Unbeaten entering Saturday's G2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge S. at Newmarket but untried in black-type company, Jeff Smith's Ghostwriter (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) came through the test with flying colours to count himself among the 2024 Classic contenders. Always travelling easily in the wake of Ballydoyle's front-running G2 Champions Juvenile S. runner-up Capulet (Justify), the 100-30 second favourite who hails from the Juddmonte family of a former giant to master this Rowley Mile in Zafonic took the measure of that 7-4 favourite when sweeping to the fore two out.
Pushed out by Richard Kingscote from there, the Clive Cox-trained 100,000gns Tatts December Foal purchase had 1 1/4 lengths to spare over the Listed Ascendant S. scorer Al Musmak (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) at the line, with half a length back to Capulet who looked every inch a Derby type as he rallied after being swamped entering the dip.
Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes (G2)
1.610 m – 125.000 GBP
NewmarketGhostwriter (IRE)
(2C Invincible Spirit- Moorside , by Champs Elysees)
J : Richard Kingscote
T :Clive Cox
O :J. C. Smith
B : Norelands Bloodstock/Irish National Studpic.twitter.com/qT9B0ouGMx— (@WorldRacing1) September 30, 2023
This is a “Win and You're In” to the $1 million GI Prevagen Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, but Cox was not committing in the immediate aftermath. “He has been improving with every run and that was a big step to take,” he said. “I couldn't be more pleased with the way he has carried it out and he looks full of promise going forward. The dam won over a mile and a half and I think he has a very good middle-distance plan to go forward with. He might get and a half, it is possible.”
“He was very much in his comfort zone and Richard was able to play him exactly as he felt and he quickened nicely when he met the rising ground there and I couldn't be more pleased,” he added. “He has always been a nice horse, but he has always been maturing and having a frame to fill while keeping his strength moving forwards. This cements what we thought so far and the dream is very much alive for next year. We are normally known for our sprinters, but it is such a joy to have a horse like this on our hands as it does set the pulse racing. I'd say the way he is physically developing all the time means I'd probably be thinking about next year.”
Pedigree Notes
Ghostwriter is the second foal out of the aforementioned Listed Cheshire Oaks runner-up Moorside, a granddaughter of Zaizafon (The Minstrel) who produced the brilliant Zafonic and his G3 Prix de Cabourg-winning full-brother and fellow sire Zamindar. This is also the family of the G1 Prix Jean Romanet heroine Announce (GB) (Selkirk), the triple group-winning Zarinsk (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) and the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches place-getters Irish Rookie (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}) and Mexican Gold (Medaglia d'Oro). Moorside, who was a 90,000gns purchase by BBA Ireland at the 2017 Tatts December Mares Sale, also has a yearling colt by New Bay (GB) who sold for 150,000gns to Joe Foley at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale, and a filly foal by Australia (GB).
Saturday, Newmaket, Britain
JUDDMONTE ROYAL LODGE S.-G2, £125,000, Newmarket, 9-30, 2yo, c/g, 8fT, 1:37.06, g/f.
1–GHOSTWRITER (IRE), 128, c, 2, by Invincible Spirit (Ire)
1st Dam: Moorside (GB) (SP-Eng), by Champs Elysees (GB)
2nd Dam: Marching West, by Gone West
3rd Dam: Zaizafon, by The Minstrel
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (100,000gns Wlg '21 TADEWE). O-J C Smith; B-Norelands Bloodstock & Irish National Stud (IRE); T-Clive Cox; J-Richard Kingscote. £70,888. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $112,176. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Al Musmak (Ire), 128, c, 2, Night Of Thunder (Ire)–Parton (GB), by Kitten's Joy. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (95,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Roger Varian. £26,875.
3–Capulet, 128, c, 2, Justify–Wedding Vow (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). O-Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor & D Smith; B-Orpendale, Wynatt & Chelston (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien. £13,450.
Margins: 1 1/4, HF, HD. Odds: 3.33, 7.00, 1.75.
Also Ran: Macduff (GB), Son (GB), Defiance (Ire), At Vimeiro (Ger), Aablan (Ire), Caviar Heights (Ire).
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