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Golden Pal Acquired By Coolmore, To Target Nunthorpe

Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), front-running winner of the 2020 GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint for his breeder Randall Lowe, has been purchased by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Westerberg, a Coolmore official confirmed Wednesday.

The first foal out of Lowe's outstanding 11-time stakes winner Lady Shipman (Midshipman), Golden Pal was bought back on a bid of $325,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September sale and was runner-up on debut over the Gulfstream main track last April before missing by a neck to The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince of Lir {Ire}) in the G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot in June. The Florida-bred bested his stablemate Fauci (Malibu Moon) to graduate in the Skidmore S. at Saratoga in August and validated 4-5 favoritism in the Juvenile Turf Sprint, scoring by 3/4 of a length at Keeneland last November.

The decision to sell Golden Lad was not taken lightly, Lowe said.

“It was very hard,” he admitted. “I've been in this business now for 36 years. To go from the very bottom to come all the way to the top and then finally win the Breeders' Cup, it made it very hard. But I wasn't going to be the one to try to repeat with another horse and spend millions upon millions of dollars without finding a top horse again. He's going to run three or four times this year and then head to the breeding shed. This sale comes at the right time and at the right price.”

All is not lost, however, as Lowe retains ownership of Lady Shipman, narrowly runner-up in the 2015 GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, and her colt foal by Omaha Beach named Lieutenant General. Lowe also owns a pair of breeding rights in Golden Pal upon his retirement.

“Before she ran in the Breeders' Cup, I had an offer on the table for $3.5 million,” Lowe said of Lady Shipman. “People thought I had lost my mind for not selling her before the Breeders' Cup, but I told everyone, 'I've gotten this far with her and I honestly believe enough in her that I think we have a legitimate chance to win the Breeders' Cup.' And she got beat a bob. People have been trying to purchase her from me and I said, 'If we can't win the Breeders' Cup with her, we'll win it with one of her kids,' and we were right.”

Lowe reports that Lady Shipman is currently back in foal to Uncle Mo

Golden Pal is currently in training with Wesley Ward at Churchill Downs, where he breezed five furlongs in an easy 1:02.20 over a firm turf course June 20. Ward is pointing the bay towards a seasonal reappearance in the $120,000 Quick Call S. on opening day of the Saratoga meeting July 15 as a stepping-stone to the G1 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe S. at York Aug. 20. Golden Pal was an intended runner for last year's Nunthorpe, but the threat of wet weather scuppered those plans and he was rerouted for the Skidmore.

The Ward-trained and Coolmore-owned filly Acapulco (Scat Daddy) won the 2015 G2 Queen Mary S. at the Royal meeting and made the running in the Nunthorpe before finishing second as the 8-5 favorite.

WATCH: Golden Pal winning the 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint

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Royal Ascot Winner Quick Suzy Penciled In For Breeders’ Cup Run

Eclipse Thoroughbreds' Quick Suzy, winner of the G2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot last week, is expected to make the trip to America later this year to contest the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, reports attheraces.com. The 2-year-old daughter of Profitable will first target the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket on Sept. 25, then fly overseas.

Trained by Gavin Cromwell, Quick Suzy was bred in Ireland out of the Marju mare Snooze. She was a $23,712 yearling purchase at the 2020 Goffs October online sale, then later purchased privately by Eclipse in a deal brokered by bloodstock agent Joseph Burke.

“I told Gavin after Naas that after Ascot she'd probably be heading to America, but (Eclipse president) Aron (Wellman) said they are doing such a good job there was no reason to take her away from Gavin – which I was delighted to hear,” Burke told ATR. “After the Cheveley Park there's then five weeks until the Breeders' Cup, where she's got five weeks in between, so it fits in nicely and she'll run in the Juvenile Sprint Turf.”

Perfect Power Scores Breeders’ Cup Berth In Norfolk

Jockey Paul Hanagan timed a late charge to perfection when winning the G2 Norfolk Stakes on Perfect Power, the opening contest on day three of Royal Ascot. The win earned Perfect Power an expenses-paid berth to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint this fall at Del Mar.

Protagonists in this five-furlong dash for 2-year-olds were spread across the width of the track, but it was the Richard Fahey-trained Perfect Power (14/1) who burst from the pack down the stands' side to prevail.

Go Bears Go (6/1) was beaten a head racing on the far side, with Project Dante (6/1) a nose behind in third on the stands' side rail.

Victory gave Hanagan a fifth Royal Ascot success, and first since 2015, while Fahey was scoring for the eighth time at the meeting.

Hanagan, who returned from a broken back in August, said: “I don't usually get emotional, but I'm probably lucky to be here at all after the accident. It's an amazing feeling just to even get back here, never mind a winner at Royal Ascot. I am pretty lost for words.

“I actually fractured my back in three places in a fall at Newcastle, and it was just touch and go whether I was going to be back. I owe so much to a lot of people – the Injured Jockeys Fund, Jack Berry House in Malton, my family and friends, and obviously Richard Fahey, who has been amazing, Richard Hale and just everyone at the yard.

“The period after my accident was a very character building few months. The accident was a pretty bad one and I'm lucky to be here at all, let alone riding winners, and I'm so grateful. I just appreciated I had a second chance, and I took it with both hands. This is what it's all about – what the comeback means. This tops the lot. It's so nice to see the crowd back, and what a buzz that was, when I eventually found out I'd won – the cheer of the crowd was something special.”

He added: “The race itself – they went quite hard and I just had to sit and suffer on him. I'm glad I did, because he didn't half power home and really ran through the line. I must have passed about 10 jockeys pulling up who [thought they] had won, and I wasn't quite sure because it was so far away the other side. I think the way I finished the race I had every chance, because he really powered home.

“You couldn't really get a horse with a better attitude. He takes it all in and has a great temperament. I think that's what got him beat first time, because we were all expecting him to win. First day at school – I think he just had a bit of stage fright, but he's come out of that race so well, and as we saw at Hamilton, that race brought him on again.”

Fahey said: “The Norfolk Stakes has been a bogey race for me. I have been second in it a few times and as they flashed past I thought we got beat. I'm just glad we got there. I got emotional for a couple of seconds, I'm getting soft in my old age.

“It's a fantastic result. Me and Paul have been together for such a long time. He left us for around 18 months, but it's been such a long relationship and it's great to have another Royal Ascot winner together.

“We were very sweet on Perfect Power. We haven't had him very long and he missed the kick first time out when third and that probably helped us. He won well at Hamilton and we were quietly confident coming here.

“We discussed going up to six furlongs but after chatting it through with the team, we came here. He was bought to win a Norfolk and it's great when a plan comes together.”

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Royal Ascot: Ward-Trained Pair Headline Thursday’s ‘Win And You’re In’ Norfolk Stakes

Trainer Wesley Ward is seeking his third victory in the US$113,000 Norfolk Stakes (G2) for 2-year-olds when he sends out U.S. maiden winners Lucci and Nakatomi in the 5-furlong race on Thursday at Royal Ascot. The winner of the Norfolk Stakes will gain an automatic berth into the US$1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 84 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California on Nov. 5-6.

As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the Norfolk Stakes winner to start in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, which will be run at 5 furlongs at Del Mar. Breeders' Cup will also provide a travel allowance of US$40,000 for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the Championships' pre-entry deadline of October 25 to receive the rewards.

The Norfolk Stakes is the third of four Breeders' Cup Challenge Series “Win and You're In” races to be conducted during the Royal Ascot meeting. The race will be televised live on NBCSN and TVG.

Andrew Farm, For the People Racing Stable, and Windmill Manor Farm's Lucci, a Kentucky-bred son of Not this Time, won a 5-furlong maiden special weight by 3 lengths over the Widener turf course at Belmont Park on May 9 under jockey John Velazquez, who has the mount again for the Norfolk.

Qatar Racing, Marc Detampel and David Howden's chestnut Kentucky-bred gelding Nakatomi, by Firing Line, broke his maiden by 2 ¼ lengths over a sloppy track in a 4 ½-furlong race at Keeneland on April 14.

“At home, we have been working Lucci and Nakatomi together,” said Ward, who has 11 victories at Royal Ascot coming into the 2021 meeting. “Nakatomi was coming out on top, but then they had a workout in Newmarket on the Limekilns and Lucci turned the tables. He just bounced straight through to the front and would not give up the lead.”

Last year, the Ward-trained Golden Pal finished second by a neck in the Norfolk Stakes before going on to capture the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland. Ward saddled Norfolk winners No Nay Never (2006) and Shang Shang Shang (2018).

Trainer Aidan O'Brien plans to start a son of No Nay Never in the Norfolk with Cadamosto (IRE), owned by Derrick Smith, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, and Westerberg. Cadamosto broke his maiden on April 10, winning the 5-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF maiden by 3 ½ lengths.

O'Brien has saddled three Norfolk Stakes winners in Johannesburg (2001), Waterloo Bridge (IRE) (2015), and Sioux Nation (2017).

Amo Racing Limited and Peter Waney's Go Bears Go (IRE) has a maiden victory over the Ascot course. Trained by David Loughnane, Go Bears Go, a son of Kodi Bear (IRE), won a 5-furlong Novice stakes at May 8 by 1 ½ lengths.

Another winner first time out is Isa Salman Al Khalifa's Instinctive Move (GB). A bay son of Showcasing (GB) out of Peach Melba (GB) by Dream Ahead, Instinctive Move earned a 2 ¼-length victory in a 5-furlong EFB maiden race at Bath on May 12.

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