of the straight he was nearly taking her back. We were going a mile-and-a-quarter and she's a No Nay Never, so we were riding her patiently and he gave her a lovely confident ride.
“We might look at the G1 Pretty Polly and we'll have a look at the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas. There is the Saratoga Oaks in the autumn and that would be a nice target for her, but she will have to go somewhere between now and then. She's handled soft (going), so I think she's pretty versatile ground-wise.”
Caroline Street, who becomes the 28th Pattern-race winner for her sire No Nay Never (USA) and his 47th stakes winner overall.
The filly is the first of three foals produced by G3 Gallinule S. third Harvestfortheworld (Ire), a daughter of the Coolmore Australia-based So You Think (NZ).
Rising star for Starspangledbanner
Donnacha O’Brien-trained and Atlantic Thoroughbreds'-owned Devious (GB) (Starspangledbanner) ran out an impressive winner at Naas in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.
Backed into favouritism, Devious, a 140,000gns (AU$230,500) Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1 graduate, was reserved in mid-division early by Gavin Ryan before being allowed to cruise to the front, and soon clear, the powerful chestnut who hails from the family of Attraction (GB) (Efisio {GB}) may have been idling late as Mr Saturday (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) narrowed the margin to 2l.
“He's always worked like a fair one,” the trainer said of the winner.
“He shouldn't be that fast being that big and strong, I'd say he's a proper one. I was thinking coming here today that we could look at the Coventry, but showing the speed that he did we could look at the Norfolk maybe instead. We have nothing that can take him off the bridle at home, he's just natural. He's got so much boot that the nice ground helps him, but he would get slower ground as well as he's big and powerful.”
Devious is the fifth foal from the Motivator (GB) mare Federation (GB). She was placed in the G3 Hillsborough S. at Tampa Bay Downs.
Starspangledbanner will return to Coolmore Australia for the 2023 breeding season for $33,000 (inc GST).
United States
Mage takes the Kentucky Derby
Mage (USA) (Good Magic {USA}) is officially the 149th winner of the GI Kentucky Derby.
The lightly raced G1 Florida Derby runner-up, off at odds of 15-1, took advantage of a torrid early pace and rallied from as far back as 16th to reel in a very game Two Phil's (USA) (Hard Spun {USA}) by 1l. Angel of Empire (USA) (Classic Empire {USA}) also came flying from far back to finish back in third.
Kentucky Derby morning-line favourite Forte (USA) (Violence {USA}), 1l ahead of Mage in the final Gulfstream prep, was sensationally withdrawn on the morning of the race with a foot issue, the well-documented fifth defection from the 2000-metre Classic.
Mage, a US$235,000 (AU$350,200) Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase turned US$290,000 (AU$430,600) Fasig-Tipton's Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale breezer, is campaigned in partnership by Gustavo Delgado's OGMA Investments, LLC, Ramiro Restrepo, Sam Herzberg's Sterling Racing LLC and Brian Doxtator and Chase Chamberlin's CMNWLTH. He is trained by Venezuela native Delgado.
A three-time winner of his home country's equivalent of the Triple Crown, Delgado's previous Grade 1 winners on these shores includes Paola Queen (USA) (Flatter {USA}) and Bodexpress (USA) (Bodemeister {USA}).
“It's an amazing feeling,” winning co-owner and assistant trainer Gustavo Delgado, Jr. said. “I felt so confident going into this race because my dad was the trainer. And he was telling me step by step what he was doing with the horse. It was a masterpiece.”
Restrepo, Fasig-Tipton's South Florida Field Representative and owner of Marquee Bloodstock added, “The emotions are just through the roof, obviously. The ownership group is four different groups from four different backgrounds, all different age ranges and nationalities. I mean, it's one heck of a melting pot that came together for this horse.
“Gustavo Sr. as a trainer has had so much success in South America, and he has come here and has always had a small boutique stable, and has always wanted to increase his presence to have more quality horses with a lot more owners.
“Myself as a bloodstock agent, who has been trying to increase his profile as well, we kind of combined forces three years ago to start buying horses domestically and internationally and try to invest a little money and use the relationships that I have here to bring in people that are willing to have the faith to go forward with us and take the swing.”
Mage joins some very exclusive company to win the Derby while making just his fourth career start. The filly Regret (USA) (Broomstick {USA}) did it way back in 1915, dual Classic winner Big Brown (USA) ended the drought in 2008 and Triple Crown winner Justify (USA) pulled it off most recently in 2018.
A front-running debut winner sprinting at Gulfstream on January 28, Mage was an unlucky fourth after an impossible trip while making his two-turn debut in the G2 Fountain of Youth S. and ran too good to lose after unleashing an explosive five-wide rally on the far turn and leading in the deep stretch last time in the Florida Derby.
“I'm so thankful for the opportunity to ride the horse,” the four-time Eclipse Award winner Castellano said. “The whole team gave me the opportunity to ride this horse in the biggest race in the world. I had a lot of confidence in myself this year would be the year. I thought this year would be the year. This horse was unbelievable today.”
“The whole team gave me the opportunity to ride this horse (Mage) in the biggest race in the world. I had a lot of confidence in myself this year would be the year. I thought this year would be the year. This horse was unbelievable today.” - Javier Castellano
Forte’s co-owner Mike Repole of Repole Stable commented on the scratching of the star colt, “This is part of racing, it’s the cruel part. We believe it was a stone bruise and you know they can heal in a day or they can take a week. Watching Todd (Pletcher) and his staff just handle the situation with grace and notify the vets. We did x-rays which confirmed a stone bruise.
“You can only be a 3-year-old on the first Saturday in May once, but a fever and stone bruises aren’t an excuse; I just feel for the colt. However, he may be ready to run in the Preakness, Todd and I will probably need more recovery. I feel awful for the connections, but the horse will be fine.
“My dad is 83 and my mum is 78, as other connections are in their 70s too, so I feel immense pressure to get them into a Derby winner more than I do myself.”
Good Magic (USA) may have lost the battle for leading First Crop Sire as 2022 drew to a close, finishing second to the Spendthrift Farm-based Bolt D'Oro (USA) by a slim margin, but he has certainly won the war.
The Hill 'n' Dale sire, who himself finished second in the 2018 Derby to Justify (USA) (third on that same first-crop sire list last year) after a championship juvenile campaign, is now safely perched alone on top. He came into this year's Derby with two chances–Mage and Reincarnate (USA) –and now leads the second-crop sire charts with two winners at the highest level in his nascent sire career. Good Magic has sired nine stakes winners and has been standing this season for US$50,000 (AU$75,000).
It's impossible to mention Good Magic without also noting his sire, Curlin (USA) who was third in the 2007 Derby–also in his fourth career start–and also stands at Hill 'n' Dale as one of the elite sires in the US. Curlin has no fewer than four sons who have sired Grade I winners and this marks the second consecutive year one of his sons has sired the Derby winner after Keen Ice (USA) supplied 80-1 Rich Strike (USA) last year. Curlin had another moment in the sun earlier on this year's Derby undercard when the Godolphin-owned Cody's Wish (USA) captured the GI Churchill Downs S.
