Dawn Approach’s Poetic Flare Prevails In Guineas Thriller

Eight years on from the G1 2000 Guineas success of Dawn Approach (Ire), Jim Bolger's Poetic Flare (Ire) proved every bit as tough and resilient as his sire was dominant when outbattling Master of the Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in a thrilling renewal of the QIPCO-sponsored Newmarket Classic on Saturday. Positioned close enough to the furious tempo set by Naval Crown (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) from the outset, the 16-1 shot was at the fore alongside the eventual runner-up as they reeled in that pacemaker a furlong from home with Lucky Vega (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) in close attendance. Headed and seemingly held by Godolphin's first-string soon after, the Coolcullen bay who earned this bid in Leopardstown's Listed 2000 Guineas Trial S. dug deep for Kevin Manning to prevail on the bobber by a short head. Lucky Vega was only a neck away in third as the low-drawn horses came out on top of a true battle royal. “He's done nothing wrong all along and is a proper horse,” 54-year-old Manning said. “He was a little bit keen with me today and caught me on a long rein, but it was a huge performance. Going into the 'dip' I was getting there too soon, but I had no choice and had to keep going. He was idling that little bit going to the line and is a pleasure to ride–he's bomb-proof.”

Long renowned as a man who looks to compose his own concertos within the turf's music, Jim Bolger had every intention of making Dawn Approach New Approach's first winner from his first runner as he sent him to post for the opening five-furlong juvenile maiden of the Irish flat season in 2012. It duly happened and so when Poetic Flare was introduced on the initial day of the soon-to-be interrupted 2020 flat season at Naas last March the hint was there if anyone was looking closely. Giving that form substance was Ballydoyle's smart Lipizzaner (Uncle Mo) in second, but while Royal Ascot and a summer of Pattern races for the 2-year-olds rolled by Poetic Flare waited at home with his owner-breeder-trainer allowing ample time for the maturing process. His next step would have been unorthodox for many stables, but when Bolger targets the G1 Dewhurst S. in which he has enjoyed so much success it is always a noteworthy move. In the event, the still-raw homebred was just short of a true peak in this venue's juvenile monument but within a week of finishing 10th there had garnered Leopardstown's G3 Killavullan S. in what amounted to a remarkable bounce.

Unproven beyond seven furlongs, having turned back allcomers in the Apr. 11 2000 Guineas Trial also at Leopardstown, Poetic Flare nevertheless had no frailty in the stamina department on pedigree and was one of the race's potential big improvers upped to a more suitable trip. Bolger had been bullish in the lead-up, but with Ballydoyle putting forward a trio of closely-matched class acts and Godolphin so well-represented along with the likes of TDN Rising Stars Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and Mutasaabeq (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), he was to prove another gift to value-backers at 16-1. Newmarket was just about at its fastest on Saturday and so when Naval Crown got rolling in front on the famed chalk heathland it was necessary to lay as close as possible without the needle entering the red. That balancing act was achieved to maximum effect by Manning, whose decades of experience and guile told him to stay firmly in the draft while tempering his mount's clear enthusiasm to the right degree. The unflinching speed at the head of the arrow drained the race's late gamble and 9-2 favourite Battleground (War Front), as well as Mutasaabeq, while Thunder Moon failed to enter the reckoning at any stage and Wembley (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) only briefly flattered.

Naval Crown had beaten Master of the Seas in the Feb. 25 Listed Meydan Classic and it was that form that told here, with William Buick's mount the race's only serious closer from behind. As he had before flattening out in the G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. at The Curragh in September, Master of the Seas produced a telling surge of acceleration down the outside which would have won any Guineas without a character of the kind of Poetic Flare. Unfortunately for Appleby and Buick, who had also looked to have the last edition in the bag as Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal) loomed, the withering effort of this year's contender also fell fractionally short.

“He's a solid horse and basically has everything,” Manning added of the ultra-game winner. “He had given us all the right vibes at home and his run in the Dewhurst was very good considering the time he had been off beforehand. He was very impressive at Leopardstown and I did feel he had come forward from that. I made no secret that I thought he'd be at the business end, as he did it very easy in the Guineas Trial and stretched away in the last furlong so I thought a mile would suit. All his homework had been excellent and although he'll probably get a mile and a quarter, I don't see a reason to go beyond a mile. These races are so hard-won and everyone wants to win them, so they make the long days and hard work that bit easier.”

Bolger was ensconced at home, but the 79-year-old was clear as to the import of the occasion. “It's a big day for us, right up there with the best we've had,” he declared. “He wasn't ready for the Dewhurst last year–I thought he was a little bit fitter than he was and I was hoping he'd run a big race and get the experience of running at that level, but he ran out of wind about a furlong and a half down. We were very pleased with the run and didn't lose faith in him. It very much carries on that Dawn Approach line and I have two half-sisters of Poetic Flare as well.”

Dawn Approach went to the Derby after his Guineas, but Poetic Flare is not heading in that direction according to his trainer. “Kevin did say that he thought he'd stay 10 furlongs, but at the moment I'm not thinking about going anywhere except the mile,” he continued. “He has buckets of speed and I even entered him in the Commonwealth Cup in the unlikely event that he didn't stay, as he's that quick and you always have some doubts about whether the very quick ones will stay or not. The [June 15 G1] St James's Palace [at Royal Ascot] would definitely be on the cards.”

Charlie Appleby said of the runner-up, “He's run a great race and backed up his performance in the Craven. He travelled lovely through the race and two furlongs down I thought 'we're in with a real shout here'. He's picked up well up the hill, but so has Jim Bolger's horse and well done to him and his team. Ascot will be the most likely target for him, but I'll speak to connections. Naval Crown ran a hell of a race. I was always confident he'd run a big race, stepping back up to the mile.”

Jessie Harrington said of Lucky Vega, “I'm delighted with him. He ran a great race and proved he stays. He's a relaxed horse and just a little bit fresh. Shane [Foley] said he didn't come down the hill very well, but he stayed well and he said he was coming back at them with every stride. He's in the [G1] Irish Guineas [at The Curragh May 22] and the St James's Palace, so they are nice options to have. I've also got Cadillac, who is meant to be going to the Irish Guineas. We might have to run them against each other later in the year, although Cadillac might get further–he's from more of a staying family.”

One of the race's more excusable anti-climaxes was the seventh-placed Mutasaabeq and his rider Jim Crowley gave an insight into the attritional nature of the race afterwards. “He was a little bit disappointing, as I thought he would travel better into the race but it was a sound pace and a real war, a truly-run Guineas and he came off the bridle sooner than I expected,” he explained. “It was only his third start and he hasn't run a bad race, as it was a big jump up for him. He's obviously a very good horse, but you have to be a superstar to win on your third start. We gave it a go and it's back to the drawing board, but there are plenty of nice races for him.”

Poetic Flare is the second black-type winner for Maria Lee (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) after the dual listed scorer and dual group 3-placed Glamorous Approach (Ire) by New Approach, who had the stamina to win the 10-furlong Zetland as a 2-year-old. She is a full-sister to Bring Back Matron (Ire), who in turn produced the Listed Eyrefield S. winner Dubai Sand (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) while the third dam Saviour (Majestic Light) is a full-sister to the GI Blue Grass S. hero War and a half to fellow grade I winners Judge Angelucci (Honest Pleasure) and Peace (Naskra). Saviour produced the Listed Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial S. winner Speirbhean (Ire) (Danehill), who is in the Bolger Hall of Fame as the dam of one of his very finest in the aforementioned champion Teofilo. Denied his chance in this Classic by cruel fate, he is a half-brother to Godolphin's G2 Cape Verdi scorer Poetic Charm (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and her G3 Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial-winning full-sister Bean Feasa (GB). Maria Lee's 2-year-old Frazil (Ire) is a full-brother to Poetic Flare, while she also has a yearling filly by U S Navy Flag.

Saturday, Newmarket, Britain
QIPCO 2000 GUINEAS S.-G1, £400,315, Newmarket, 5-1, 3yo, c/f, 8fT, 1:35.69, g/f.
1–POETIC FLARE (IRE), 126, c, 3, by Dawn Approach (Ire)
1st Dam: Maria Lee (Ire), by Rock of Gibraltar (Ire)
2nd Dam: Elida (Ire), by Royal Academy
3rd Dam: Saviour, by Majestic Light
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Mrs J S Bolger; B/T-Jim Bolger (IRE); J-Kevin Manning. £227,019. Lifetime Record: GSW-Ire, 5-4-0-0, $388,518. *1/2 to Glamorous Approach (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}), SW & MGSP-Ire, SW-Eng, $224,182. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Master of the Seas (Ire), 126, c, 3, Dubawi (Ire)–Firth of Lorne (Ire), by Danehill. O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby. £86,068.
3–Lucky Vega (Ire), 126, c, 3, Lope de Vega (Ire)–Queen of Carthage, by Cape Cross (Ire). (€110,000 Wlg '18 GOFNOV; €175,000 Ylg '19 GOFOR). O-Zhang Yuesheng; B-Kilcarn Stud (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington. £43,074.
Margins: NO, NK, 2HF. Odds: 16.00, 6.00, 12.00.
Also Ran: Naval Crown (GB), Chindit (Ire), One Ruler (Ire), Mutasaabeq (GB), Van Gogh, Legion of Honour (GB), Mystery Smiles (Ire), Wembley (Ire), Devilwala (Ire), Battleground, Thunder Moon (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigreeVIDEO.

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Mutasaabeq Facing Guineas Destiny

   Saturday's G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas hosts the customary heavyweights of the previous year's scene, with the likes of Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), Wembley (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Van Gogh (American Pharoah), One Ruler (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Lucky Vega (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) all bringing Group 1 form to the table, but in the year that racing lost Sheikh Hamdan could there be a sense of destiny in the inclusion of the unproven 'TDN Rising Star' Mutasaabeq (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire})? As far as visual impressions go, there is hardly any other in this line-up that can match his emphatic six-length success in a conditions race over seven furlongs on similarly fast ground at the Craven meeting here on Apr. 13. Only Aidan O'Brien and Charlie Appleby know the merit of the dismissal of their colts Noble Dynasty (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Duke of Mantua (Ire) (No Nay Never) in that select contest, but the latter came into it with solid form and was readily put in his place. Like his father Barry, Charlie Hills is not a trainer for tilting at windmills and it is significant that he, Jim Crowley and the team at Shadwell are in unison in wanting to test the son of the 2009 G1 1000 Guineas heroine Ghanaati (Giant's Causeway) here.

It is clear from Charlie's comments that the homebred has forced their hand. “We were trying to nurse him through his career, but his ability has got him where he is now,” he revealed. “Winning by six lengths is nice to see, but did it surprise me? Possibly not. He was working with the very nice horses at home and worked well with them. He's only had two runs, but they've both been at Newmarket so he's got more experience than most on a course like that. Jim came and sat on him on Wednesday and said he felt very relaxed and in good shape. It goes without saying he becomes a very valuable proposition should he win a Guineas, being out of a Guineas winner.”

Another who left a lasting imprint with a dynamic display is Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez's fellow 'TDN Rising Star' Thunder Moon and his moment of “wow” came at the highest level. Impressive on his winning debut over seven furlongs at The Curragh in August, the descendant of Moyglare's esteemed matriarch Trusted Partner (Affirmed) really took the eye when dashing by Wembley, St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), Master of the Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Lucky Vega in the G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. over that same course and distance in September. That is arguably the strongest piece of juvenile form on this type of surface from 2020 and there is every chance that connections' assertion that soft ground was his undoing when subsequently third in the G1 Dewhurst S. here the following month was correct.

Joseph O'Brien said he is happy to see contrasting conditions on his return. “In the Dewhurst, we would have preferred better ground and a better draw. We thought better ground and a better draw would have helped us get closer and we're hoping that might happen at the weekend,” he said. “He travelled well and quickened up well, but just got run out of it. This race has been the plan, he's going in good shape, we're happy with the draw and we're looking forward to the race. He's always shown a lot of pace, he has a big turn of foot which he showed on the track last year and he's working satisfactorily at home. We're excited, we think he's the right type for the race–he's a mature, pacey type and we think a mile is a good trip for him.”

In the National, Master of the Seas was in front and looking in command a furlong from home before getting swamped by the O'Brien trio. He is favoured by William Buick over One Ruler (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and will bid to complete the Apr. 15 G3 Craven S.-Guineas double from stall two. His previous form from the July meeting's G2 Superlative S. ties in closely with one of the Ballydoyle clan in Battleground (War Front) and he is race-hardened this spring having run in Dubai and won the all-important trial, the course-and-distance G3 Craven S. Apr. 15. While he has to improve on that to win this, it is significant that William Buick has cast his vote his way over the fellow Charlie Appleby-trained G1 Futurity Trophy runner-up One Ruler (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who was a major mover in the ante-post market following his racecourse gallop at the Craven meeting.

Appleby gave some insight into the duo on Friday. “They're two different types of horses. Master of the Seas is a very honest traveller on the bridle, whereas One Ruler is a horse who warms into his race,” he explained. “I'm delighted with the way Master of the Seas has come out of the Craven. He's shown us his wellness during the week–William sat on him on Wednesday and was pleased with him. He ticks a lot of the boxes going into the weekend. We're taking on the same conditions as in the Craven in terms of it's going to be quick ground again. We know he handles that and handles the track and he saw the trip out well, so I always felt it was going to be hard for William to get off him. I'm excited to see One Ruler have his first start as a 3-year-old. The two horses have got different running styles, but in respect of the calibre of each horse, I think they're hard to split.”

One of the intriguing runners is Ballydoyle's true blueblood Van Gogh (American Pharoah), who bids to break new ground as the first son of the Triple Crown hero to win a British Classic. Like Mutasaabeq, he is a son of his stud's royalty with his dam Imagine (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) being the 2001 G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and G1 Epsom Oaks heroine. That is almost back to where it all started for the current captain of Ballydoyle and has a sense of ancient history, but American Pharoah seems to have re-lit a flame judged by the prolific progress of Van Gogh last term. Second to One Ruler in the G3 Autumn S. over this track and trip before taking the G1 Criterium International in imperious fashion in the space of a fortnight in October, he received a recent boost when Policy of Truth (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) who was fourth at Saint-Cloud came back to win the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau.

Van Gogh has forced his way into this line-up, with Derby trials being talked of earlier in the year, and he is far from a third-string behind Wembley and Battleground according to Aidan O'Brien. “You can make very strong cases for them all–they all have their pluses and minuses,” he said. “I'd say it would be a very hard one to split. Van Gogh ran on fastish ground early on and finished at Saint-Cloud on very soft-to-heavy ground. I think it's just the way the season worked out and the way the ground was. He's a good-moving horse and we always thought he'd get further than a mile.”

Also on Saturday, Newmarket stage a wide-open renewal of the five-furlong G3 Betfair Palace House S. and the G2 Betfair Exchange Jockey Club S., with the latter seeing a fascinating clash between the established top-level performer Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) and Shadwell's up-and-coming Al Zaraqaan (GB) (Golden Horn {GB}) who looked ready for this step up in class when winning Kempton's Rosebery H. Mar. 27. The latter's trainer William Haggas also combines with the operation's Mohaafeth (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in the Listed Betfair Newmarket S. over the same course and distance of his impressive handicap win at the Craven meeting on Apr. 14.

Saint-Cloud's public holiday meeting sees the 10 1/2-furlong G2 Prix Greffulhe and G3 Prix Cleopatre for G1 Prix du Jockey Club and G1 Prix de Diane aspirants, with Gestut Schlenderhan's impressive Apr. 6 12-furlong maiden course winner Martial Eagle (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}) a potential improver in the former contest and the Wertheimers' G1 Prix Marcel Boussac runner-up Tasmania (Fr) (Zoffany {Ire}) setting the standard in the latter. The card's feature is the G2 Prix du Muguet over a mile, where last year's G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. hero The Revenant (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) is met by Godolphin's returning G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner and G1 Prix du Jockey Club third Victor Ludorum (GB) (Shamardal). The latter could be in for a big year if he can overcome a tendency to start slowly which almost certainly cost him in the Chantilly Classic. Godolphin's Lisa-Jane Graffard said, “Victor Ludorum is in good form and this looks a nice starting point for the year. We are looking forward to seeing how he gets on and this will hopefully indicate where to go next with him.”

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Mutasaabeq To Be Added To Guineas

Shadwell Estates's Mutasaabeq (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), who earned 'TDN Rising Star' status with a six-length conditions win at Newmarket's Craven meeting on Apr. 13, is set to be supplemented for the G1 2000 Guineas on Monday. The Guineas takes place at Newmarket on Saturday.

“As long as all is well with the horse [Monday] morning, we will supplement him,” said Angus Gold, Shadwell's racing manager. “We've been thinking about it. We didn't put him in at the first stage because we thought it might come a bit quick for him. Mentally he was always a fizzy horse, but the team did a great job to keep a lid on him. Then he won first time out at Newmarket late in the season.”

“Obviously he was impressive when he won there the other day,” Gold added. “It's impossible to say what he beat, but the way he did it was visually impressive and he ran right to the top of the hill and Jim [Crowley] said he would have no problems going a mile. I saw the horse a few days later and he seems to have taken that race particularly well. He seems very relaxed at home. Dane O'Neill rode him a little half-speed yesterday and said he felt in great form. I spoke to Sheikh Hamdan's family to discuss the options and they said they would like to supplement him.”

Mutasaabeq is trained by Charlie Hills and is out of the late Sheikh Hamdan's G1 1000 Guineas winner Ghanaati (Giant's Causeway). Ghanaati is a granddaughter of one of Sheikh Hamdan's foundation mares, Height Of Fashion (Fr) (Bustino {GB}).

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Commonwealth Cup Goal For Supremacy

Last year's G1 Middle Park S. winner Supremacy (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) has wintered well, according to trainer Clive Cox, and will stick to sprints for his 3-year-old campaign, with the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot his key early season target. Cox said the G3 Pavilion S. at Ascot on Apr. 28 and the G2 Sandy Lane S. at Haydock on May 22 are under consideration as starting points for the colt.

“Supremacy will stay at six furlongs, so we're looking at the Pavilion, the normal sprinting route–with possibly the Sandy Lane en route to Royal Ascot and the Commonwealth,” said Cox. “He's wintered really well and looks very strong. I'm very pleased with him indeed.”

Supremacy, who is three for four, was also the eye-catching four-length winner of the G2 Richmond S. last summer.

Cox will likewise hold a strong hand for both the colts and fillies Guineas, with Marie McCartan's G2 Norfolk S. winner Nando Parrado (GB) and Paul and Clare Rooney's G2 Rockfel S. and G3 Prestige S. winner Isabella Giles (Ire) (Belardo {Ire}) targeting the first weekend in May at Newmarket. Nando Parrado, at 150-1, was the longest shot to ever win a 2-year-old race at Royal Ascot, and he upheld his form by finishing second in the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. Isabella Giles wrapped up the season, in which she went six for four, with a ninth-place finish over the soft going in the G1 Fillies' Mile.

“We'll be looking at one of the trials for [Nando Parrado]–but I very much intend to run him in the Guineas, all being well,” Cox said. “He does handle soft ground but won at Ascot on a quicker surface. I'm pleased with how he has done physically.

“He was a very able 2-year-old who has done well over the winter so I see no reason why he can't maintain that performance at the top level at three.”

Cox said he expects Isabella Giles to bounce back from her Fillies' Mile performance, which came at the end of a busy campaign.

“The filly has done very well too–she's done some nice work and is making good progress,” he said. “I think she had a busy enough time in the autumn, and we probably ran her once too many by the time of the Fillies' Mile, and she'd just gone off the boil.

“I would be very pleased with her now. She's a Group 2 winner at two, and her work is pleasing me at the moment to suggest we can look forward to what she does at three.

“It's really nice to have the conversations we're having at this stage, and we're looking forward to more of them hopefully as the season progresses.”

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