Ave Maria Unrivaled Belle Retired High Society!
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SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 2011 For information about TDN, call 732-747-8060. AVE MARIA HIGH SOCIETY! Who=s better than Awesome Maria (Maria=s Mon)? So With the absence of ante-post favorite Delegator (GB) far this year, nobody. The grey filly made it a perfect (Dansili {GB}) due to unsuitable track conditions, the four-for-four in 2011 with a decisive three-length final-day feature of this year=s Royal Ascot meet, the victory in the GI Ogden Phipps H. G1 Golden Jubilee at Belmont Park Saturday. The S., lost a bit of 3-5 choice, she shadowed the luster, but last pace through a half in :45.70, year=s 50-1 then grabbed a short lead and runner-up Society raced head-and-head with Life At Rock (Ire) (Rock of Ten (Malibu Moon) around the Gibraltar {Ire}), turn. Awesome Maria took who relished Horsephotos control at the top of the lane and getting his toe in, drew clear. AShe=s been pretty exploded from the impressive every start this year,@ trainer Todd Pletcher pack to register a said. Payton d=Oro (Medaglia d=Oro), last in the five- career high at half Trainer James Fanshawe (top hat) and horse field at the quarter pole, came on to be second. those odds this Society Rock Racing Post/Edward Whitaker Cont. p7 time. Squeezed for room early, the James Fanshawe-trained bay came with UNRIVALED BELLE RETIRED a withering run inside the final furlong to collar Unrivaled Belle (m, 5, Unbridled=s Song--Queenie Australia=s Star Witness (Aus) (Starcraft {NZ}) and had Belle, by Bertrando), the winner of the 2010 enough in the tank to safely hold the equally fast finish GI Breeders= Cup Ladies= Classic, flipped in the paddock of Monsieur Chevalier (Ire) (Chevalier {Ire}). AI=m prior to Saturday=s GI Ogden Phipps H. at Belmont Park, absolutely thrilled with the horse,@ enthused Fanshawe. and fractured the bone in her withers. She will be AHe=s been slightly forgotten after his second here last retired. AShe didn=t come down with a big thud, it was year, but he was never really right afterwards. He has more of a soft landing, but when she got up I knew taken his time to fire in the spring, but his last two immediately she had broken her withers,@ trainer Bill pieces of work have been excellent, and it=s fantastic Mott said. AI=ve had horses come back and win stakes that he=s come good.@ Cont. p2 after they break their withers, but she=ll be retired and go on to be a broodmare.@ Bred and raced by Gary Seidler and Peter Vegso, the grey mare had a stellar season last year, running first or second in six of her seven starts. She captured the GIII Rampart S. at Gulfstream and GII La Troienne S. at Churchill, then was runner-up in three Grade Is in a row--the Phipps, the Ruffian and the Beldame. Off at 7-1 in the BC Ladies= Classic, she closed from fifth to take the lead early and held on late to best champion Blind Luck (Pollard=s Vision) by 1 3/4 lengths. The mare had been out twice this season, finishing third behind Awesome Maria (Maria=s Mon) in the Rampart and second to Blind Luck in the La Troienne. Overall, she compiled a record of 14-6-6-1 and bankrolled $1,854,706. Pool Play Takes the GI Stephen Foster at Blind Luck Scores in The Halls after Pegasus 36-1, p6 Horsephotos Vanity, p7 Benoit Photo win, p8 Equi-Photo P TDN HEADLINE NEWS • 6/19/11 • PAGE 2 of 12 • thoroughbreddailynews.com Rock On... Society Rock broke through at Nottingham in his second go in August 2009 before landing a massive pot in the ,250,000 Tattersalls Timeform Millions Sprint at Saturday Royal Ascot, Britain his local Newmarket track the following month. GOLDEN JUBILEE S.-G1, ,400,000, Ascot, 6-18, Disadvantaged by an unfavorable draw in the even- 3yo/up, 6fT, 1:17.22, sf. more-valuable Tattersalls Timeform Million back at 1--s@SOCIETY ROCK (IRE), 130, c, 4, by Rock of Gibraltar (Ire) headquarters, he was far from disgraced when seventh 1st Dam: High Society (Ire) (SW-US, MGSP-US & in that juvenile season closer. He hit the ground running Ire, $171,309), by Key of Luck last term when opening his sophomore campaign with a 2nd Dam: Ela=s Gold (Ire), by Ela-Mana-Mou (Ire) win in April=s Listed Pavilion S. over this course and 3rd Dam: Majestic=s Gold (Ire), by Rheingold (GB) distance, but slipped one spot contesting the Listed (75,000gns yrl >08 TATOCT). O-Simon Gibson; B-San Carnarvon S. at Newbury in May. The bay backed that Gabriel Investments; T-James Fanshawe; J-Pat up with a bang, but was no match for Cosgrave; ,227,080. Lifetime Record: 11-4-3-0, Starspangledbanner (Aus) (Choisir {Aus}) in this event ,507,917. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the last year, and that effort left its trace as he could eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. manage only seventh when re-opposing that superstar 2--Monsieur Chevalier (Ire), 130, c, 4, Chevalier (Ire)-- in the G1 July Cup back at Newmarket once more Blue Holly (Ire), by Blues Traveller (Ire). (17,000gns July 9. This semester=s report card read Acould do yrl >08 TATOCT). O-Mrs Valerie Hubbard & Ian better@ following a 10th in the Apr. 14 Listed Abernant Higginson; B-Tally-Ho Stud; T-Richard Hannon; S. back on the Rowley Mile in his 2011 curtain raiser ,86,080. and he was a last-out second, to the re-opposing Bated 3--Star Witness (Aus), 130, c, 4, Starcraft (NZ)--Leone Breath (GB) (Dansili {GB}), in a six-furlong Haydock Chiara (Aus), by Lion Hunter (Aus). O-Widden Stud; conditions heat May 7. B-Alma Vale Bloodstock Pty Ltd; T-Danny O=Brien; ,43,080. Margins: HF, 1 1/4, HD. Odds: 25-1, 25-1, 4-1. Also Ran: Elzaam (Aus), Bated Breath (GB), Amico Fritz (Ger), Hooray (GB), Genki (Ire), Jimmy Styles (GB), Kingsgate Native (Ire), Hitchens (Ire), Dalghar (Fr), Royal Rock (GB), Bewitched (Ire), Definightly (GB), Palace Moon (GB). Scratched: Delegator (GB). Click for the Racing Post chart, the brisnet.com PPs o r the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, courtesy attheraces.com. Did You Know? The first race meeting ever held at Ascot took place on Saturday Aug. 11, 1711. Her Majesty=s Plate, worth 100 guineas and open to any horse, mare or gelding over the age of six, was the inaugural event. Edward Whitaker/Racing Post TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 6/19/11 • PAGE 3 of 12 • thoroughbreddailynews.com Golden Jubilee cont. Society Rock settled off the pace after jockey Pat Cosgrave became agitated in the plate soon after leaving the stalls. Coaxed into contention as Star Witness set sail for home approaching the final furlong, he reached top gear just as that rival=s runner-up effort in Tuesday=s G1 King=s Stand S. and the cloying mud combined to take its toll. The Australian invader=s stride shortened as he began to paddle inside the closing panel, and Society Rock, along with Monsieur Chevalier, swept by inside the final 150 yards, but the latter was unable to find enough to oust his fellow outsider nearing the line. AWe see Sir Henry Cecil on Newmarket Heath every morning and, if we=re having a bad time, he reassures us to keep plugging away so we=ve done that with Society Rock. You never know if they=ll like this type of ground and he=s never raced on it before, but he obviously likes it. It=s a fantastic result for his owner Simon Gibson, who is sadly not here today because he had a fall down some stairs and banged his head. He=s recovering at the moment, and this will make him feel better. It=s also great for Pat [Cosgrave], who has been with us for a year, and he rode a fantastic race there.@ Cosgrave, who picked up his first Royal meet winner, added, AI think a lot of people doubted this horse after his first two runs this year, but this was the target all along. In the last three weeks, he=s been showing all the old Society Rock, and he showed just how good he is today. I jumped too well and it was a bit tight for the first furlong, but I got the splits at the right time and he picked up good. All Group 1s are nice, but it=s nice to get a first Royal Ascot winner on the board, and I hope there are many more.@ Star of Wonder... Star Witness (Aus) (Starcraft {NZ}) may not have left PEDIGREE NOTES - SOCIETY ROCK his hoofprints in the winner=s circle, but he has certainly A day after siring the G2 Albany S. winner Samitar added to his legion of antipodean fans with two (GB), Coolmore stallion Rock of Gibraltar (Ire) (Danehill) commendable performances this week. The fan club is on the mark again, this may yet swell further if the chestnut gets the nod for time as the sire of Society next month=s G1 July Cup at Newmarket. Trainer Rock. The James Fanshawe- Danny O=Brien was full of praise for his stable star. AA trained 4-year-old--a winner would have been great, but racing doesn=t 75,000gns Tattersalls reward you out of turn,@ said O=Brien.