Godolphin Three-Timer Opens Royal Ascot Cont
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WEDNESDAY, 21 JUNE, 2017 AURELIA THE FIRST LADY OF ASCOT GODOLPHIN THREE-TIMER No one has changed the Royal Ascot landscape in recent times like Wesley Ward, and he delivered >TDN Rising Star= Lady OPENS ROYAL ASCOT Aurelia (Scat Daddy) in pitch-perfect mood to capture Tuesday=s G1 King=s Stand S. and provide his stable with a scarcely-believable eighth success at the meeting. Always traveling easily for John Velazquez--who was substituting for the injured Frankie Dettori--towards the stand=s side, the 7-2 second favourite, who was so imperious in last year=s G2 Queen Mary S., was in the overall lead approaching the quarter pole and was clear and out of danger over 100 yards from the finish. At the line, she had three lengths to spare over last year=s winner Profitable (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), with the 11-4 favourite Marsha (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) a head away in third. AI wasn=t quite so sure this year and she had to show it to me, but she did,@ Ward said. AShe really came through again. She had a good winter off and I=m so happy for everyone at the farm and everyone who works with me.@ Cont. p4 Ribchester and William Buick win the Queen Anne | racingfotos.com IN TDN AMERICA TODAY LETTER FROM ASCOT: AURELIA SALUTES TUESDAY During a turbulent period in Godolphin=s history, it was the Dave Johnson is on hand at Royal Ascot and provides another horses who did the talking at Royal Ascot on Tuesday, installment of all the action at the Royal Meeting, where Lady registering three wins for Sheikh Mohammed on the meeting=s Aurelia won the G1 King’s Stand S. Tuesday. Click or tap here to opening day. Ribchester (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) justified 11-10 go straight to TDN America. favouritism in the first race, the G1 Queen Anne S., while 3-year- old Barney Roy (GB) (Excelebration {Ire}) followed up three races later when turning the tables on Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 St James=s Palace S. The 2-year-old Sound and Silence (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) bookended the card with an upset score in the Listed Windsor Castle S. Speaking at Ascot on Tuesday 40 years to the date after his first winner in Britain, the John Dunlop-trained filly Hatta (GB) at Brighton, Sheikh Mohammed said, AFrom that day we have moved forward and we are enjoying it. You have to keep going. This is a very difficult place to win at, but it is a great place to win at.@ In winning the Queen Anne, Ribchester was making it back-to- back Group 1 scores going a mile. Clear best on soft ground in the G1 Lockinge S. at Newbury on May 20, last year=s G1 Prix Jacques le Marois winner was able to come out on top on vastly contrasting conditions here, showing his increasingly customary kick in the process. Cont. p2 BATED BREATH DANSILI FRANKEL KINGMAN OASIS DREAM To all our clients for your support in 2017 ® www.juddmonte.com TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 2 OF 18 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • 21 JUNE, 2017 Godolphin Three-Timer Opens Royal Ascot Cont. from p1 Tuesday, Royal Ascot, Britain QUEEN ANNE S.-G1, ,685,000, ASC, 6-20, 4yo/up, 8fT, 1:36.60 (NCR), g/f. 1--RIBCHESTER (IRE), 126, c, 4, by Iffraaj (GB) 1st Dam: Mujarah (Ire), by Marju (Ire) 2nd Dam: Tanaghum (GB), by Darshaan (GB) 3rd Dam: Mehthaaf, by Nureyev (i78,000 Wlg >13 GOFNOV; i105,000 Ylg >14 GOFORB). O-Godolphin; B-A Thompson & M O=Brien (IRE); T-Richard Fahey; J-William Buick. ,388,464. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Eur at 7-9.5f, G1SW-Fr & G1SP-UAE, 12-5-3-3, $2,540,614. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2--Mutakayyef (GB), 126, g, 6, Sea the Stars (Ire)--Infallible (GB), by Pivotal (GB). (260,000gns Ylg >12 TAOCT). O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum; B-Cheveley Park Stud Ltd (GB); T-William Haggas. ,147,275. 3--Deauville (Ire), 126, c, 4, Galileo (Ire)--Walklikeanegyptian (Ire), by Danehill. O-Mrs Fitri Hay, Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier & Derrick Smith; B-Mrs Fitri Hay (IRE); T-Aidan O=Brien. ,73,706. Margins: 1 1/4, NK, 1. Odds: 1.10, 5.00, 12.00. Also Ran: Spectre (Fr), Kaspersky (Ire), Dutch Connection (GB), Cougar Mountain (Ire), Oh This Is Us (Ire), Lightning Spear (GB), Jallota (GB), American Patriot, Kool Kompany (Ire), Miss Temple City, Toscanini (Ire), Ennaadd (GB), Dutch Uncle (GB). Click for the Racing Post result. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Always happy traveling in fourth under William Buick as the field ignored the two pacemakers, the bay was left in front with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining and despite giving his rivals a chance by veering left soon after was always in control as he eventually registered a new course record time in beating Mutakayyef (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) by 1 1/4 lengths. AHe is an absolute jockey=s dream and, as I said after Newbury, he is very versatile and an exceptional miler,@ his rider said. AHe travels so well and sees it out so well. It doesn=t get much better than this. All the work we do is towards getting to the winner=s enclosure and that=s where Sheikh Mohammed deserves to be.@ Since maturing into a formidable miler, only three rivals have got the better of Ribchester over this trip and they are The Gurkha (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Galileo Gold (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}) and Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). For various reasons, they were all absent from this Queen Anne but it is plausible that the Richard Fahey trainee has progressed past the form standard of at least two of them at this point in his career. Early showings when second in York=s G2 Gimcrack S. and when winning the G2 Mill Reef S. at Newbury suggested he had ample ability. Cont. p3 TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 3 OF 18 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • 21 JUNE, 2017 Godolphin Three-Timer Opens Royal Ascot Cont. It was only after finishing third in the G1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket last April that he truly blossomed. Overcoming a five-pound penalty in the seven-furlong G3 Jersey S. here 12 months ago, he was considered slightly unlucky when a strong- finishing third behind The Gurkha and Galileo Gold in Goodwood=s G1 Sussex S. in July and made up for any misfortune there when taking the Jacques le Marois at Deauville VICE PRESIDENT, INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King in August. Brought back here to be a half-length second to Twitter: @garykingTDN Minding in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. on Champions Day, he [email protected] + 1.732.320.0975 was stretching out to nine furlongs when third in the G1 Dubai International Editor Turf at Meydan on Mar. 25. Kelsey Riley Unlike in the Lockinge, stablemate Toscanini (Ire) (Shamardal) Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN [email protected] was quickly away here but when he set off too fast William Buick opted to take a lead from the Royal Ascot regular Miss European Editor Emma Berry Temple City (Temple City), who led the main group. As Toscanini Twitter: @collingsberry backtracked, Ribchester was still cruising and although he had to [email protected] sidestep his rabbit and wandered in front there never seemed a Associate International Editor doubt that he had everything covered in behind. Heather Anderson Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN AYou can never be confident, but everything dropped into Contributing Editor place there,@ trainer Richard Fahey said. AHe has huge gears and Alan Carasso he is never in trouble. It wasn=t really the plan to go that quick Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing with Toscanini and I did tell Paul [Hanagan] to bounce out this Sean Cronin time. He more or less took off and probably didn=t lead Tom Frary [email protected] Ribchester far enough. He broke the track record here today Irish Correspondent and that=s not being disrespectful to the others, but he is just Daithi Harvey exceptional.@ Regular Columnists Bill Oppenheim Andrew Caulfield AWilliam doesn=t feel that the tank is empty with him John Berry Kevin Blake and that he is getting stronger the whole time. Tom Peacock Mentally, he is also getting better, which is a great Send Press Releases to: attitude to have in a racehorse--he is starting to think [email protected] he is good.@ Send Advertisements to: [email protected] Of Ribchester=s tendency to wander in front, he added, AHe gets lonely out in front sometimes. I don=t think it is pressure and he just went walkabouts. William doesn=t feel that the tank is empty with him and that he is getting stronger the whole time. Mentally, he is also getting better, which is a great attitude to have in a racehorse--he is starting to think he is good.@ Fahey is looking at the G1 Sussex S. at Goodwood on Aug. 2 next. AThe Sussex S. is where he has to go really,@ he continued. AThe French race [the G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois] which he won last year is only 10 days after the Sussex so we can=t go to both. I was always hoping that he would stay further but at the moment, I don=t need to go further.@ Cont. p4 Not if, not when... ...NOW! Ribchester breaks the track record to win the G1 Queen Anne Stakes, confirming his status as the world’s highest-rated miler and Europe’s highest- rated horse.