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Oasis Dream’s Native Trail Impressive In The National

Putting the seal on a stellar weekend for Godolphin's Charlie Appleby stable, Native Trail (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) brushed aside TDN Rising Star Point Lonsdale (Ire) (Australia {GB}) for an emphatic 3 1/2-length success in Sunday's G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. at The Curragh. Like the operation's past winners Dubawi (Ire) and his son Quorto (Ire) coming off a win in the G2 Superlative S. at Newmarket July 10, the 7-2 second favourite was notably green throughout with William Buick needing to cajole him into action as early as the four-furlong marker. Picking up the 8-13 favourite instantly once the whip was applied, the imposing bay readily asserted from the furlong pole to race to the top of the juvenile division, with the long-time leader Ebro River (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}) losing a private battle with Point Lonsdale by half a length in third. “This is a hugely exciting race and a very important one that I've been fortunate enough to ride some great 2-year-olds in and this fellow is no different,” Buick said. “I was confident–he's still learning on the job, but he answered every call and I really like what he did in the last 100 yards. He felt like a very good horse–it was a good renewal of the race and the pace was on, so there is every indication that it was a good race. He's a fine big horse and even physically, there is improvement left in him and there is something to work on. Next year he should get a mile no problem.”

Native Trail was introduced over this trip at Sandown June 11 and proved an instant hit when scoring by four lengths, which put him in the frame for the Superlative that Appleby has come to target with his best. Needing time to organise on that occasion, he finished with a flourish to deny Masekela (Ire) (El Kabeir) and that form had since grown in stature with the runner-up denying Saturday's G2 Champagne S. winner Bayside Boy (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) at Newbury. Nevertheless, the relentless momentum behind Point Lonsdale was again impossible to ignore and Ballydoyle's leading juvenile was backed fearlessly once more. Getting a lead this time as the G1 Phoenix S. hero Ebro River took no prisoners, the full-brother to Broome (Ire) had to work hard to subdue the Hugo Palmer representative but just as he managed to do so his real threat was unwinding out wide and was quickly gone.

Appleby had won this with the aforementioned Quorto and Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal), while another son of Dubawi in Master of the Seas (Ire) was fourth 12 months ago having looked the winner a furlong from home. Native Trail looks every bit in their league on this evidence. “We took Native Trail for a racecourse gallop a couple of weeks ago and if you'd asked me then if we would be winning a National Stakes, I might have sat on the fence slightly,” he said. “Full credit to the team at home. We definitely felt the horse had come forward for that gallop and we put a cross noseband on him to help him concentrate. William said Native Trail is still very green and it felt like he was going down to the start on a maiden. He gave the horse a shove early doors to get the revs up, but I knew with two furlongs to go the one thing Native Trail was going to do was gallop out strongly. We will see how he comes out of this and discuss things, but I would say that we might give him one more start this year in the [G1] Dewhurst Stakes [at Newmarket Oct. 9].”

Native Trail, who was a 210,000gns Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up purchase, is the second live foal and first runner out of the unraced Juddmonte cast-off Needleleaf (GB) (Observatory) who was bought by the MAB Agency for a mere 60,000gns at the 2015 Tattersalls December Mares Sale. She is a full-sister to the G1 Haydock Sprint Cup heroine African Rose (GB) and the G3 Prix d'Aumale winner and G1 Prix Marcel Boussac runner-up Helleborine (GB), who proved to be important broodmares for Juddmonte. African Rose was responsible for the G3 Princess Margaret S. winner Fair Eva (GB) (Frankel {GB}), while Helleborine produced the high-class G2 Coventry S. winner and exciting young sire Calyx (GB) (Kingman {GB}).

The second dam New Orchid (Quest For Fame {GB}), who was third in the G3 Lancashire Oaks, is a daughter of Musicanti (Nijinsky II) who also produced the G1 Dewhurst S. hero and sire Distant Music from a mating with Observatory's sire Distant View. Musicanti is kin to the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup, GI Washington D.C. International and GI Suburban H.-winning champion Vanlandingham (Cox's Ridge) and to the dams of the GII Keeneland Turf Mile and G2 Prix Eugene Adam-winning sire Kirkwall (GB) (Selkirk) and to the GI American Oaks heroine Funny Moon (Malibu Moon). From the family of the GI Belmont S. hero and sire Temperence Hill, Needleleaf's yearling filly by Kingman (GB) was snapped up by Godolphin for €950,000 at the Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale last month. She also has a filly foal by Siyouni (Fr).

Sunday, The Curragh, Ireland
GOFFS VINCENT OBRIEN NATIONAL S.-G1, €336,000, Curragh, 9-12, 2yo, c/f, 7fT, 1:26.27, gd.
1–NATIVE TRAIL (GB), 131, c, 2, by Oasis Dream (GB)
1st Dam: Needleleaf (GB), by Observatory
2nd Dam: New Orchid, by Quest for Fame (GB)
3rd Dam: Musicanti, by Nijinsky II
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€50,000 Wlg '19 ARQDE; 67,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT; 210,000gns 2yo '21 TATBRE). O-Godolphin; B-Le Haras D'Haspel (GB); T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. €180,000. Lifetime Record: GSW-Eng, 3-3-0-0, $289,599. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Point Lonsdale (Ire), 131, c, 2, Australia (GB)–Sweepstake (Ire), by Acclamation (GB). (575,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-D Smith/Mrs J Magnier/M Tabor/Westerberg; B-Epona Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €60,000.
3–Ebro River (Ire), 131, c, 2, Galileo Gold (GB)–Soft Power (Ire), by Balmont. (75,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Al Shaqab Racing; B-Tally Ho Stud (IRE); T-Hugo Palmer. €30,000.
Margins: 3HF, HF, 2 1/4. Odds: 3.50, 0.62, 6.50.
Also Ran: Ultramarine (Ire), Great Max (Ire), Duke de Sessa (Ire), Anatoli (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Shamardal’s Fleur d’Iris Leads Home Fabre Exacta in Paris

Fresh from the familiar routine of a record-setting exercise in the G3 Prix des Chenes, master trainer Andre Fabre worked to rule and equalled the lauded Francois Boutin's haul of six with Godolphin's 2-year-old filly Fleur d'Iris (GB) (Shamardal) in Thursday's G3 Prix d'Aumale at ParisLongchamp. The homebred bay had earlier posted a July 7 debut fourth at Chantilly, breaking through at the expense of the reopposong Txope (Fr) (Siyouni {Ire}) in a Compiegne conditions heat later that month, and went postward as the 17-10 favourite for this G1 Prix Marcel Boussac pointer coming back off a runner-up finish in Deauville's Aug. 21 G2 Prix du Calvados. Out front and in control for most of the one-mile contest, she was nudged along when threatened passing the quarter-mile marker and was ridden clear before gearing down to allow stablemate and Marcel Boussac entry Zellie (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) reduce arrears to a flattering 1 1/2-length proximity at the line. Christophe Ferland trainee Bahasa (Ire) (Siyouni {Ire}) finished 1 1/4 lengths back in third.

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Setback Rules Adayar Out of Prix Niel, But Arc Still the Plan

A minor setback has ruled G1 Cazoo Derby and G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. hero Adayar (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) out of the G2 Prix Niel on Sept. 12, trainer Charlie Appleby announced. The Godolphin colourbearer will instead head straight to the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at ParisLongchamp on Oct. 3.

The trainer told www.godolphin.com: “Adayar missed a couple of days, and after discussions, we felt there was no need to press on to a trial [for the Arc]. So, the decision was made to head straight to the Arc.

“He has resumed full training, and as a Derby and King George winner, he fully deserves to be running in what is shaping up to be a vintage Arc.”

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Red-Hot Rosario Teams With Pixelate To Win Mint Million At Kentucky Downs

Monday was officially WinStar Day at the FanDuel Meet at Kentucky Downs. To bettors across the country, it was Joel Rosario Day. The jockey won on five of his eight mounts, including the featured $1 million, Grade 3 WinStar Mint Million as Godolphin's late-running Pixelate blew past Somelikeithotbrown for a 2 1/2-length victory.

On Sunday's opening card, Rosario went 5-for-11, including winning the $500,000 Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Oaks aboard Godolphin's 3-year-old filly Adventuring. He would appear to have the Kentucky Downs riding title sewn up, with four days remaining (Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday).

Rafael Bejarano holds the record for victories on a single card at Kentucky Downs when he went 6-for-8 on Sept. 21, 2004, while en route to the riding title with 12 wins, still the most by a rider at a meet. While quite the feat back then, Rosario is competing against arguably the strongest jockey colony in the country as riders from all over migrate to the track in pursuit of some of the largest purses in the world.

No rider has dominated the meet for two days since Florent Geroux won five races twice in 2015 en route to taking the riding title with a record-tying 12 victories that he matched in 2016.

Rosario rode eight races on Labor Day, taking the second aboard Heaven Street ($7.20) for Steve Asmussen, the fourth on Super Divine ($11) for Wesley Ward, the seventh on Honor Hop ($5.80) for Brian Lynch, the eighth for Ward on Gypsy King ($5.60) and then the 10th on Pixelate. After Rosario's quintet Sunday, horseplayers were pounding his mounts. Pixelate was 10-1 in the morning line and bet down to about 9-2, paying $11.20. For the two days, Rosario has gone 10 for 19, with his horses earning $1,683,731.

“When you got a rider who's won 10 races in two days on a track, he's the guy you want,” said Mint Million winning trainer Michael Stidham. “This has got to be some kind of record.”

Jimmy Bell, president and racing manager of owner-breeder Godolphin, said he felt “all the confidence in the world” with Rosario aboard.

“We were joking in the paddock, any one of your previous (nine) ways of winning would work here,” Bell said. “He just rides with confidence. In our case, he just said the horse fit the course very well. Pixelate continued to find more, find more and just that slow momentum he built up to the rising ground and the long stretch. He said (Pixelate) relished the going. So that was fantastic.

“What a great weekend it's been for Sheikh Mohammed and the breeding program, obviously with Adventuring winning and to come back today with another homebred today in Pixelate,” he added of Godolphin's owner and the Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum. “It's just been magical.”

Bizzee Channel set a sizzling pace of 21.83 seconds for the first quarter mile and 44.95 for the half, with Somelikeithotbrown in closest pursuit and taking command turning for home. But Flavius, last year's winner and the 7-5 favorite, kicked into gear to go after Somelikeithotbrown before giving way to fifth.

Meanwhile, Pixelate came seven-wide down the late, swooping to the lead in the final sixteenth-mile while covering the mile in 1:34.04. Somelikeithotbrown and jockey Jose Ortiz held off his Mike Maker-trained stablemate Monarchs Glen, who closed from last of 10 older horses to finish another two lengths back in third under 2020 meet-leader Tyler Gaffalione.

“With the speed in front of me, it looked like they were going good,” Rosario said. “The key for me was trying to find a way through the track. He kept building, building, building, and with the long stretch, that helped get him there.

“He was in a nice gallop, he kept going and getting better, and I could see it when we caught up to the horses on the lead. I started thinking that we're going to get it.”

“It was a fast pace, I was aware of it,” said Ortiz, Kentucky Downs' 2018 and 2019 riding champion. “I was trying to wait as long as I could. But at the eighth pole, the favorite came up outside of me, so I had to go with him. I was able to beat him, but I wasn't able to hold on. Pixelate got by me. I set up a good trip for him.”

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Pixelate won for the sixth time, with another six seconds and four thirds, in 20 starts, earning $1,098,850 with the $509,850 payday. It was his second graded-stakes victory, having won the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby exactly a year ago.

“He deserves it because he finally got his day in the sun and got to make up for some of those times when we reached out and ran in some of the big races and he was only beaten 2-3 lengths,” Stidham said. “And today was his day. It was a beautiful thing. I'm so proud of the horse and what he's accomplished.

“Certainly when I looked up at the time and saw 21-and-change and 44-and-change and we were sitting back about nine or 10 off of it, I thought, 'Well, that's the perfect spot to be in.' And I think that helped us. But this horse, if you look at his form, he goes out and runs his heart out every time we run him, no matter what type of spot we pick. He's always trying. Today things set up nicely for him. And he tried like he always does and it put him in the winner's circle.”

As a New York-bred, Somelikeithotbrown was racing for the base purse of $550,000 with the Mint Million's remaining $450,000 paid out only to Kentucky-bred horses. He still picked up $104,500 for second, enough to put him over $1 million in earnings.

“He ran his butt off, didn't he?” said Dr. Harvey Diamond, co-founder of the Skychai Racing partnership that is majority owner in Somelikeithotbrown. “It looked like in mid-stretch that he was going to make it, and I saw this horse moving on the outside. We ran a good race. I think the pace was a little too quick for us.”

Agreed Rosario: “It was a fast pace, I was aware of it. I was trying to wait as long as I could. But at the eighth pole, the favorite (2020 winner Flavius) came up outside of me, so I had to go with him. I was able to beat him, but I wasn't able to hold on. Pixelate got by me. I set up a good trip for him.”

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