SUNDAY, 17 SEPTEMBER, 2017 TWENTY STRAIGHT FOR WINX CAPRI IS THE ANSWER Nearly seven years ago, the great American racemare Zenyatta IN STRONG LEGER (Street Cry {Ire}) saw her win streak snapped at 20 while she attempted to go out unbeaten in the GI Breeders= Cup Classic, missing out by a nose after unleashing a furious rally from last. Street Cry=s latest superstar, Winx (Aus), suffered no such heartbreak at Randwick on Saturday, notching her 20th consecutive win in the G1 Colgate Optic White (George Main) S., but like Zenyatta, Winx gave her backers a few anxious moments when she appeared to be under a hard ride with plenty still to do 600 metres out. The 6-year-old mare got rolling under Hugh Bowman approaching the 200, however, and drew clear to win by an eased-down 1.3 lengths from Happy Clapper (Aus) (Teofilo {Ire}). Winx=s stablemate Foxplay (Aus) (Foxwedge {Aus}), who was second to the great mare first-up in the G2 Warwick S. a month ago, filled third, with their trainer Chris Waller=s runners also filling the next two slots. Capri and Ryan Moore take the St Leger | racingfotos.com Winx has now gone one better than Zenyatta and she is getting ever closer to the record of the other modern great Australian mare, Black Caviar (Aus) (Bel Esprit {Aus}), who was Freshened up after his G1 Irish Derby victory, Capri (Ire) unbeaten in 25 career starts in sprint company. Winx=s streak, (Galileo {Ire}) came to Doncaster=s Town Moor with a stable which began in the May 2015 G3 Gold Coast Guineas, has now troupe to produce the perfect scenario for him and duly encompassed 13 Group 1s, including two Cox Plates, a rewarded their hard front-running efforts by justifying 3-1 Doncaster Mile and a Queen Elizabeth S., and she has given her favouritism under Ryan Moore. Always comfortable in fourth off backers heart palpitations in each of her tries this term. After the searing pace, the grey was committed passing the missing the break by four lengths in the G2 Warwick S. on Aug. three-furlong marker and held off >TDN Rising Star= Crystal 19, she circled the field down the stretch and just got up to nip Ocean (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) and the G1 Goodwood Cup hero Foxplay by a nose. Two weeks later a tactical mid-race move by Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) by a half length and a Red Excitement (Aus) (Excites {Aus}) in the G2 Chelmsford S. short head as the best horses came to the fore in a strong caused another dramatic finish, but Winx again didn=t disappoint renewal. her fans, getting up by a length. AHe=s a very good horse and he=s very honest,@ his rider Breaking near the back but not detached from the field on commented after registering a first St Leger success. AHe dug in Saturday, Winx and Hugh Bowman raced on their own about and fought very hard when Crystal Ocean came to him. He=s eight lengths off the pace once again set by Red Excitement, done very little wrong in his career and has progressed from with Foxplay and Happy Clapper in her sights, those racing about race to race.@ four and six lengths, respectively, off the pace. Ironically, Capri had Rekindling (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}) back in second when breaking his maiden over an extended mile at Cont. in Worldwide News p16 (Click here) the Galway festival last July before adding Tipperary=s Listed Coolmore Canford Cliffs S. to his tally over an extended seven IN TDN AMERICA TODAY furlongs the following month. He was picked by Ryan Moore WORLD APPROVAL TOO STRONG IN WOODBINE MILE when taking the G2 Beresford S. from fellow Galileo-sired World Approval (Northern Afleet) validated favouritism to take out stablemates Yucatan (Ire) and Exemplar (Ire) in a tight finish at Saturday’s GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile at the Toronto oval. The Curragh in September. Cont. p2 Click or tap here to go straight to TDN America. TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 2 OF 18 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • 17 SEPTEMBER, 2017 Capri Is The Answer In Strong Leger cont. from p1 Saturday, Doncaster, Britain WILLIAM HILL ST LEGER S.-G1, ,700,000, DON, 9-16, 3yo, c/f, 14f 115yT, 3:04.04, g/s. 1--CAPRI (IRE), 127, c, 3, by Galileo (Ire) 1st Dam: Dialafara (Fr), by Anabaa 2nd Dam: Diamilina (Fr), by Linamix (Fr) 3rd Dam: Diamonaka, by Akarad (Fr) O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Lynch Bages Ltd & Camas Park Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O=Brien; J-Ryan Moore. ,396,970. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Ire & G1SP-Fr, 10-5-1-2, ,1,266,483. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2--Crystal Ocean (GB), 127, c, 3, Sea the Stars (Ire)--Crystal Star (GB), >TDN Rising Star= by Mark of Esteem (Ire). O-Sir Evelyn de Rothschild; B-Southcourt Stud (GB); T-Sir Michael Stoute. ,150,500. 3--Stradivarius (Ire), 127, c, 3, Sea the Stars (Ire)--Private Life (Fr), by Bering (GB). (330,000gns RNA Ylg >15 TATOCT). O/B-Bjorn Nielsen (IRE); T-John Gosden; J-Andrea Atzeni. ,75,320. Margins: HF, SHD, 1HF. Odds: 3.00, 5.00, 4.50. Also Ran: Rekindling (GB), Coronet (GB), Count Octave (GB), Raheen House (Ire), Venice Beach (Ire), Douglas Macarthur (Ire), Defoe (Ire), The Anvil (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. By the time The Anvil had skipped clear of Douglas Macarthur Capri was then third behind Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) in a and Venice Beach (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) with Capri in fourth and the strong renewal of the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud in October Gosden duo in fifth and sixth, the 2017 St Leger was already which contained Wings of Eagles (Fr) (Pour Moi {Ire}) and also characterised as a genuine test of physical and mental stamina. Rekindling. Returning this term to be fourth under a five-pound Moore sat happy on Capri as James Doyle and Frankie Dettori penalty as Rekindling enjoyed his own day in the sun in the G3 tracked his every move on Coronet (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Ballysax S. over 10 furlongs at Leopardstown on Apr. 8, Capri Stradivarius respectively and as they entered the straight they was third to Douglas Macarthur (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Yucatan were all poised for action. Stradivarius enjoyed a split to take in a thriller for the G3 Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial S. over the the rail as Capri was cajoled forward with Jim Crowley moving same course and distance on May 7. through the pack smoothly as his mount Crystal Ocean showed There was a market move for Capri as the G1 Epsom Derby the same pizzazz as he had in the G3 Gordon S. Once Capri had looked likely to be affected by rain in the lead-up, but as the edged ahead of Stradivarius, Crystal Ocean was facing a tough weather stayed mainly dry he was unable to make a serious task attempting to make up lengths on him at full flight and impact without being disgraced when less than four lengths although his speed carried him into a genuinely threatening sixth in the June 3 Classic. Back at The Curragh for the Irish position it was not enough to subdue the granite-hard grey. equivalent four weeks later, he stuck close to the pacemaker The Anvil (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and was the first of the main protagonists to strike for home in a move by Seamie Heffernan “We thought that he would improve for this run and if that paid dividends as Cracksman (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and the everything went well we could have a look at the Arc, Derby winner Wings of Eagles failed to get past. His withdrawal but the lads will decide whether to do that or put him from the G2 Great Voltigeur S. due to a bad scope leaves a away for next year.” major question unanswered, with Cracksman making a leap forward in his absence and Aidan O=Brien had expressed nervousness as he brought him here without a prep. Cont. p3 TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 3 OF 18 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • 17 SEPTEMBER, 2017 St Leger S. cont. AThe lads did a great job on him and were all delighted with him at home,@ commented O=Brien, who was greeting his fifth winner of the oldest Classic. AHe had a bit of a blip during York time and I was a little bit worried, but Ryan gave him a class ride and everybody was happy with the pace they were going. He is a horse with a lot of class and we saw that in the Irish Derby. Seamus [Heffernan] rides him in a lot of his work and in his races and has always been a big believer in him. He says that braveness is his big thing and when Ryan really wanted him Vice President, International Operations today he gave it to him. We thought that he would improve for Gary King this run and if everything went well we could have a look at the Twitter: @garykingTDN [email protected] Arc, but the lads will decide whether to do that or put him away + 1.732.320.0975 for next year. Probably a mile and a half is the trip where he shows his real class, although he has no problem with a mile and International Editor a quarter.