Tag: G3 Hampton Court S.

Australia’s Waipiro Takes The Hampton Court

One of the first runners to emerge out of the Derby, Siu Pak-Kwan's Waipiro (Ire) (Australia {GB}–London Plane {Ire}, by Danehill Dancer {Ire}) did the Blue Riband form no harm at all with an authoritative success in Royal Ascot's G3 Hampton Court S. on Thursday. Sixth and not disgraced at Epsom, having booked his ticket there with a runner-up finish in the Listed Lingfield Derby Trial, the Ed Walker trainee was able to maintain his season's progress and dominate this competitive race to suggest as bright a future as his high-class half-brother Waikuku (Ire) (Harbour Watch {Ire}).

Lit up by a bump leaving the stalls and keen throughout the early stages resisting the restraint applied by Tom Marquand, Waipiro was a little out of his ground but better nearer the back than the front with the early pace notably fast. Straightening for home with a wall of rivals to get by, the 7-1 shot's passage was cleared by the errant diagonal dive of Oviedo (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) up ahead which compromised the eventual runner-up Exoplanet (Fr) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) but given his relentless momentum to the line he could not be called anything other than clear best.

“In the Derby, I got caught too far back and he just didn't stay a mile and a half, it was as simple as that in my mind, and I know Ed thought so too,” Marquand said of the 2 1/4-length winner. “There was a nice tempo today and fortunately for me I was lucky. I got a couple of the splits that I needed to get that run and he showed an exceptional turn of foot to burst through as he did and put the race to bed in a matter of a few strides.”

 

“You'd like to think he is still an improver,” his rider added. “We were really pleased with the run in the Derby and back to a mile and a quarter today he showed his dominance and hopefully he can now go on a path and show his stamp as a top-class horse.”

Walker added, “The worry was the close proximity to the Derby, only 19 days, as not many horses back up from the Derby to Ascot successfully. If there was a brilliant alternative in a couple of weeks' time, we may have been tempted, but there wasn't and this was the perfect race for him. I have quite a long-standing team now at home and Charles Guet, my head lad who has been with me for 10 years, rides him every day and he was happy with him. He was well, so we rolled the dice and it paid off.”

“It's been an agonising wait between drinks and we've had quite a lot of seconds. Last year we had a second in the Kensington Palace, in the Wokingham and we were second yesterday in the Duke of Cambridge. It has been a bit frustrating, so I am really pleased to have kicked that one home. My great friend Tom Morley brought a filly [Cynane] over for the Queen Mary and I said, 'Tommy, listen, you're not going to win–just enjoy the ride, because it's so hard to win here!' We realise now the enormity of the challenge and it feels even better.”

Exoplanet's rider David Egan was not blaming the late interference for the runner-up's defeat. “We got a nice, smooth passage from a wide draw, had cover and relaxed well,” he said. “He got a little bit of a bump in the straight. He's a very classy individual, but take nothing away from the winner, he was good.”

Pedigree Notes
The aforementioned Waikuku made his name in Hong Kong, winning the G1 Stewards Cup twice, the G1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup and G2 Jockey Club Mile as well as finishing second in the G1 Hong Kong Mile and the Hong Kong Derby and third in the G1 Champions Mile. The dam London Plane is a daughter of the Listed Pinnacle S. runner-up Aunt Julia (GB) (In The Wings {GB}), who also produced the G3 La Coupe de Maisons-Laffitte and G3 Winter Hill S. runner-up Al Waab (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}). Also related to the GI Turf Mile hero Grand Arch (Arch)her 2-year-old filly is by Acclamation (GB) while she also has a yearling colt by Lope De Vega (Ire) who was snapped up by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for 185,000gns at the Tatts December Foal Sale.

Thursday, Royal Ascot, Britain
HAMPTON COURT S.-G3, £150,000, Ascot, 6-22, 3yo, 9f 212yT, 2:05.10, g/f.
1–WAIPIRO (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Australia (GB)
1st Dam: London Plane (Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
2nd Dam: Aunt Julia (GB), by In The Wings (GB)
3rd Dam: Original (GB), by Caerleon
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O-P K Siu; B-Shane Molan (IRE); T-Ed Walker; J-Tom Marquand. £85,065. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-0, $157,866. *1/2 to Waikuku (Ire) (Harbour Watch {Ire}), MG1SW-HK, $5,891,141. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Exoplanet (Fr), 128, c, 3, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Gumriyah (GB), by Shamardal. 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (260,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd (FR); T-Roger Varian. £32,250.
3–Bold Act (Ire), 128, g, 3, New Approach (Ire)–Dancing Sands (Ire), by Dubawi (Ire). 1ST BLACK-TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby. £16,140.
Margins: 2 1/4, HF, NO. Odds: 7.00, 12.00, 9.00.
Also Ran: Torito (GB), Canberra Legend (Ire), Caernarfon (GB), Drumroll (Ire), Dancing Magic (Ire), Oviedo (Ire), Bolster (GB), Killybegs Warrior (Ire), Captain Winters (GB), Epictetus (Ire), Tony Montana (GB), Brave Emperor (Ire), Dear My Friend (GB).

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New Bay’s Claymore Wins The Hampton Court

There was so much focus on The Queen's Reach For the Moon (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in the build-up to Thursday's G3 Hampton Court S., it had almost assumed the air of a foregone conclusion but in the final analysis the Royal runner was second-best to the G3 Craven S. runner-up Claymore (Fr) (New Bay {GB}). With Frankie's day about to get even worse, Adam Kirby set off in front on Mary Slack's 7-1 second favourite and refused to let the Gosden runner past when it came down to a straight fight in the final two furlongs. At the line, there was a 1 3/4-length margin back to the 2-5 favourite, who looked not to see out the 10-furlong trip, with Kingmax (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) a length behind in third.

Claymore, who had impressed with an emphatic debut win over seven at Newmarket in October in which My Prospero (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) was third, had returned with a second to Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) in the Craven which continues to grow in stature with each passing week. The third Hoo Ya Mal (GB) (Territories {Ire}) is now a well-known name following his Derby second, Kingmax was in fourth, the fifth-placed Star of India (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) took the Listed Dee S. and the one who was last of the six was Zechariah (Ire) (Nathaniel {Ire}) who went so close in Wednesday's G2 Queen's Vase here. For all the promise of his performance in that Newmarket contest, it seemed to be undone by Claymore's rank display from a coffin-box draw in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains at ParisLongchamp May 15 so it was a relief that he was able to pull it all together again.

Trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam is now on two winners for the week, which in terms of string size is nothing short of a remarkable tally. She said, “Claymore is in his comfort zone when he is up there bowling along in front. He has got a huge stride. Stepping up to 10 furlongs has helped him. It is lovely that Mary Slack has come over from South Africa for today and he will be able to stand at one of her studs. There is no plan at the moment. Wherever Mary wants to go, I'll send him.” The owner added, “We thought he would run well in the French Guineas, but he was hopeless from a terrible draw. This was the return. I have never been to these heights before.”

John Gosden suggested that a drop in trip could be next for Reach For the Moon. “The mother was very, very fast, so perhaps we've run him beyond his trip,” he commented. “I'm not sure he quite stayed it out, but we'll see–it could well be a possibility. He's never run over that trip before. He ran a great race first time back in the Heron Stakes and My Prospero franked the form in the St James's Palace, so we may well be dealing with a horse who only stays a stiff mile. I don't know.”

Claymore is out of the unraced Brit Wit (GB) (High Chaparral {Ire}), who is a daughter of the Listed Harvest S. winner and G2 Park Hill S.-placed Brisk Breeze (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}). The third dam Bela-M (Ire) (Ela-Mana-Mou {Ire}) took the Listed Nereide-Rennen and was third in the G3 Prix Fille de l'Air. The dam's unraced 2-year-old filly Uniqa (Fr) (Cloth of Stars {Ire}) is followed by a yearling filly by Amaron (GB) named Baroness von Aesch (Ger) and a filly foal by Areion (Ger).

Thursday, Ascot, Britain
HAMPTON COURT S.-G3, £100,000, Ascot, 6-16, 3yo, 9f 212yT, 2:07.45, g/f.
1–CLAYMORE (FR), 128, c, 3, by New Bay (GB)
1st Dam: Brit Wit (GB), by High Chaparral (Ire)
2nd Dam: Brisk Breeze (Ger), by Monsun (Ger)
3rd Dam: Bela-M (Ire), by Ela-Mana-Mou (Ire)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (€5,000 Ylg '20 ARQDOY; £10,000 2yo '21 TATGOR). O-Mrs Mary Slack; B-Guenther Schmidt (FR); T-Jane Chapple-Hyam; J-Adam Kirby. £59,200. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-0, $101,110. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Reach For The Moon (GB), 128, c, 3, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Golden Stream (Ire), by Sadler's Wells. O/B-The Queen (GB); T-John & Thady Gosden. £22,390.
3–Kingmax (Ire), 128, c, 3, Kingman (GB)–Baino Hope (Fr), by Jeremy. 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (£120,000 Ylg '20 GOFOR). O-Amo Racing Ltd; B-Sunderland Holding Inc (IRE); T-David Loughnane. £11,190.
Margins: 1 3/4, 1, 3/4. Odds: 7.00, 0.40, 16.00.
Also Ran: Cresta (Fr), Maksud (GB), Howth (Ire). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

 

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Ringside At Royal Ascot On Thursday

If Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) could talk, and by now it's almost as if he can, he would probably sound like Ali as he approaches his own version of the legendary “Rumble In the Jungle” at an Ascot with a suitably high reading on the thermometor. “I'm gonna dance!” he would shout. “There's nothing to be scared of.” Whether he's been busy handcuffing lightning or chopping down trees ahead of his great hour fighting to regain his title in Thursday's G1 Gold Cup only connections know, but his preparation has apparently been carefully masterminded to deal with the challenge. And it is a challenge, of every nerve and sinew in his perfectly biomechanically-engineered body, a body that has withstood over 60 miles of racing and thousands of miles of training gallops. If that isn't remarkable enough, his mental fortitude is. He has an unflinching desire to carry the fight into his veteran stage and gain that oh-so-hard-to-get fourth Gold Cup. There is nothing like the Royal meeting's monument, so revered in past times and so needlessly neglected for a spell in the later part of the last century. It is back where it belongs as the showcase of the week, thanks largely to a truly great racing character like Stradivarius.

 

Gosden's Corner

John Gosden was also keen to use a boxing analogy as he held court to the press in the build-up. “He's an old pro now, he goes in the ring, does what he has to do and comes home,” he said. “His regime [is] a little bit mixed up, but don't go trying to make anything tougher or harder for him–that does not go down very well at all. He was probably in his prime at five maybe into six, but at eight you have to face the fact that it's like a boxer getting back in the ring too late in his career sometimes. He's up for it and the plan was always to try to run at Ascot and Goodwood and we're sticking to the plan as long as he's with us and he is at the moment.”

 

The Contender

If 2021 was Stradivarius's version of rope-a-dope, Thursday could see him throw those combinations that have set him apart from the 210 opponents he has mastered down the years. Every great bout needs a significant opponent and with Trueshan (Fr) (Planteur {Ire}) almost certainly out of the equation, that is Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Half the Nielsen runner's age and as vibrant and menacing as it gets, he hails from a Ballydoyle stable that specialises in fostering the power of its heavyweights. He is the Foreman or Frazier, intent on destruction from the front coming off a 14-length win in Leopardstown's G3 Saval Beg Levmoss S. May 13. Surging to the fore in Navan's Listed Vintage Crop S. Apr. 23, the chestnut who sports the Moyglare silks has one problem as he enters Stradivarius's back garden. His three visits to England have resulted in no-shows in the 2020 G3 Zetland S. and Listed Lingfield Derby Trial last May and a panic in the stalls before this meeting's G2 Queen's Vase which injured him. As Foreman was lost in Zaire, will it be the case that Kyprios's strength is diminished by unfamiliar terrain?

 

In Battaash's Shadow

Kicking off the action is the G2 Norfolk S., where Ballydoyle are again prominent with the super-charged The Antarctic (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). His full-brother Battaash (Ire), so dominant in deepest Sussex and virtually unbeatable elsewhere, took four goes to win here and was successful only once in five appearances at Royal Ascot. Aidan O'Brien has talked about keeping a lid on the grey ahead of this examination and while he has hardly been electric at Tipperary and Naas, it may be that he is about to cut loose.

 

Precedent Set For Walbank

Tuesday saw Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) convert the currency gained from a wide-margin prep win at York into success in the prestigious G2 Coventry S. and Amo Racing and Omnihorse Racing's fellow 'TDN Rising Star' Star Walbank (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) bids to do the same in the Norfolk after scoring by seven lengths on the Knavesmire May 22. The Coventry was robbed of the high-class Noble Style (GB) (Kingman {GB}), who had beaten Walbank over this course and distance May 7, but Royal Scotsman (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) did the form a great service having been fourth on that occasion behind the talented duo and another of this race's protagonists in Redemption Time (GB) (Harry Angel {Ire}). The latter represents Dalham Hall Stud's first-season sire, while Coolmore's Sioux Nation has both Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah's Apr. 27 Royal Ascot Two-Year-Old Trial Conditions S. winner Bakeel (GB) and Brian Goodyear's six-length Apr. 23 Doncaster maiden scorer Brave Nation (Ire) to fly his flag.

 

Within Reach

As far as the Royalists are concerned, the best is saved for second last on Thursday with The Queen's Reach For the Moon (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) set to go off very short in the penultimate G3 Hampton Court S. Frankie's Royal Ascot has been one to forget so far and if Stradivarius can turn things around at 4:20p he will be perfectly teed up for this grand climax. Off the board on Wednesday, Jane Chapple-Hyam looks to provide the sternest opposition with Claymore (Fr) (New Bay {GB}), whose second in the G3 Craven S. Apr. 13 was followed by a nightmare trip in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains at ParisLongchamp May 15, where the combination of a wide draw and over-racing put paid to any chance.

“I'm not afraid to wreck the Queen's Platinum Jubilee–it will be 'off with her head' if I do,” she joked. “It is an interesting race, as clearly the Queen's horse is the favourite and Frankie Dettori and John Gosden have been very bold about that. I think that is their banker and many people's banker of the week. When Claymore was second in the Craven, the third horse Hoo Ya Mal (GB) (Territories {Ire}) was subsequently second in the [G1] Derby and people are forgetting that. I think he has got a bit of a squeak.”

 

The Road Most Taken

The G2 Ribblesdale S. unfortunately has no Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), but in Sunderland Holding's Sea Silk Road (GB) it has another daughter of the Gilltown Stud giant who could yet make waves. There is little in the form of her narrow success in Goodwood's May 20 Listed Height of Fashion S. that suggests she is worthy of her cramped odds, but of course we are talking about a lightly-raced William Haggas-trained filly and the trend of late has been for punters to follow blind. Zhang Yuesheng's Magical Lagoon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has an experience edge and Jessie Harrington has been waiting patiently since her second in Navan's Listed Salsabil S. over a mile and a quarter on Apr. 23.

 

Songs Stays At Home

As expected, Moyglare Stud's brilliant G1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Homeless Songs (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) was not confirmed  for Friday's G1 Coronation S. with the hot and dry forecast remaining in place until at least Saturday. Cheveley Park Stud's Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}) will face 11 rivals, including the G1 1000 Guineas heroine Cachet (Ire) (Aclaim {Ire}).

Click here for the group fields.

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Derby Hero Adayar Eyes King George

Godolphin homebred Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {Ire}), who won the G1 Cazoo Derby on Saturday, excited the race in good order and will target the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. at Ascot on July 24. If he completes the double, he would be the first horse to do so since his grandsire Galileo (Ire) in 2001.

Trainer Charlie Appleby said, “He has come out of the race great. As you saw he went on the seawalker yesterday morning and he has been out for a jog this morning and has been turned out in the paddock and he has shown his wellness. All signs are good so far.

“Without rubber stamping anything the discussions that are taking place at the moment are that we will give this horse a bit more time and look towards going to a King George with him. I think timing-wise it suits him and also we will have tested our mettle a bit against the older horses.

“After that we can see what he is like against the older horses there and if he happens to win a King George we can work back from an Arc. If he gets beat in a King George then we revert back to our original plan which was going down the St Leger route.

“I think, personally, looking from the outside having won neither race, I would rather pinpoint one as we all know in the autumn it is a big ask to do a St Leger then an Arc.”

One of Godolphin and Appleby's other Derby runners, third-place finisher and G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante S. victor Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {Ire}), will return sooner than his stablemate. The June 26 G1 Irish Derby has been pencilled in for the chestnut.

Appleby added, “I was delighted with Hurricane Lane. He was the horse I thought in the paddock looked magnificent and I thought he took the preliminaries very well.

“What did surprise me, but we took it as a positive, is that he is very much learning on the job there. He showed his inexperience. Going into the Derby I thought he was one run short of what I would have liked to seen.

“He came off the bridle a bit earlier than I expected but his class got himself back into a position that he would be in the mix at the right end.  I'm delighted with how he has come out of it and the plan with Hurricane Lane is to head straight to Ireland.”

Rounding out the trio of Godolphin Derby starters was G3 Autumn S. winner One Ruler (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). The colt ran sixth on Saturday, and is a possible starter for the 1 1/4-mile G3 Hampton Court S. at Royal Ascot on June 17.

He said, “We will drop him back to 10 furlongs. James [Doyle] said he didn't handle the track particularly well but he didn't see it out either. We might look at something like the Hampton Court, we will see what his wellbeing is like.

“He would carry a penalty in that from his G3 Autumn S. success but we could look at something like that or wait for an [G1 Coral-] Eclipse [at Sandown on July 3].”

Plans Revealed For Other Classic Colts
Mohaafeth (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), who was scratched on the morning of the Blue Riband due to the ground, is also resurfacing in the Hampton Court. He also has an entry in the June 18 G2 King Edward VII S. at Royal Ascot, but Shadwell Racing Manager Angus Gold indicated that the Hampton Court was more likely.

Gold said, “It's most likely he'll run in the mile-and-a-quarter race, I would think. There is quite a body of opinion around the horse that thinks he might end up a mile-and-a-quarter horse.

“We weren't sure about the mile and a half going into the Derby. I've noticed his breeder has been quoted twice now, saying she doesn't think he'd stay–and he has got a lot of speed, this horse. Maybe it will turn out a mile and a quarter is his best trip–time will tell.”

Derby runner-up Mojo Star (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) will most likely start next in the Irish Derby. The Amo Racing Limited runner has three runner-up performances to show from three starts, and he was only 4 1/2 lengths off of Adayar at Epsom on Saturday.

“He's absolutely fine–and we're looking for the next Derby, I suppose,” trainer Richard Hannon told the Nick Luck Daily Podcast on Monday morning. “It's not an easy feat, but I'm not sure we've anything to gain by winning a novice or a maiden–and quite often these sort of horses get turned over at long odds-on in those sort of races.

“I think we'll be looking at something like an Irish Derby or a King George, maybe. If you finish in the first three in the English Derby, you get a free go at the Irish Derby, so that's got to be worth looking at.

“We've never had a horse finish that close in a Derby before. They're extremely hard to find, these sort of horses, and you've got to keep hold of them and keep them racing as long as you can. I said to Kia Joorabchian–who owns the horse–before the Derby that next year's his year. He's always looked like a horse that, when he's four, he could be something a little bit different.”

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