Tag: G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO S.

Shadwell Runners Set for Summer Races

Shadwell's G2 Darley S. winner Alflaila (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) will make his long-awaited return from injury in the G2 Sky Bet York S. at York on July 24, trainer Owen Burrows revealed. The 4-year-old was sidelined late last year while training for a start in Bahrain in November.

“He has had his rehab back at Shadwell and touch wood it has all gone well,” Burrows said. “We have had plenty of time to prepare him and there was the listed race at Newbury on Saturday or this race, and we'd have had a penalty in the listed race, so we thought we'd have a punt and see how he fared in the Group 2.

“He won the [G3] Strensall at York, so he is a track winner and it would be nice to get him back on the track.”
Alflaila has been entered in the G1 Juddmonte International on Aug. 23.

Burrows has Group 1 winner Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) running in the G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth S. on the same day, while G1 Prix d'Ispahan winner Anmaat (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}) will head to the sidelines with a foot abscess, which also ruled him out of the G1 Coral-Eclipse S. earlier this month.

“Losing good horses [through injury] is what I think they call 'character-building',” Burrows quipped. “With Anmaat now likely sidelined for the rest of the season, I think I've done enough character-building for now.

“Hukum is in good form, though. It will be a big weekend for us, that's for sure.”

Shadwell decided not to supplement Al Asifah (GB) (Frankel {GB}) into Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks at the Curragh. The 3-year-old John and Thady Gosden trainee was a runaway winner of a Goodwood listed event in June, before finishing a sixth behind Warm Heart (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G2 Ribblesdale S. at Royal Ascot on June 22.

“We have left her alone since Ascot,” Angus Gold, racing manager to Shadwell, said. “We will just give her a little bit of time and will bring her back gently later in the season.

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King George Glory For Pyledriver

The heat was on in Saturday's G1 King George VI And Queen Elizabeth QIPCO S. at Ascot, a “Win And You're In” for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland in November, and there was no hiding place as Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) proved ruthless to prevail for the William Muir and Chris Grassick stable and jockey P J McDonald. Sent off at 18-1 with a below-par second in the June 3 G1 Coronation Cup last time tempering enthusiasm, last year's winner of that Epsom prize was always in his comfort zone with an ideal pace scenario tracking the hard-working duo Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}). Sent by that tiring pair passing the two pole, the contest was decided surprisingly quickly and he lengthened clear for an emphatic 2 3/4-length success from Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) as they opened up an eight-length gap to the slow-starting Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}). The pair of 3-year-olds, the 13-8 favourite Westover, and Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), proved major disappointments as the last pair home. “I honestly believed I'd win from two weeks ago,” an understandably emotional Muir said. “I didn't care what was in it. I've said I never wanted to cry, but I want to cry today.”

 

Back on Dubai World Cup night, a King George win for Pyledriver would not have looked as much of a surprise as it did on Saturday afternoon, with Frankie Dettori locked up on the rail until too late in the G1 Dubawi Sheema Classic. Only fourth but widely considered unlucky not to win there, he looked to have a Coronation Cup repeat in the bag until Hukum (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) intervened and he ended up soundly beaten there ridden from the front by Dettori. This was a return to his previous best when upstaging Al Aasy (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) at Epsom last June and when second in the G1 Hong Kong Vase during a light 2021 campaign. Willie Muir had stated after his G2 King Edward VII S. and G2 Great Voltigeur S. successes at three that he would win one of these “big ones” and while the team at Linkslade Stables have had to be patient, it finally paid off in spades in one of the very biggest.

Westover's race may well have been run before he left the paddock, having got noticeably warm, while Emily Upjohn refused to settle beyond halfway and Mishriff did his now-familiar trick of handing his rivals a few lengths headstart with another tardy break. Pyledriver was the spriteliest away, but P J McDonald was keen to wait on the Irish Derby winner and Broome to come forward and provide him with a lead that the latest Epsom experience proved is vital. Torquator Tasso was the only other rival running his race in behind, but as Colin Keane started to give out the warning signals on Westover turning for home the German raider was too far out of his ground to make a serious impact on the eventual winner. Killing the race with a swift sectional from the two to the one, Pyledriver even had the energy to swerve from the whip close home as he had done when third in the St Leger.

“Today, we smashed them to pieces,” Muir added. “I actually wrote the papers for you boys tomorrow. I said 'If Pyledriver wins, the line is a poor bunch of three-year-olds again. If the three-year-olds win, a great crop'. They are a great crop, the three-year-olds. He is just a very, very talented horse and I've never lost faith in him. In our second or third year, we had a horse who came here and won a five-furlong race and we were partying in the car park for ages. When Pyledriver won the King Edward VII a couple of years ago, we would still be in the car park today if we'd been able to but we couldn't because of Covid. This is a big, big moment. It means the world to me.”

P J McDonald was quick to point to the 5-year-old's currently-sidelined regular rider Martin Dwyer. “I feel so sorry for Martin, these horses are so hard to come by,” he said. “It happened to me getting injured when I had Laurens and I know what it feels like and what will be going through his head. He's an absolute gent and so supportive of me. He's helped me out so much over the last week. For me, these are days you don't think are going to happen. You work hard and sometimes think these chances aren't going to come and this one came to me by luck. I'm so grateful to the William and the team and to this horse. That was as smooth as it can be. The horse filled himself up going up the hill before the turn in and I just sat on him and I knew he was going to take some beating soon after. He was amazing.”

Pyledriver may have been unsold at 10,000gns at the 2017 Tattersalls December Foal Sale, but he is the first foal out of a well-connected mare in La Pyle (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), who is a full-sister to the G3 Park Express S. winner Normandel (Fr) and a half to the G1 Grand Prix de Paris hero Mont Ormel (Fr) (Air Chief Marshal {Ire}). She is also kin to Lillebonne (Fr) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), the dam of the Listed El Gran Senor S. winner and G2 Kilboy Estate S. runner-up Seisai (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), the Listed Glencairn S. winner Maganimous (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), the G3 Irish St Leger Trial-placed Micro Manage (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}) and the promising recent Leopardstown maiden winner Thornbrook (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}). La Pyle, whose unraced 2-year-old filly Shagpyle (GB) is by Frankel (GB), is a granddaughter of Lidakiya (Ire) (Kahyasi {Ire}) who produced the G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis and G1 Premio Vittorio di Capua-winning sire Linngari (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) and is kin to the triple listed scorer and G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup runner-up Livadiya (Ire) (Shernazar {Ire}).

Saturday, Ascot, Britain
KING GEORGE VI AND QUEEN ELIZABETH QIPCO S.-G1, £1,250,000, Ascot, 7-23, 3yo/up, 11f 211yT, 2:29.49, g/f.
1–PYLEDRIVER (GB), 135, h, 5, by Harbour Watch (Ire)
     1st Dam: La Pyle (Fr), by Le Havre (Ire)
     2nd Dam: Lidana (Ire), by King's Best
     3rd Dam: Lidakiya (Ire), by Kahyasi (Ire)
(10,000gns RNA Wlg '17 TATFOA). O-La Pyle Partnership; B-Knox & Wells Limited & R Devlin (GB); T-William Muir & Chris Grassick; J-P J McDonald. £708,875. Lifetime Record: Ch. Older Horse-Eng at 11-14f, G1SP-HK, 18-7-4-1, $2,382,586. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Torquator Tasso (Ger), 135, h, 5, Adlerflug (Ger)–Tijuana (Ger), by Toylsome (GB). (€24,000 Ylg '18 BBAGO). O-Gestut Auenquelle; B-P H Vandeberg (GER); T-Marcel Weiss. £268,750.
3–Mishriff (Ire), 135, h, 5, Make Believe (GB)–Contradict (GB), by Raven's Pass. O-Prince A A Faisal; B-Nawara Stud Limited (IRE); T-John & Thady Gosden. £134,500.
Margins: 2 3/4, 8, 1 1/4. Odds: 18.00, 16.00, 2.50.
Also Ran: Broome (Ire), Westover (GB), Emily Upjohn (GB). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

 

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Classic Compensation In The King George?

It seems strange to say that Saturday's G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth QIPCO S., a “Win And You're In” for the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Turf, has attracted the best available of the 3-year-olds of either sex without hosting a winner of either Epsom Classic. In Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), Ascot's jewel has the two that really count. Both suffered ill fortune of varying degrees in the Derby and Oaks, with the filly in particular a victim of savage circumstance having blown almost the key part of the race coming out of the stalls. Few would argue that the Gosdens' 'TDN Rising Star', who now carries the Lloyd Webber silks, would not have beaten Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) had she been on a level playing field in an unsuitably slowly-run June 3 Classic and it could be that Saturday's well-documented missed flight acts as a blessing in disguise. Gifted a stone by the weight-for-age and sex allowances, she even has three pounds on Westover and the stable has a 100% record with 3-year-old fillies in this.

Frankie's Fortunes On The Up?

When it comes to the biggest topic in racing over the last few weeks, it is undoubtedly the sabbatical of the Gosdens and Frankie Dettori brought about in part by a run of ill fortune to which Emily Upjohn herself contributed. Back on the filly he described in the spring as one who took his breath away, Dettori is one win away from exceeding Lester Piggott, with whom he shares the current record with seven wins. “Epsom was a nightmare, but that's racing,” he said on his Sporting Index blog. “Just when you think you've got everything covered, something like that happens. We get a massive pull in the weights, which is a big help. Barring any accidents, I'm hoping for a big performance. Fingers crossed, we got all the bad luck out of the way at Epsom.”

 

Time For Westover To Shine

While Emily Upjohn's bad luck at Epsom was in plain sight, Westover's traffic issues halfway up the home straight a day later may or may not have cost him the Blue Riband. Perhaps only a few would argue that he was unlucky not to get past Desert Crown (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), but the way he was motoring when in the clear suggests it is not as clear-cut as most would state. His subsequent Curragh romp three weeks later showed what the Juddmonte homebred was capable of when allowed to fully flow and his wide draw in six may be an advantage with Colin Keane able to send him forward to get the lead from Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}). Juddmonte's general manager Barry Mahon is ready to relish the moment. “They're all elite animals and it's going to be a marvellous race,” he said. “You never really know taking on the older horses for the first time and then you've the filly thrown in getting the weight allowance. It's going to make for a great race, to be fair.”

 

Where Is His Limit?

At the start of the season, Westover had just a listed placing to his name with one win from three starts, so the homebred's upward momentum has been one of the stories of 2022. Last year, a Frankel colt who had come to the fore in the G3 Sandown Classic Trial had started the Derby at 16-1 and won this at only 9-4, showing how much progression is possible in the early summer weeks. Westover was 25-1 for this year's renewal despite winning that Derby prep and lines up on Saturday as the 6-4 favourite for the premier English 12-furlong prize, so the similarities are there for all to see. “At the start of the year none of us could have envisaged Westover getting quite this far, so this is a surprise to all of us, but he's kept on getting better physically and that's where all of the improvement has come from,” trainer Ralph Beckett said of the stable star, whose jockey Colin Keane rode a four-timer at Down Royal on Friday evening.

 

The Generation Game

Sandown's Eclipse three weeks ago proved how hard it is to crack the 3-year-olds under the seemingly unchallengeable weight-for-age disadvantage and the fact that Prince Faisal's Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) was a possibly unlucky runner-up there speaks volumes as to his level. He failed to get past Adayar (Ire) in this 12 months ago and has even more of a burden to overcome with the filly this time, so another honourable placing is perhaps the best he can hope for again. Victory under terms that are gruesome for the older horses would put even his stellar past performances in the shade and John Gosden is not ruling it out. “We freshened him up after Saudi and he ran a superb race in the Eclipse and finished strongly,” he said. “We are aware that a mile and a quarter is probably his perfect distance, as he proved in the Juddmonte International, but we've been very happy with his preparation and he comes here a relatively fresh horse.”

 

Big Day For Team Tasso

Gestut Auenquelle's reigning Arc hero Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) bids to follow where compatriot Danedream (Ger) (Lomitas {GB}) led 10 years ago and become the third German-trained winner since 2012. His swagger was back in Hamburg's G2 Grosser Hansa Preis July 2 and trainer Marcel Weiss thinks he has him worked out by now. “He has a very strong character but if you understand him and go with him, not against him, then he's a beautiful horse and has a lot of confidence in himself,” he explained. “There are big horses in the race and we have a lot of respect for the 3-year-olds and Mishriff, but if you want to win the Arc you have to beat these horses and he is good enough.”

 

Also At Ascot

While the attention was on Royal Ascot's opening day June 14, Thirsk played host to a 'TDN Rising Star' in Glenlaurel (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's homebred bids to justify that tag in the six-furlong G3 Princess Margaret Keeneland S. on the King George card. While she is in a lot deeper here, the manner of the display of the Kevin Ryan-trained relative of Dubawi (Ire) when powering to a 3 3/4-length success at the Yorkshire track suggests she will hold her own. In a strong edition, Ralph Beckett saddles Marc Chan and Andrew Rosen's June 25 Listed Empress Fillies' S. winner and July 8 G2 Duchess Of Cambridge S. runner-up Lezoo (GB) (Zoustar {Aus}) and Juddmonte's Palm Lily (Ire) (Expert Eye {GB}), who scored with plenty of pattern-race promise on her debut at Kempton June 1. Juddmonte's racing manager Barry Mahon said of the latter, “She's a filly that Ralph has always liked, she won very nicely the first day and she's just been growing since, so he's been patient and given her time.” Charlie Appleby has won two of the last three renewals of the card's other black-type contest for juveniles, the Listed Flexjet Pat Eddery S., and looks set to add to that tally with the Yarmouth and Leicester novice winner Naval Power (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}), while in the G3 Longines Valiant S. for the fillies and mares Prince Faisal enjoys a King George warm-up with his Roger Varian-trained 10-length Windsor novice winner Kind Gesture (GB) (Decorated Knight {GB}).

 

Honour At Stake At York

Away from Ascot, the G2 Sky Bet York S. sees a fascinating clash between Mary Slack's June 16 G3 Hampton Court S. winner Claymore (Fr) (New Bay {GB}) and Mohamed Obaida's G1 Champion S. runner-up Dubai Honour (Ire) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}). The latter has not been seen since finishing down the field in the Mar. 26 G1 Dubai Sheema Classic, with William Haggas waiting for the weather to break, but it is time to relaunch the 4-year-old who came to prominence last term when winning the G2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano and G2 Prix Dollar on an easy surface. “He's very well and ready to race, he was a bit battered and bruised after Meydan but he's back in great shape,” his trainer said. He's better on soft and he needs it to rain, but we've been waiting for rain for some time and it hasn't come. We've got to get on with it as he needs to run, he's bored of galloping.”

Click here for the group fields.

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Six Declared For Ascot’s King George

All six contenders stood their ground for Saturday's G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Qipco S. at Ascot as final declarations were confirmed Thursday morning. Juddmonte's G1 Irish Derby hero Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB} and G1 Oaks runner-up Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), set to make her first start in the Watership Down silks, will take on their elders with the advantage of a sizeable weight allowance afforded the Classic generation in the £1.25 million 12-furlong test. They have drawn gates six and three, respectively. Prince Faisal's globetrotting Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), runner-up last year and a fast-finishing second in Sandown's G1 Coral-Eclipse earlier in the month, is set to be partnered by James Doyle for the first time and has been allocated box two for his bid to register a first win of the campaign. Gestut Auenquelle's G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) regained the winning thread in Hamburg's G2 Grosser Hansa Preis during this month's Deutsches Derby meeting and will exit stall five. Last year's fourth Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and last month's G1 Coronation Cup second Pyledriver (GB) (Harbour Watch {Ire}) complete the set and have been allocated posts one and four, respectively.

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