ascot | Horse Racing Free Tips

Staying Superstar Stradivarius Retired To Stud

Stradivarius, the three-time Gold Cup winner and the undisputed champion stayer of his generation, has been retired to stud.

Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) won three Yorkshire Cups and two Doncaster Cups but will be best remembered for those epic Gold Cup triumphs at Ascot.

Owned by Bjorn Nielsen, who told TDN Europe about his intention to support the popular chestnut at stud upon his retirement, Stradivarius will join the roster at the National Stud.

The 8-year-old bows out from the game as an eight-time Group 1 winner who won 20 of his 35 starts and netted connections almost £3.5million in prize-money.

While he didn't manage to win at the top level this season, he won a the G2 Yorkshire Cup on his seasonal return, and was last seen chasing home the new kid on the block, Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), in the G1 Goodwood Cup.

Stradivarius was a late absentee in the Lonsdale Cup at York last month due to a bruised foot, with the horse taking longer than expected to recover from the problem.

“He has been trotting and cantering but it has taken longer to get over the bruised foot than we thought,” Nielsen said.

“We felt it would be unfair to ask him to come back again as a 9-year-old next season after his enforced time off.

“It has been a fairytale from start to finish. Until this setback he had never been medicated and had never missed an engagement through injury.”

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Vadeni to Arc; Sweet Lady to Ascot

The Aga Khan's leading 3-year-old Vadeni (Fr) (Churchill {Ire}) looks set to be seen next in the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, it was confirmed on Wednesday.

Winner of the G1 Prix du Jockey Club and G1 Coral-Eclipse, the Jean-Claude Rouget-trained colt was most recently third behind Luxembourg (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) when sent off as favourite for the G1 Irish Champion S. It appeared after that race that Vadeni would swerve the Arc, which has been won by his owner-breeder on four occasions, most recently with Zarkava (Fr).

However, Georges Rimaud, manager of the Aga Khan Studs in France, announced that a decent forecast for Paris for the first weekend of October had swung the balance in favour of the Arc over Britain's G1 Champion S.

“All things being well, Vadeni will run in the Arc next weekend,” he said.

“Hopefully the ground will be suitable in Paris as that is an element of importance for this horse. He doesn't need good ground as such, but he doesn't need to have it very slow or deep or challenging.”

Asked whether the fact that Baaeed (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) is now being aimed at a career finale in the Champion S. had swayed the decision, Rimaud added, “When making these decisions you put all the elements on the table.

“Baaeed not running in the Arc has been discussed, but it is not the primary concern. We really feel this horse needs the right ground and feel he is more likely to have what he needs in Paris rather than in Ascot. It is dependent on the forecast and things may change.”

Proven over 10 furlongs, Vadeni will be stepping up to a mile and a half for the first time in the Parisian showcase.

Rimaud said, “We will find out on the day about the distance, but we feel that with his pedigree, and his dam being by Monsun (Ger), and his sire being by Galileo (Ire), there is no evidence that he cannot stay.

“We feel he has performed very well over the mile and a quarter, but we are happy to try. Vadeni doesn't have to travel, he's at home and we'll give it a shot.”

One horse Vadeni will not now have to face at Longchamp is recent G1 Prix Vermeille winner Sweet Lady (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}). Her owners Francis and Benjamin Teboul of Gemini Stud told Jour de Galop that after consultation with her trainer Francis Graffard they had opted to send the 4-year-old to Ascot for the G1 QIPCO British Champion Fillies and Mares S., giving Sweet Lady an extra two-week break between engagements.

Graffard will be represented in the Arc by the Australian 11-time Group 1 winner Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}).

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Eldar Eldarov In ‘Good Form’, Champions Day Or Prix Royal-Oak Under Consideration

Classic winner Eldar Eldarov (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) has exited his G1 Cazoo St Leger victory on Sunday “in good form” according to trainer Roger Varian. The lightly raced KHK Racing Ltd. colourbearer could possibly reappear this season in the G2 Long Distance Cup at Ascot on QIPCO British Champions Day or in the Oct. 23 G1 Prix Royal-Oak at ParisLongchamp.

“He's in good form, he's come out of the race very well,” said Varian. “I wouldn't rule it out [running again]. I have the option of running him again if I wanted to, he's only raced four times this year and he had a nice break from the [G1] Grand Prix de Paris to the Leger.

“He's only had five lifetime starts and he could run again and the two races to consider are the Long Distance Cup at Ascot or the Prix Royal-Oak at Longchamp. They are not until October and are a week apart, so he's got plenty of time and we've got plenty of time to make a decision.”

A winner of his first three starts at two and three, including the G2 Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot in June, the 'TDN Rising Star' was fourth in the G1 Grand Prix de Paris to Onesto (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) on July 14, prior to his St Leger heroics.

Varian added, “There's every chance and no reason to think he won't [make into a cup horse]. His pedigree would suggest he will improve with age and he's won twice now over a mile and three-quarters looking like he will be even better when he goes up to two miles.

“So we have to dream about him turning into a cup horse and see how things develop.”

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All Eyes On Doncaster

It may be the least lauded of all the British festivals, but Doncaster's St Leger meeting is arguably the most varied with its cherished feature race still held in the highest regard by its many ardent fans. While Town Moor hosted day one of the festival on Wednesday, the relatively low-key action served mainly as a prologue or appetizer to the major upcoming events. Perhaps this week's jewels are the 2-year-old races, which lean more towards next year's Classics than those at Ascot, Newmarket, Goodwood and York and one of which serves as the main focus on Thursday. Aside from the G2 Cazoo May Hill S. over a mile for the juvenile fillies, there is the G2 Coral Park Hill Fillies' S., or the “Fillies' St Leger” as it was always known, and also the small matter of the reappearance of Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}).

First Dance

What the May Hill always needs is an unbeaten filly apparently on the march to the Classics and Jaber Abdullah's Dance In The Grass (GB) (Cracksman {GB}) fits the bill, having mastered the subsequent G3 Prestige S. winner Fairy Cross (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in Sandown's Listed Star S. July 21. The likes of Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) took this with similar profiles in recent times and this test will tell us which way the Charlie and Mark Johnston trainee will go. One who comes from the other end of the experience spectrum is the Tom Clover-trained Crystallium (GB) (Expert Eye {GB}), a granddaughter of the Lloyd-Webber's G1 Fillies' Mile heroine Crystal Music (Nureyev) who impressed on her winning debut over seven at Chelmsford Aug. 25. Bought for a mere 22,000gns at the Book 2 Sale, she was unsold at 28,000gns at the Craven Breeze-Up but has obviously made giant strides in the interim. “She is an exciting prospect and has shaped up well in her work at home,” Clover said. “I wouldn't run her on quick ground and I wouldn't run her on heavy ground, but I think she'll be fine on ground in between.” Also on the card is the £300,000 Weatherbys Scientific £300,000 2-Y-O S., where Amo Racing Limited's exciting filly Magical Sunset (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) is in action having beaten the subsequent TDN Rising Star Sakheer (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in what could turn out to be an important Windsor maiden Aug. 15.

Success Breeds Success

It has been another mixed week for Shadwell, but few among Sheikha Hissa's organisation have any reason to complain about their overall racing fates in 2022 and the Park Hill sees another great opportunity for the blue-and-white. Last year's G1 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares S. heroine Eshaada (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) is back on her favoured easier ground again with another potentially profitable autumn ahead and holds a distinct class edge over all her exposed rivals here. The exception could be Woodford Thoroughbreds' 3-year-old filly River Of Stars (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), an unknown quantity who put the Belmont Gold Cup winner Loft (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) in his place in the Aug. 20 Listed Chester S.

Welcome Back

For all that the current flat campaign can safely be categorised as above-average, the one star it has been missing all along is Godolphin's 2021 Derby and King George hero Adayar. Doncaster's 10-furlong Hilton Garden Inn Doncaster Conditions S. is the stage for his keenly-anticipated comeback, not the Coronation Cup or Prince of Wales's or King George as was expected at varying stages of the season, but for those who revelled in his barnstorming performances last summer it matters little. The fact is, the one horse who could light up the autumn like none other than Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) is here and under race conditions once again. There is still time for the imposing bay to make a serious impact this year and this is more about how he goes through the race rather than whether he has the class to easily dispose of Mick and Janice Mariscotti's often-disappointing Derby fourth Masekela (Ire) (El Kabeir). Sir Henry Cecil brought a low-on-confidence Twice Over (GB) (Observatory) here in 2009 and two starts later he was winning the Champion S., so that is welcome precedent.

Making Waves At ParisLongchamp

At ParisLongchamp, the G3 Prix d'Aumale sees the Wertheimers' TDN Rising Star Left Sea (GB) (Frankel {GB}) meet some intriguing rivals but the manner of the performance of the Carlos Laffon-Parias-trained daughter of Left Hand (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) on her Deauville debut Aug. 18 suggests she has nothing to fear. In the G3 Prix des Chenes, Ballydoyle make another rare foray to one of France's lesser-contested juvenile contests with the stable even more replete than usual with potential Classic contenders. The Aug. 15 Dundalk maiden winner Adelaide River (Ire) (Australia {GB}) from the family of Uncle Mo is the chosen one and he is joined by compatriot Pivotal Trigger (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), Yuesheng Zhang's Jessica Harrington-trained son of the G1 Prix Royal-Oak and Park Hill winner Allegretto (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who took an always-competitive Galway maiden July 25.

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