FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2014 732-747-8060 $ TDN Home Page Click Here BATTLE ROYAL HOW TO ACCESSORIZE It may have lacked the finesse that marked the finish Registering a first black-type win in the Mar. 30 of the G1 Prince of Wales=s and G1 St James= Palace, G3 Leopardstown 1000 Guineas Trial, Bracelet (Ire) but the G1 Gold Cup produced one of its most (Montjeu {Ire}) was among the back numbers in memorable stretch charges as Leading Light (Ire) Newmarket=s G1 1000 Guineas May 4, but rebounded (Montjeu {Ire}) narrowly denied The Queen=s Estimate in determined fashion to (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}) a repeat success in the meeting=s provide trainer Aidan feature. O=Brien with a first renewal of the G2 Ribblesdale S. at Royal Ascot. Steadied off the pace in midfield as stable companion Terrific (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) cut loose on the front end, the hooded 10-1 chance took closer order under pressure on Bracelet the home turn and Racing Post stayed on resolutely under an all-out drive once taking over passing the furlong marker to repel the late thrusts of Lustrous (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) and Criteria (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) by a half-length and a head, respectively. AShe traveled Leading Light gets his neck in front in G1 Gold Cup well, she did everything right through the race and they Racing Post went a nice even pace,@ explained winning rider Joseph O=Brien. AWe got there plenty soon enough, but she=s Successful in the G3 Queen=s Vase here last year and tough, she stays and she tries. I could hear [Richard also the G1 St Leger at Doncaster, Leading Light had Hughes on] Lustrous coming, but I was always holding advertised his staying credentials further when taking him to the line.@ Cont. 5 the G3 Vintage Crop S. on his return at Navan May 18 and employed his seemingly bottomless stamina reserves to provide trainer Aidan O=Brien with a remarkable sixth renewal out of the last nine. Positioned just off the pace early by Joseph O=Brien, the 10-11 favorite was driven along before the straight with Ryan Moore looking more comfortable on last year=s Royal winner just in behind. Holding his line on Leading Light as Moore tried to switch out at the top of the stretch, the younger O=Brien drew more from his mount who, despite veering left and then right when in front, had just enough left to hold on by a neck, with just a short head between Estimate and the long-time leader Missunited (Ire) (Golan {Ire}) in a pulsating finale. AI kept a straight line all the way up the straight and Ryan was looking for a bit of room, as he was entitled to, but I was well entitled to keep what I had,@ Joseph O=Brien explained. AWhen he got to the front, he had a little look and just came out for a stride but he=s a big, laidback horse. He stays well, but I think he=ll be better over a mile and six. I was rowing away and trying to hold off giving him a belt for as long as I could. Ryan helped me, pushing me along a bit on the inside. But this fella is as tough as nails.@ Cont. p3 IN THIS ISSUE Baitha Alga Fastest in Norfolk Al Shaqab Racing’s Baitha Alga (Ire) gives his CO-PUBLISHERS freshman sire--Fast Company (Ire)--his first President: Barry Weisbord winner at the group level in [email protected] @barryweisbord Thursday’s G2 Norfolk S. at Vice President: Sue Finley Royal Ascot. [email protected] @suefinley BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Director of Business Development: Gary King Baitha Alga & Frankie Dettori Racing Post [email protected] Page 6 EDITORIAL [email protected] TDN APB... Editor-in-Chief: Jessica Martini Managing Editor: Alan Carasso Racing Editor: Steve Sherack TDN’s Steve Sherack takes a closer look at the whereabouts of several top horses Racing Analyst/Social Media Director: Brian DiDonato that have been cooling their heels on the sidelines. Included among those on his Associate Editor: Justina Severni radar are GI Donn H. winner Lea (First Samurai) and Reneesgotzip (City Zip), Assistant Editor: Christie DeBernardis last seen finishing runner up behind Mizdirection in the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Assistant Editor: Heather Likins Sprint last November. Assistant Editor: Michael Illiano Page 12 ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising: Alycia Borer Trackside with Liesl King Art Director: Lia Kusch Sr. Ad Coordinator/Dir. of Distribution: Sarah K. Andrew Advertising Designer: Amanda Crelin TDN correspondent Liesl King takes a behind-the-scenes look at Royal Ascot, Advertising Assistant: Amanda Foster including the seemingly simply, yet always-daunting task of transporting the reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II and her entourage from Windsor Castle to Ascot for her prompt 2 p.m. arrival. CUSTOMER SERVICE [email protected] Page 11 Director of Customer Service: Vicki Forbes INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Normandy Invasion Joins Jones Director of IT: Robert Williams [email protected] Fox Hill Farm’s Normandy Invasion (Tapit), runner up in last year’s GI Wood Database Admin./Programming Specialist: Gregg Casillo Memorial and fourth in the GI Kentucky Derby, has been transferred to trainer [email protected] Larry Jones. WORLDWIDE INFORMATION Page 13 International Editor: Kelsey Riley [email protected] Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing: Sean Cronin Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing: Tom Frary [email protected] EST Race Click for TV 9:30a Albany S.-G3, ASC (Brisnet.com PPs) HR/TVG 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 • Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) 10:05a King Edward VII S.-G2, ASC (Brisnet.com PPs) HR/TVG www.thoroughbreddailynews.com 10:45a Coronation S.-G1, ASC (Brisnet.com PPs) HR/TVG www.thetdn.com TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 6/20/14 • PAGE 3 of 14 • thoroughbreddailynews.com Thursday, Royal Ascot, Britain GOLD CUP-G1, ,375,000, ASC, 6-19, 4yo/up, 20fT, 4:21.09, gd/fm. 1--LEADING LIGHT (IRE), 126, c, 4, by Montjeu (Ire) 1st Dam: Dance Parade (MGSW-Eng & US, $339,231), by Gone West 2nd Dam: River Jig, by Irish River (Fr) 3rd Dam: Baranova, by Nijinsky II (520,000gns yrl >11 TATOCT). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor. B-Lynch-Bages Ltd (IRE). T-Aidan O=Brien. J-Joseph O=Brien. ,212,662. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Eur & Eng at 14f+ & GSW-Ire, 9-7-0-0, ,680,981. *Full to Warwick Avenue (Ire), GSP-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. 2--Estimate (Ire), 125, m, 5, Monsun (Ger)--Ebaziya (Ire), by Darshaan (GB). O-The Queen. B-H H The Aga Khan=s Studs SC (IRE). T-Sir M Stoute. ,80,625. 3--Missunited (Ire), 125, m, 7, Golan (Ire)--Lets Clic Together (Ire), by Don=t Forget Me (Ire). O/B-Mrs Vanessa Hutch (IRE). T-Michael Winters. ,40,350. Margins: NK, SHD, 4HF. Odds: 0.91, 8.00, 40.00. Also Ran: Brown Panther (GB), Simenon (Ire), Oriental Fox (Ger), Altano (Ger), Havana Beat (Ire), Shwaiman (Ire), Ahzeemah (Ire), Saddler=s Rock (Ire), Royal Diamond (Ire), Ralston Road (Ire). Scratched: Tac de Boistron (Fr), Pale Mimosa (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result, the brisnet.com PPs or the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, courtesy Racing UK. Twelve months ago, Leading Light was becoming the last to win the Queen=s Vase while it enjoyed Group 3 status, showing the kind of battling qualities that he was to become famed for in a matter of weeks. Not short of pace, as he had previously proven when successful over 10 furlongs in a decent Navan conditions event and the G3 Gallinule S. at The Curragh in May, he returned after a summer break to beat the G1 Oaks winner Talent (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) in Doncaster=s St Leger before being allowed to take his chance in the G1 Prix de l=Arc de Triomphe. With Gerald Mosse on board, he blew the start and never looked likely to get into contention on the testing ground, winding up 12th in that Longchamp showcase. But all the buzz was back as he returned to defy a penalty in impressive style in the Vintage Crop. Allowed time to cross over and join the group from his wide draw here, he was soon perfectly positioned in fourth, with Estimate covered up down on his inner and Missunited happy setting the pace under Jim Crowley. That remained largely the status quo until the approach to the home turn, where Joseph O=Brien was starting to row along and his animation was in contrast to the smoothness of Richard Kingscote up ahead on Brown Panther (GB) (Shirocco {Ger}) and Ryan Moore on Estimate. Cont. p4 TDN P HEADLINE NEWS • 6/20/14 • PAGE 4 of 14 • thoroughbreddailynews.com Gold Cup cont. from p3 He=s very fast on the dam side, so he=s even a horse With Missunited keeping on gamely in front and that might come back in trip for a King George. It was Brown Panther looming large, Moore and O=Brien were tough that last half-mile, and when you get beyond two jostling in behind, with the former keen to muscle his miles you just don=t know what=s going to happen.@ way to finding a path out. Leading Light, who had The Queen=s Racing Manager, John Warren, was come under the whip on the bend, kept responding and taking the positives from a formidable run from ground his way to the front Estimate.