Alcohol Free (Ire) | Horse Racing Free Tips

Buick and Balding Top Qatar Goodwood Festival

Jockey William Buick and trainer Andrew Balding were named the Qatar Goodwood Festival Leading Jockey and Leading Trainer, respectively, on Saturday.

Buick, who gets married on Sunday, had previously won the award in 2014. The 33-year-old's best rides of the week were Suesa (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire})'s win in the G2 King George Qatar S. and Saturday's G2 Qatar Lillie Langtry S. heroine Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}).

Buick said, “I'm delighted to be leading jockey at Glorious Goodwood. I knew I had some good rides. It is always a week you look back on and think there are one or two races you would like to have a go at again but, all in all, it has been a great week.

“I am really pleased, Suesa and Wonderful Tonight being the highlights. I had some nice rides coming into the week and was quite positive.

“I've now got my wedding tomorrow. I'm a bit nervous now but it should be a brilliant day and we're getting married at a church opposite where we live. Now I have got to get my head into my speech–all week I have been focusing on my job, now I am going to focus on tomorrow! It should be a great day. James Doyle is my best man.”

Balding's horses won two races on Saturday, giving him a total of five wins at the meeting, good enough to take the trainers' title. The Kingsclere handler sent out Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) to scoop the G1 Qatar Sussex S. on Wednesday, the first time since Soviet Song (Ire) (Marju {Ire}) in 2004 a filly had won the iconic showpiece.

Balding said, “I thought we had a chance coming into today and we've had a couple of winners. We have targeted this meeting with the right horses. The ground suited most of them and it has been a good week.

“It was a special moment for us with Alcohol Free. She is a special filly and we really enjoyed it.”

At the conclusion of the five-day meeting, Jon Barnett, Goodwood Racecourse's Director, said, “We were delighted to have been the first major racing festival to welcome back full capacity crowds. The atmosphere on course has been fabulous throughout with a real buzz, particularly on Friday and Saturday where crowd levels were as good as we can remember with a sell-out capacity reached in a number of enclosures.

“The weather largely remained unsettled, but the racing stories and true 'Glorious Goodwood' experience shone through. Attendance for the week has reached 2019 levels, which was a fantastic year for us, with sales on food and beverage far higher than we would normally have anticipated as racegoers celebrated a return to the Festival.

“Finally, we must extend our sincere thanks to the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club, who have been the headline sponsor for the seventh year. Without their support alongside our other official partners, including Unibet, this would not be possible.

The post Buick and Balding Top Qatar Goodwood Festival appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Big Day For No Nay Never As Alcohol Free Wins The Sussex

In the battle between the 3-year-old colts and fillies, it was Jeff Smith's Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) who prevailed over Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) with an impressive success in Wednesday's G1 Qatar Sussex S. at Goodwood. Trapped wide throughout the early stages from her wide draw and forced to take back and race towards the rear, the 7-2 second favourite who had annexed the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot June 18 was delivered by Oisin Murphy to cut down Jim Bolger's G1 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace S. hero approaching the furlong pole. Brushing that 11-8 favourite aside, she stayed on strongly to score by 1 3/4 lengths, with the same margin back to Alcohol Free's G1 Falmouth S. conqueress Snow Lantern (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in third as the Classic generation dominated. “Alcohol Free is so, so talented and what a thrill I got from that,” Murphy said. “The race really ran from when we turned into the straight and then it was a grind to the line.”

Showing talent from the outset, Alcohol Free raced solely over six furlongs with success in the G1 Cheveley Park S. at Newmarket and a second in Salisbury's G3 Dick Poole Fillies' S. in September to show from a light campaign. Back with a win in the seven-furlong G3 Fred Darling S. at Newbury Apr. 18, she was an uncertain stayer heading to the May 2 1000 Guineas at Newmarket and that was still a question mark after she finished fifth there but in the Coronation she emphatically proved her staying power. Forced to make the running when third in the Falmouth at Newmarket July 9, she may have been compromised as much by quicker ground as the tactics and so when the rain came the Kingsclere confidence rose.

Forced out on the track soon after the start as Tilsit (First Defence) made his move forward, Alcohol Free was going to have to do it the hard way as had so often been the case throughout her career. Reined back to race alongside Snow Lantern as the GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero Order of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}) put the pace to the race kept company by Century Dream (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), she had to surrender first run to Poetic Flare who had been ideally placed tracking that duo. No sooner had Keving Manning forged a narrow lead on the favourite from Century Dream heading to the furlong pole, Alcohol Free was upon him and the result was quickly settled as she swamped him to become the first of her sex to win this since Soviet Song (Ire) (Marju {Ire}) in 2004.

“I knew James Doyle would go forward on Century Dream, but on his own terms and in his own rhythm,” Murphy reflected afterwards. “I knew Tilsit under Kieran Shoemark and Alcohol Free would fight for the same position. Unfortunately, she is 440kgs and Tilsit is probably 500kgs plus. I was never going to win that battle and was happy to come back and trust that Kieran would move at the right time and that I would be able to get out and slip into the race. I can't thank everyone at Park House enough. Alcohol Free really can be a handful in the mornings. Cassia has to deal with her every day and deserves a medal because she can be really tough work.”

Trainer Andrew Balding added, “Oisin was at pains to try and tuck in and get some cover, because she's so much better when you are able to do that and she has got something to aim at. Poetic Flare is a very good horse, but she really did it well in the end. I am sure there were hard-luck stories, but I am sure she was the best horse on the day. It was lovely to see her do that because we have always believed in her. It is no easy task taking on the colts and older horses and to do it in that style was just fantastic.”

“Watching her work is demoralising for the other horses; we have to keep swapping the lead horse because she is just so, so good,” her handler continued. “You see her afterwards and she is hardly blowing–it is effortless really. She has been the victim of bad draws whenever she has run, to be honest. She probably would have won the Dick Poole, and, with a good draw, I think in the Guineas she would have gone close had she been drawn in the middle or to the far side. It was Jeff Smith's idea in the first place, and I don't think it's a bad idea, to put her in the [Aug. 18 G1 Juddmonte] International at York and we decided to keep her in at yesterday's forfeit stage. It might be asking a bit much, going a mile and a quarter, but she's a filly that has won three Group 1 races, so we have very little to lose. If it doesn't work, we'll regroup and go back to the mile race on Champions Day.”

Una Manning said of the runner-up, “Kevin [Manning] said for Poetic Flare that it was the same as France again. The ground just blunted his speed and I would say the wind drying it out has just made the ground tacky. We were always going to turn up here, it was just unfortunate that the rain came. We were game to go and had to give it our best go. Poetic Flare has lost nothing in defeat. He loves his racing, loves his work. He's an easy horse to deal with and to travel. Bringing him over here wasn't going to be any sort of disadvantage to him, even if the ground didn't turn out like he wanted.”

Kevin Manning added “It was the same as in Paris. I was riding Poetic Flare a little bit behind the bridle from a long way down, whereas on good ground he is travelling into his races. I think the ground has just blunted him for speed. It is tacky, holding ground and there is no bounce in it. Poetic Flare has dug very deep and I thought for a few strides when Alcohol Free came by that he would shunt her back. He's won a 2000 Guineas and St James's Palace on good to quick ground. The runs that he hasn't lived up to have both come on soft ground.”

Snow Lantern stayed on from behind once again and jockey Jamie Spencer suggested that a step up in trip could suit. “The pace was only just okay,” he said. “When they quickened at the three, I was caught a little flat-footed, but I hit the line very strong. Further won't be a problem.”

Alcohol Free, who was completing an afternoon group double for her sire after Armor (GB) had taken the Molecomb, is a daughter of Plying (Hard Spun) who also produced the Listed Prix le Fabuleux scorer Alexander James (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). The second dam is the Listed National S.-placed Nasaieb (Ire) (Fairy King), who is also responsible for the G2 Flying Childers S. and G3 Princess Margaret S. third Kissing Lights (Ire) Machiavellian) and is a half-sister to the G3 Solario S. scorer Raise a Grand (Ire) (Grand Lodge). From the family of the champion juvenile Numbered Account (Buckpasser), Plying's unraced 2-year-old filly Hooked On You (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) was a 130,000gns purchase by Creighton Schwartz Bloodstock at the Tattersalls December Yearling Sale and is owned by John and Jess Dance in training with Karl Burke. Her yearling colt by Dandy Man (Ire) was bought by Ballyhane for €80,000 at the Goffs November Foal Sale.

Wednesday, Goodwood, Britain
QATAR SUSSEX S.-G1, £1,000,000, Goodwood, 7-28, 3yo/up, 8fT, 1:42.83, sf.
1–ALCOHOL FREE (IRE), 123, f, 3, by No Nay Never
1st Dam: Plying, by Hard Spun
2nd Dam: Nasaieb (Ire), by Fairy King
3rd Dam: Atyaaf, by Irish River (Fr)
(€40,000 Wlg '18 GOFNOV). O-J C Smith; B-Churchtown House Stud (IRE); T-Andrew Balding; J-Oisin Murphy. £567,100. Lifetime Record: 8-5-1-1, $1,378,006. *1/2 to Alexander James (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), SW-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Poetic Flare (Ire), 126, c, 3, Dawn Approach (Ire)–Maria Lee (Ire), by Rock of Gibraltar (Ire). O-Mrs J. S. Bolger; B/T-Jim Bolger (IRE). £215,000.
3–Snow Lantern (GB), 123, f, 3, Frankel (GB)–Sky Lantern (Ire), by Red Clubs (Ire). O/B-Rockcliffe Stud (GB); T-Richard Hannon. £107,600.
Margins: 1 3/4, 1 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 3.50, 1.38, 6.00.
Also Ran: Duhail (Ire), Order of Australia (Ire), Space Traveller (GB), Lope Y Fernandez (Ire), Century Dream (Ire), Tilsit. Scratched: Battleground, Chindit (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

The post Big Day For No Nay Never As Alcohol Free Wins The Sussex appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Sussex Test for Poetic Flare

At his best when the ground is on the quick side, Jim Bolger's G1 2000 Guineas and G1 St James's Palace S. hero Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) has to deal with a testing surface as he faces up to his first test against the fillies and older horses in Wednesday's G1 Qatar Sussex S. Only sixth on very soft in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains at ParisLongchamp May 16 and a short-head second to Mac Swiney (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) on soft-to-heavy in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas at The Curragh six days later, the homebred is more vulnerable than he would have been without all the rain that has arrived but Jim Bolger is undiminished in his belief in the homebred. “Poetic Flare has been very well since the St James's Palace Stakes. We're very happy with his work and he seems to be improving further,” he said. “He's only had a break in as much as he hasn't been racing, but he's a horse who I have to keep moving and so it hasn't exactly been a holiday.”

“It was fast ground when Poetic Flare won at Ascot and it might well be that he's better on that better ground, but he seems to handle all going and he's pretty good on soft too,” he added. “My preference would be for good ground, but I'm not much given to worrying anyway. Whatever it is, I'll take it. I'm very happy with my horse and I don't worry too much about anybody else's.”

How the fillies stack up against the colts remains to be seen, but TDN Rising Star Snow Lantern (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) are among the elite of their sex and their own private duels have seen them win one apiece. Jeff Smith's Alcohol Free was in front of Rockcliffe Stud's homebred on ground similar to this in the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot June 18, but she was only third as Snow Lantern prevailed in the G1 Falmouth S. at Newmarket July 9. Snow Lantern's trainer Richard Hannon had been considering the G1 Nassau S., but opted to stick with her proven route for now. “The decision to run here was in part ground-led, but we wanted to keep her at a mile,” he said. “She is learning to settle now and we don't want to upset her equilibrium.”

“If she gets beaten and is not good enough, we can give her a break and come back in the [G1] Sun Chariot in six weeks' time,” Hannon added. “She's doing nothing wrong over a mile and going a mile and a quarter on this ground might have been a bit of a stretch. If she relaxes, she'll get a mile and a quarter but we can do that next year. Sky Lantern was beaten here in the Prestige, where she looked like winning all the way but was a little bit weak as a 2-year-old. This filly is very versatile and if she got beaten I'd rather it was that she didn't handle the track than she was not good enough. This is soft and then some, but she showed she handled the ground at Ascot.”

Oisin Murphy knows Alcohol Free inside out and is hoping that the easing in the ground will help her in her rematch with Snow Lantern. “Alcohol Free is in great form and any rain won't inconvenience her,” he said. “I was pleased with her when I rode her on Saturday and hopefully she'll run a big race. She won't have any problems with the track at Goodwood. She prefers to meet the ground and the first half of the race at Goodwood is going uphill and then it's practically flat in the straight which will suit her fine.” Trainer Andrew Balding added, “It looks like conditions should be ideal. The turning track seemed to suit her really well when she won at Royal Ascot, so I think Goodwood will suit her really well. At Newmarket in the Falmouth it wasn't the plan to make the running and she rather set it up for the others. Hopefully if there's some sort of pace to aim at, she's got a fairly electric turn of foot.”

Ballydoyle's duo are the GI Breeders' Cup Mile first and third Order of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), with the former coming back to winning form in the seven-furlong G2 Minstrel S. on contrasting ground at The Curragh July 18. Lope Y Fernandez was runner-up in the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot last time June 15, which represented his fifth placing at the highest level, and whether he can prevail at last in this company is a matter of how strong the 3-year-old milers are. “We are looking forward to Lope Y Fernandez and we think he's come forward again since Ascot,” Aidan O'Brien commented. “We are very happy with him. He's very straightforward and is progressing well. Order of Australia has come out of his win at the Curragh very well and the Sussex Stakes is a race which could suit him.”

Representing the form of Ascot's G2 Summer Mile July 10, Juddmonte's Tilsit (First Defence) and Abdulla Belhabb's Century Dream (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) were first and second there with the former looking a cosy winner. Successful in the G3 Thoroughbred S. over this track and trip 12 months ago, Tilsit is one who has crept under the radar and as a lightly-raced relative of Kingman (GB) warrants respect. “He's probably come out of Ascot the best he's come out of any race–he's in great form,” Tilsit's trainer Charlie Hills said. “He won a group 3 at the meeting last year, so we know he handles the track.”

In the G3 Markel Molecomb S. for the fastest of the juveniles, Clarendon Thoroughbred Racing's Fearby (Ire) (Havana Gold {Ire}) holds pole position after his five-length success in the Listed Dragon S. over this five-furlong trip at Sandown July 2. Golden Horde carried the AlMohamediya Racing silks to success in the G2 Richmond S. two years ago and are carried by another Clive Cox-trained colt in Chimgan (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}), who was strong at the finish on his winning debut at Nottingham July 5. The G3 Whispering Angel Oak Tree S. is a wide-open affair, with the June 17 Buckingham Palace H. and July 4 Listed Queen Charlotte Fillies' S. scorer Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) one of the more progressive fillies in the line-up for the seven-furlong contest.EST

The post Sussex Test for Poetic Flare appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Falmouth Clash to Savour on Friday

Now that the summer solstice is behind us, the best of the Classic generation will frequently be tested against their elders and when it comes to tying together the varying strands in the fillies and mares' miling division, Newmarket's G1 Tattersalls Falmouth S. has it all on Friday. If the G1 Coronation S. helped to sort out the pecking order among the 3-year-olds, the G2 Duke of Cambridge S. also at Royal Ascot only served to muddy the waters when it comes to the more advanced in age. It is always tempting to side with the younger contingent and there is much to suggest that Alcohol Free (Ire) (No Nay Never) and Snow Lantern (GB) (Frankel {GB}) have significantly more to offer having gone one-two in the Royal meeting's Coronation June 18. Oisin Murphy has an innate understanding of the former, who has now carried Jeff Smith's silks to two top-level victories having also annexed the Cheveley Park S. on the Rowley Mile track here in September. “I've sat on her since Royal Ascot and she's in great form,” he said. “She proved herself over a mile in the Coronation S. and I hope and think she can uphold that form here.”

Alcohol Free's trainer Andrew Balding added, “It looks a proper race, but Alcohol Free is in good form and we hope she'll be as effective on the faster conditions as she was on the heavy ground at Ascot. We were delighted with her performance in the Coronation, so we go to Newmarket full of hope. We're renewing rivalry with a couple and there are some very good older fillies in the race as well–it's a proper Group 1 race.”

'TDN Rising Star' Snow Lantern was too free, met trouble in running and still finished just 1 1/2 lengths off Alcohol Free in the Coronation so it is understandable that the ever-bullish Richard Hannon is in confident mood. Her defeat at the hands of the impressive Primo Bacio (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}) in the Listed Michael Seely Memorial S. over this trip at York May 14 has been put down to a tendency to over-race, but with the ground riding fast on the July Course and no obvious pacemakers here Rockcliffe Stud's prized homebred will have to be far more tractable. “The winner won well at Ascot, but we look forward to taking her on again in the Falmouth,” he said. “We didn't really have the rub of the green that day. Hopefully the ground will be better this time, which will help our filly.”

Primo Bacio has been off the track since beating Snow Lantern at York in May, having been withdrawn from the Coronation Stakes on account of the testing conditions. David Ward's bay, who was taken out of the Coronation after the deluge, has to prove that her York win was no aberration but her lethal turn of acceleration will be valuable in what could turn out to be a tactical affair. “It was a really difficult decision to take her out–we didn't know that she would not have liked that ground, because she's by Awtaad who loved the mud,” trainer Ed Walker admitted. “Lots of people were questioning my decision on that basis, but knowing the filly I just didn't feel it was right. She is a good-moving filly with a really smart turn of foot and I think running her on a stiff mile in real bottomless ground and putting a massive emphasis on stamina just wasn't right. Andrea Atzeni got on seriously well with her at York and he rides her again, so that's good news. I've known Andrea for a long time and use him a lot when available, and he's a brilliant rider. He's got that cool and it suits a filly like that really well.”

Dominant over Saffron Beach (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) and Alcohol Free when the ground was riding similarly slick in the May 2 G1 1000 Guineas, Ballydoyle's Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) is back in action again. Her two subsequent efforts when second and third respectively on unsuitably soft going in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches at ParisLongchamp May 16 and the Coronation showed her to be as game as she is classy and she remains unexposed on this trip and ground. “This is a very good and deep renewal of the Falmouth and it will take plenty of winning,” Ryan Moore said. “My filly obviously ran well when third to Alcohol Free and Snow Lantern in the Coronation S. last time, but I'd like to think she is a bit better than she showed there. Her 1000 Guineas win and subsequent second in France clearly mark her out as a high-class operator and she acts on quick and deep ground, so she is versatile on that score with more rain about.”

There is little between Indie Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), Lady Bowthorpe (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), Queen Power (Ire) (Shamardal) and Champers Elysees (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}) on the form of the Duke of Cambridge June 16, where the Cheveley Park's mercurial grey had things fall into place. Supplemented for this, Indie Angel will need to prove that her Royal Ascot career-best was not a one-off. “If it had closed a day after the Duke of Cambridge, rather than the day before, she would have been in it,” the Stud's managing director Chris Richardson said. “She bounces off quick ground, so we're just hoping there's no more rain. She's in good form. John [Gosden] is very happy with her and hopefully Frankie [Dettori] can work his magic again.”

In the nine-furlong G2 Dahlia S. here May 2, it was Lady Bowthorpe and Queen Power who had Indie Angel's measure and with the former going on to chase home Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in Newbury's G1 Lockinge S. May 15 she narrowly sets the standard.

In the card's six-furlong G2 Duchess of Cambridge S., there is a fascinating rematch between the June 18 G3 Albany S. one-two-three Sandrine (GB) (Bobby's Kitten), Hello You (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Oscula (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}) with this ground offering a vastly contrasting scenario. With the Royal meeting only just surviving an inspection on that day, it is impossible to know how the trio or the well-beaten 'TDN Rising Star' Flotus (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) will perform here but it is still a learning process for the raw juvenile fillies at this stage.

Interestingly, Thursday's G2 Tattersalls July S. was fought out by a trio who swerved the fast ground prevalent on the first three days of Royal Ascot and it will be fascinating to see how the fillies fare with the Albany run on slow ground. Sandrine's trainer Andrew Balding said, “I've been very happy with her since Ascot. Ground conditions will be very different and that's a question mark, but she seems in good form and I thought she was very impressive in the Albany, so fingers crossed for a good run.”

Click here for the group fields.

The post Falmouth Clash to Savour on Friday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post