Lezoo Notches Landmark Score For Zoustar At Ascot

Marc Chan and Andrew Rosen's 2-year-old filly Lezoo (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}), making a swift return after running second in Newmarket's July 8 G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. last time, notched a landmark score in Saturday's G3 Princess Margaret Keeneland S. at Ascot to become her sire's first Northern Hemisphere pattern-race winner in the six-furlong dash. She had previously posted victories in a June 11 novices' heat over five furlongs at Bath and when upped to six furlongs for Newmarket's June 25 Listed Empress Fillies' S. in her penultimate start. Positioned off the early tempo after a slightly awkward exit from the stands' side stall, the 6-5 favourite made smooth headway from halfway to launch her challenge at the quarter-mile marker and kept on strongly once hitting the front soon after to withstand the late rattle of the hitherto undefeated Kinta (Ire) (Sioux Nation) by a length.

“She's a tough girl, four runs in five weeks, and I wish they were all like her,” commented trainer Ralph Beckett. “She has just thrived on her racing, it is great to get it done and now we will think about the [G1] Cheveley Park. I really didn't intend to run her here after Newmarket, I thought we would go to the [G2] Lowther as I felt York would really suit her as a racecourse, as a track as well. Andrew Rosen, her part-owner, has had horses in England for 15 years and he has never seen one of them win. He's here today, so it is a good day for all concerned. We will go to the Lowther next, probably. We will keep running her and, if she keeps going like this, we will keep running her and won't stand in her way. When the ball is at your feet, it is a good idea to kick it.”

Pedigree Notes

Lezoo, already the first Northern Hemisphere-bred stakes winner for her reverse shuttle sire, is now the first at group level, as well. Zoustar began shuttling to Tweenhills Stud in 2019. He is the sire of 30 black-type winners–22 group–after Lezou's victory, and already owns Champion First-Season, Second-Season, and Third-Season sire titles from his Widden Stud base in New South Wales. His best progeny include Group 1 winners Sunlight (Aus), Zoutori (Aus), and Mizzy (Aus), while his dual Group 2-winning son and young sire Lean Mean Machine (Aus) was also third in the G1 Coolmore Stud S. to Sunlight and G2 Champagne Classic hero Zousain (Aus), also a sire.

The sixth foal from her G3 Firth Of Clyde S.-winning dam, Lezoo is bred on a similar cross to Zoustar's G3 Maribyrnong Plate winner Brereton (Aus), who is out of a Red Ransom mare. Roger Sez (Ire) is by Red Clubs (Ire), who scored his greatest victory in the G1 Betfred Sprint Cup in 2007, and is a son of Red Ransom. Her latest foal is a yearling filly by Territories (Ire).

Affair Of State (Ire) (Tate Gallery), the third dam of Lezoo, won at the listed level, and is also the dam of stakes winner Bibury Flyer (GB) (Zafonic), as well as the group-placed Hello Glory (GB) (Zamindar) and the stakes-placed Statesman (GB) (Doyoun {Ire}). Another of her daughters, the winning Star Now (GB) (Librettist), is the dam of G3 Polar Cup victor Tinnitus (Ire) (Clodovil {Ire}).

Saturday, Ascot, Britain
PRINCESS MARGARET KEENELAND S.-G3, £60,000, Ascot, 7-23, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:14.07, g/f.
1–LEZOO (GB), 128, f, 2, by Zoustar (Aus)
1st Dam: Roger Sez (Ire) (GSW-Eng, $125,831), by Red Clubs (Ire)
2nd Dam: Stately Princess (GB), by Robellino
3rd Dam: Affair of State (Ire), by Tate Gallery
1ST GROUP WIN. (77,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT; €110,000 2yo '22 ARQMAY). O-Marc Chan & Andrew Rosen; B-Chasemore Farm (GB); T-Ralph Beckett; J-Lanfranco Dettori. £34,026. Lifetime Record: 4-3-1-0, $102,086. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Kinta (Ire), 128, f, 2, Sioux Nation–Qamarain, by Hard Spun. 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€16,000 Ylg '21 GOAUTY; £115,500 2yo '22 TATBRG). O-Mr & Mrs R. Scott; B-David Halley (IRE); T-George Boughey. £12,900.
3–Breege (GB), 128, f, 2, Starspangledbanner (Aus)–Wowcha (Ire), by Zoffany (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Chasemore Farm (GB); T-John Quinn. £6,456.
Margins: 1, 2HF, NK. Odds: 1.20, 7.00, 12.00.
Also Ran: Minnetonka (Ire), Cuban Mistress (GB), Glenlaurel (Ire), Royal Charter (GB), Palm Lily (Ire), Omniqueen (GB). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

 

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Prosperous Voyage Upsets Inspiral In The Falmouth

There was a surprise of grand proportions in store in Friday's G1 Tattersalls Falmouth S. at Newmarket, as Marc Chan and Andrew Rosen's Prosperous Voyage (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) ruthlessly dragged Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) into the red to strip the July Festival's “good thing” of her unbeaten record. Bridesmaid to the Gosdens' luminary in the G2 May Hill S. and G1 Fillies' Mile at two, the resilient Ralph Beckett-trained bay who had been runner-up again in the 1000 Guineas was asked to go deep by Rob Hornby from the outset and responded with pressurising sectionals. Heading to two out, the damage had already been inflicted and while soon after the 1-7 favourite and Sandrine (GB) (Kitten's Joy) loomed, the 16-1 shot had most to give up the deciding incline. Inspiral had been at work for some time, but managed to stave off the challenge of Sandrine to at least obtain the first silver medal of her career, 1 3/4 lengths down on the impressive winner. Sandrine, who also had to run hard to enter the fray, paid for that late to drop away and finish a length further behind. “It is a horse race and anything can happen,” Beckett said of the winner, who had flopped as Inspiral shone when down the field in the G1 Coronation S. “Maybe Inspiral didn't turn up today, maybe she did bounce–there are lots of maybes, but this filly ran her race and that's all that really matters to me.”

 

Prosperous Voyage's progress throughout her juvenile campaign had assumed more the pace of a pleasure cruise than a high-speed ferry, with a narrow maiden win at Epsom followed by a second in a Chester novice and a third in the seven-furlong G3 Prestige S. at Goodwood in August. Picked off by Inspiral and beaten 3 3/4 lengths when upped to a mile and allowed to bowl along in the May Hill at Doncaster's St Leger meeting, she had narrowed that deficit to 2 1/2 lengths in the Fillies' Mile on the Rowley Mile here in October, but the overwhelming impression was that she would remain in her contemporary's shadow for some time.

Back over the course and distance of the Fillies' Mile in the May 1 1000 Guineas which was as much about those absent than it was those present, Prosperous Voyage ran a race well up to her 2-year-old form and had she been set the kind of examination she was on this sun-baked afternoon she would have caught Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}). As it was, she was a fast-vanishing neck margin away at the line before blowing out in the Coronation, where she faded uncharacteristically tamely from early straight and wound up nine-lengths 10th.

This upset came down to a filly that operated with deadly efficiency on ground as fast as it gets on the July Course in the modern age, versus one that was compromised by having such a tough assignment so soon after a dynamic effort at Royal Ascot. Time will tell whether Inspiral can get back on top in a rivalry that up until Friday afternoon had seemed anything but, with this gruelling task her first true experience of what it feels like to go deep into her reserves. Hornby put Prosperous Voyage on the limit of what she was capable of and her furlong-by-furlong fractions made it a race of truth which exposed a crack–temporary or otherwise–in the formidable armour of the favourite.

For Beckett, the key to the winner is a straight track. “She scraped home at Epsom, got beat at Chester and didn't act in the Coronation Stakes because she's not as effective around a bend–we know that now,” he explained. “When she's run on a straight track, she's run her race and this race was right for the horse. You will remember she was supposed run in the Saint-Alary, but the traffic was backed up so I decided not to send her and that probably counted today. Rob gave her a lovely ride–he did it in France last year on Scope and we don't lack faith in our rider. He never panics when he is challenged–he sits still and he suits this filly. He sat still on her and she came good underneath him. The Sun Chariot is the obvious race for her and we'll keep bringing her back to Newmarket.”

Hornby, who like Dettori has been in the news of late not only for his considerable riding talent, was happy to focus on his achievement on Friday. “She has a great character and a lot of personality,” he said of the winner. “She run such a heroic race in the Guineas and is a strong stayer who enjoys bowling away in front. Coming inside the three they came to challenge me, but she is so brave and gives her it all, all of the time. She hit the rising ground and stayed strongly. Today it was a matter of keeping the revs up and keep it smooth and flowing like the Guineas.”

“Days like this make everything worthwhile,” he added. “Nothing has ever happened for me straight away. I just plugged away through my apprenticeship through great guidance from Mr. Balding and the academy there, which stood me in good stead for the highs and lows that were to come for the rest of your career. It was terribly sad that we lost Scope after the yard had such a tremendous weekend and I was thinking it can't get any worse, but this is a crazy sport we play and hugely exciting.”

John Gosden was inclined to believe that Inspiral's reversal was down to backing up too fast from the Royal meeting. “You don't normally come here after a big win at Ascot, but she hadn't run all year so we did and I just thought she ran a little flat,” he said. “The ground has quickened up, but I think it's more the turnaround. You could tell early on that she was a little bit flat, so we'll freshen her up and away we go again. She seems happy enough.”

Cheveley Park Stud's Managing Director Chris Richardson commented, “Frankie basically felt that it probably came a bit quick after such a stunning performance at the Royal meeting and perhaps the ground was a little too quick for her, so it was a combination of the two. She's run a great race, so we'll give her a nice five or six-week break and freshen her up and see how we get on. To be fair, Mrs Thompson asked if this was something we should be doing but John and I agreed that it was tempting to come here having missed the Spring. Take nothing away from the winner, who was very impressive and hopefully we'll be back to have another go another day. We were concerned in the Spring even before her setback that fast ground might be a problem coming down into dip on the Rowley Mile.”

Prosperous Voyage's dam Seatone (Mizzen Mast), a Juddmonte cast-off who was a 115,000gns purchase by Charlie Gordon-Watson Bloodstock at the 2011 Tattersalls December Mares Sale, is also responsible for the Australian stakes-placed Romanesque (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}). Her dam is the G3 Prix Corrida winner Diese (Diesis {GB}), who proved one of Juddmonte's abundant significant stakes producers when throwing the GI United Nations H. and G1 Clement L. Hirsch Memorial Turf Championship S. hero Senure (Nureyev) and fellow sire Speak In Passing (Danzig) who captured the GIII San Simeon H. She is also the second dam of the G2 Chairman's H. and G3 N E Manion Cup scorer Permit (GB) (Dansili {GB}).

The third dam is the G3 Ballyogan S. winner and G1 Phoenix S. runner-up Monroe (Sir Ivor), dam of the G1 Dewhurst S. and G1 Prix de la Salamandre-winning juvenile sensation and sire Xaar (GB) (Zafonic) and the G3 Prix Quincey scorer and G1 Grand Criteirum runner-up Masterclass (The Minstrel). She is also the ancestress of the G1 Dubai Duty Free-winning sire Cityscape (GB) (Selkirk) and the G2 Temple S.-winning sire Bated Breath (GB), as well as the five-times grade I-winning champion and stakes producer Close Hatches (First Defence). Seatone's unraced 2-year-old colt Tenerife (Ire) (No Nay Never) was the second-highest-priced lot at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 2, selling to Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock for 450,000gns, while she also has a yearling filly by Camelot (GB).

Friday, Newmarket, Britain
TATTERSALLS FALMOUTH S.-G1, £250,000, Newmarket, 7-8, 3yo/up, f/m, 8fT, 1:36.03, g/f.
1–PROSPEROUS VOYAGE (IRE), 126, f, 3, by Zoffany (Ire)
     1st Dam: Seatone, by Mizzen Mast
     2nd Dam: Diese, by Diesis (GB)
     3rd Dam: Monroe, by Sir Ivor
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN, 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (£65,000 Ylg '20 GOFOR). O-Marc Chan and Andrew Rosen; B-Lynch Bages & Camas Park Stud (IRE); T-Ralph Beckett; J-Rob Hornby. £141,775. Lifetime Record: 9-2-4-1, $505,539. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Inspiral (GB), 126, f, 3, Frankel (GB)–Starscope (GB), by Selkirk. O-Cheveley Park Stud; B-Cheveley Park Stud Limited (GB); T-John & Thady Gosden. £53,750.
3–Sandrine (GB), 126, f, 3, Bobby's Kitten–Seychelloise (GB), by Pivotal (GB). O/B-Miss K Rausing (GB); T-Andrew Balding. £26,900.
Margins: 1 3/4, 1, 3 1/4. Odds: 16.00, 0.14, 12.00.
Also Ran: Primo Bacio (Ire), Sibila Spain (Ire). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

 

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Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Younger McGaughey ‘Has A Real Passion’ For The Horses

Less than two full years after striking out on his own, trainer Reeve McGaughey is keeping the family name alive and well by sending his first graded stakes winner across the wire at Aqueduct Racetrack.

A homebred for Gainesway Stable (Antony Beck) and Andrew Rosen, 3-year-old Bees and Honey (by Union Rags) sailed clear of her rivals by 2 3/4 lengths in the Comely Stakes (G3) on Nov. 26. The victory—while not entirely unexpected by McGaughey—helped end the month on a high note for the young trainer whose budding stable is already revving up for more in 2022.

“Going into the race everyone was pretty confident because she was doing well,” said McGaughey. “We had a good feeling that she would like the distance and the racetrack. The way the race shaped up it looked like we had a chance to get black type on her and we would see what happened from there.

“It was fun, but it was almost a little bit of a relief. I certainly enjoyed it. Hopefully, there will be more wins behind it, but it was really nice to get that one.”

From an early age, there was never any real doubt that McGaughey would choose a career that led him too far from the backside. The son of Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey and the nephew of Charlie LoPresti, who trained two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan, McGaughey's life has always been inextricably tied to Thoroughbred racing.

“He is my nephew, but in the years he worked for me I don't think I had anybody that worked as hard in the barn as he did,” said LoPresti, for whom McGaughey worked as an assistant for five years. “He has a real passion for it. All the help respected him so much because he is the first one to jump in and helped. He's an incredible horseman and I was proud for him to be with me. He was like my right and left arms to tell the truth.”

After leaving LoPresti, McGaughey worked in his father Shug's barn until 2020. His decision to strike out on his own came within months of the announcement that LoPresti would retire from racing after almost 30 years—a move that would prove fortuitous for both uncle and nephew.

“It worked out well when I retired that he wanted to go out on his own, so he took most of everything that was in my barn,” said LoPresti. “The horses went, and the help went too because they respected him so much.

“His dad being a Hall of Fame trainer gave him a lot of advice, but I think the advice I had for him was to not get too big and to really concentrate on the horses. But I didn't need to tell him that. He's a hands-on horseman. That's the way he is and the way he's always been. It was a perfect fit and we're so proud of what he's accomplished.”

McGaughey's first win came July 25, 2020, when Nathan Detroit (Union Rags) broke his maiden on debut at Ellis Park. The horse was bred and owned by Joe Allen, a client of his father.

“A good portion of my clients are ones I knew from working with my dad who have also been clients of his, but I also work for a fair amount of people I didn't have a previous relationship with until I started out,” said McGaughey, who continues to build out his stable. “A couple people I work the sales for and a few just send me the horses that they have. It's a mix.”

These days, McGaughey has 25 horses in his barn split between Kentucky and Florida. Ten of those horses currently reside at Tampa Bay Downs with his assistant, while the other 15 remain at Keeneland with him. His statistics through Dec. 17 stand at 24-23-23 from 172 starts with $1,188.054 in earnings.

While Bees and Honey might be his only stakes winner to date, McGaughey feels he has plenty of promising runners to keep him busy on and off the track in the coming months. While he's happy to revel in his recent success, he has no plans to rest on his laurels.

“We have a nice 3-year-old filly who will turn 4 named Texas Shuffle (War Front). We've also got a 3-year-old turning 4 named Charles Chrome (California Chrome), he's stakes-placed and he's coming back off a freshening this winter. He's just now starting back. We also have a few young ones that haven't run yet that we're just getting going with, but they look like they'll have talent.”

“He (Reeve) knows how hard the game is. It has its ups and downs,” said LoPresti. “He's had some tough times and now he's having good times but that is the way the business is. He knows the game because he's been around it since he was a little boy, so he knows how it all works.”

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Bees And Honey Gets A Break Following Comely Victory

For the second straight year, someone with the last name McGaughey captured the $200,0000 Grade 3 Comely at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y. This year, it was not Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, but rather his son and former assistant J. Reeve McGaughey capturing his first graded stakes victory with Bees and Honey.

Owned by Gainesway Stable and Andrew Rosen, Bees and Honey, a chestnut Union Rags sophomore filly, registered a 96 Beyer Speed Figure for her effort in the Comely, which last year was won by the Joseph Allen homebred Mrs. Danvers for the elder McGaughey.

“It's pretty exciting,” said Reeve McGaughey. “I certainly appreciate the owners giving me the opportunity. This is my first horse for Gainesway, but I've had one or two for Mr. Rosen. He's always been very fair and a good owner for me.”

McGaughey, who went out on his own in 2020, expressed pride in capturing his first graded stakes race on the NYRA circuit.

“It's exciting to win a graded race in New York like the Comely which has a long history behind it,” McGaughey said. “The filly seems like she came out of the race in good shape. She'll come back down to Lexington on Sunday and from there we'll see where she goes next.”

McGaughey said he learned a number of valuable lessons during his time spent working with his Hall of Fame father.

“Just that you can't control everything – they're horses,” McGaughey said. “As long as you believe in what you're doing, you'll be alright.”

McGaughey said his belief in what he thought was a strong work last Saturday over the main track at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., prompted him to ship Bees and Honey to Aqueduct for the Comely.

“It was in the back of our minds, but we didn't decide to go until her last work,” McGaughey said. “She's not an overly exciting work horse and she put in what I consider a really good work, so it was a race worth trying and it paid off.”

McGaughey, who will have 15 stalls at Tampa Bay Downs in Tampa, Fla., said his newly crowned graded stakes-winner will receive a freshening with a spring and summer campaign in mind.

“She's probably getting a bit of a break now,” McGaughey said. “She wants to run a mile and an eighth or further and there aren't many options over the winter. She's had a pretty busy half of the year from July on and handled it all well. We'll freshen her up a bit. She may go to Ocala or straight to Tampa with me.”

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