SATURDAY, 10 AUGUST 2019 ROSE OF LANCASTER TAKES CENTRE STAGE SISKIN PREVAILS IN Saturday=s action in Europe is more low-key than of late, due PHOENIX THRILLER largely to the gap between Goodwood and York=s Ebor meeting and also to the fact that The Curragh staged their Phoenix S. card on Friday evening. At Haydock, the G3 Rose of Lancaster S. sees Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) look to build on his win in Royal Ascot=s Listed Wolferton S. June 18 and second to Elarqam (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in the July 27 G2 York S. and Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum=s G2 Sandown Mile winner of last year has his favoured soft ground. AHe seems in good form,@ trainer William Haggas commented. AHe ran well at York, but I don=t think he ran as well as he did at Ascot.@ Heading the opposition is George Strawbridge=s Feb. 23 G3 Winter Derby winner Wissahickon (Tapit) who runs on turf for the first time since winning the prestigious Cambridgeshire H. at Newmarket in September. Cont. p5 Ger Lyons, Colin Keane, Siskin and groom Dan McGraine | Racing Post IN TDN AMERICA TODAY STABLEMATES SQUARE OFF IN ARLINGTON MILLION Stablemates Bricks and Mortar (Giant’s Causeway) and Robert Defying the rain-softened ground and a trio from Ballydoyle, Bruce (Chi) (Fast Company {Ire}) go head-to-head in the GI Khalid Abdullah=s Siskin (First Defence) kept his unbeaten record Arlington Million on Saturday. Click or tap here to go straight to intact as he prevailed from TDN Rising Star Monarch of Egypt TDN America. (American Pharoah) in Friday=s G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. at The Curragh. Held up in fourth early by Colin Keane, the 10-11 favourite cruised into a challenging position on the far side heading to two out where battle was joined with Monarch of Egypt who he had beaten in the course-and-distance G2 Railway S. Looking to be losing out in that tussle until the final 100 yards, the Juddmonte homebred began to assert as the line neared and had 3/4 of a length to spare there, with a head back to the G2 July S. winner and early pace-setter Royal Lytham (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) in third. AI want to thank Prince Khalid Abdullah for putting me in his training ranks and for giving me a horse of this quality to train so soon,@ trainer Ger Lyons said. AEvery drop of rain that fell took a year off my life and I was worried that this had the makings of a messy race, but in the end it was a cracking Group 1.@ Unproven on ground slower than good, having shown a slick turn of acceleration on debut at Naas May 11 and in the May 24 Listed Marble Hill S. and June 29 Railway over this track and trip, Siskin was ridden with unerring confidence by Keane despite concerns over the effect of the heavy rain. Cont. p2 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 2 OF 13 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • 10 AUGUST 2019 G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. Cont. from p1 Pedigree Notes Siskin=s dam Bird Flown (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who had won He even helped to round up the loose Mount Fuji (Ire) (Dark over seven furlongs on soft ground at Clairefontaine for Andre Angel {Ire}) on the way to the start. Fabre in 2013, is a half-sister to the listed scorer and G2 AIt means everything, especially for the boss and these Hardwicke S. runner-up Barsanti (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) owners,@ the rider said of the breakthrough moment in his riding which suggests the winner could get a mile in 2020. Also a half- career. AHe=s such a lovely horse and is so straightforward, even sister to the dam of the multiple grade I-winning champion Close when the loose horse came to him and I think I was more Hatches and the GI Kentucky Oaks third Lockdown by Siskin=s nervous than him then! He was good and gutsy today and his sire First Defence, her yearling filly is by Flintshire (GB), who she biggest asset is his temperament. To be honest, I was thinking has been bred back to this year, while she also has a filly foal by when the rain came and knowing how much Aidan=s horses Noble Mission (GB). improve that they would put it up to us, but he=s a proper horse Close Hatches is the dam of Tacitus (Tapit), winner of this and really put his head down. Monarch of Egypt got first run on year=s GII Wood Memorial and GII Tampa Bay Derby who was us, but in fairness mine was going away again at the line.@ also third in the GI Kentucky Derby and runner-up in the GI Lyons is looking at the Sept. 28 G1 Middle Park S. that Belmont S., while the listed-placed second dam Silver Star (GB) Juddmonte sponsor at Newmarket now. AHe=s just push-button,@ (Zafonic) is a full-sister to the G1 Dewhurst S.-winning champion he said. AYou=ve never won until you=ve won in this game and Xaar (GB) who also flashed precocious brilliance and stayed 10 this was part one of the plan. We=ll discuss part two with the furlongs well later on. This is also the family of the GI United owner, but I would say that the Middle Park is the main option. Nations H. hero Senure (Nureyev), the Group 1-winning sire He has a lovely change of gear and that ground deadens it, but I Cityscape (GB) (Selkirk) and high-class sprinter Bated Breath just love that he is one of those about which it can be said >a (GB) (Dansili {GB}). good horse goes on any ground= and he knuckled down and won well.@ TDN EUROPE • PAGE 3 OF 13 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • 10 AUGUST 2019 Friday, Curragh, Ireland KEENELAND PHOENIX S.-G1, i300,000, Curragh, 8-9, 2yo, 6fT, 1:17.14, sf. 1--SISKIN, 129, c, 2, by First Defence 1st Dam: Bird Flown (GB), by Oasis Dream (GB) 2nd Dam: Silver Star (GB), by Zafonic 3rd Dam: Monroe, by Sir Ivor Vice President, International Operations Gary King 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Khalid Abdullah; B-Juddmonte Farms Inc Twitter: @garykingTDN (KY); T-Ger Lyons; J-Colin Keane. i171,000. Lifetime Record: [email protected] 4-4-0-0, $328,508. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the + 1.732.320.0975 eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. International Editor 2--Monarch of Egypt, 129, c, 2, American Pharoah--Up (Ire), by Kelsey Riley Galileo (Ire). ($750,000 Ylg >18 KEESEP). >TDN Rising Star=. Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN O-Peter M Brant, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick [email protected] Smith; B-Ran Jan Racing Inc (KY); T-Aidan O=Brien. i60,000. European Editor Emma Berry Twitter: @collingsberry [email protected] 3--Royal Lytham (Fr), 129, c, 2, Gleneagles (Ire)--Gotlandia (Fr), i > Associate International Editor by Anabaa. ( 180,000 Ylg 18 ARAUG). O-Michael Tabor, Heather Anderson Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-SARL Haras du Logis Saint Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN Germain (FR); T-Aidan O=Brien. i30,000. Margins: 3/4, HD, 7. Odds: 0.90, 1.50, 4.50. Marketing Manager Also Ran: Mount Fuji (Ire), Think Big (Ire). Click for the Racing Alayna Cullen Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style Twitter: @AlaynaCullen pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. [email protected] Contributing Editor GUSTAVUS WESTON UPSETS PHOENIX RIVALS Alan Carasso Following the main-event win of the blueblood Siskin (First Twitter: @EquinealTDN Defence), Gustavus Weston (Ire) (Equiano {Fr}) struck for the little guys in the G3 Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club Phoenix Cafe Racing Sprint S. at The Curragh on Friday. Sean Cronin Tom Frary Cont. p4 [email protected] Irish Correspondent Daithi Harvey Regular Columnists Chris McGrath | Andrew Caulfield John Berry | Kevin Blake IN TDN AUS/NZ TODAY REDOUTE’S CHOICE AND SONS Richard Edmunds delves into the sales and racing performance of Redoute’s Choice (Aus) and his sons Snitzel (Aus) and Pariah (Aus). Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Aus/NZ. Gustavus Weston | Racing Post TDN EUROPE • PAGE 4 OF 13 • THETDN.COM SATURDAY • 10 AUGUST 2019 G3 Phoenix Sprint S. Cont. Lightly-raced but flashing talent at times, Alfred Sweetnam=s 3- year-old had been runner-up in the G3 Lacken S. over this six- furlong trip at Naas May 19. He ran 10th in this track=s prestigious Scurry H. over an extended six July 20. Running on soft ground for the first time, the 16-1 shot stalked the early pace and was committed passing the two-furlong marker before tenaciously seeing off fellow 3-year-old Woody Creek (GB) (Zoffany {Ire}) by a neck. AWe always thought he was a good horse and he learned more running in the big handicap which crowned him for this race,@ trainer Joe Murphy told Irish Racing.com. AHe=s getting more professional and I think he=s a horse that will progress. I was afraid of the ground, but I=m glad now that he handled it and his options are bigger. I=m not sure where he will go now and there is no reason why he shouldn=t get a bit further.@ Pedigree Notes Gustavus Weston is the second foal and first winner for the dam Chrissycross (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), whose dam is a half to the Listed October S. winner Badminton (GB) (Zieten) who was also placed in the G2 Lowther S.