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Maurice de Gheest Glory For Dubawi’s Space Blues

Godolphin had two livewires in a renewal of Deauville’s G1 LARC Prix Maurice de Gheest that looked well up to standard but also tough to call and it was the white cap of the second-string Space Blues (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) that emerged on top in a thriller. Third in this 6 1/2-furlong feature 12 months ago, the Charlie Appleby representative had yet to win over this short a trip but gave all the right signals with the way he travelled through the seven-furlong G2 Lennox S. when registering a career-best success at the Qatar Goodwood Festival July 28. Upping his game again here, the TDN Rising Star was ridden with supreme confidence by William Buick and justified that faith with a late surge to overhaul Hello Youmzain (Fr) (Kodiac {GB}) and Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) in the final 50 metres. At the line, the 3/4-of-a-length margin to the former probably underestimated the superiority of the 9-2 shot, while the G1 Prix Jean Prat runner-up Lope Y Fernandez was a head away in third and Godolphin’s 11-10 favourite Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal) surrendered his unbeaten record a further short neck behind in fourth. “Space Blues has everything–it’s amazing to see a turn of foot like that in a top sprint race,” Buick said. “Charlie told me that he was a better horse this year, which I felt as well at Goodwood in the Lennox. He is a very, very good horse and it is his first group 1, which he really deserves.”

Labelled a TDN Rising Star when off the mark on his sole juvenile start over an extended mile at Nottingham in November 2018, Space Blues spent the first part of last Spring being trained for middle-distances and when that failed was brought back to this trip to gain a confidence boost in a York handicap in May. Following up in the Listed Surrey S. at Epsom later that month, he was denied a head by Space Traveller (GB) (Bated Breath {GB}) when going too soon in Royal Ascot’s G3 Jersey S. in June and stepped up to be three-lengths second to Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 Prix Jean Prat over this course and distance in July. Again improving to be a close third in this, the bay was next seen flopping when seventh ridden too forward in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint over six furlongs at Meydan Mar. 7.

Returning to European action to deny the Haydock specialist Safe Voyage (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) in the June 7 Listed Spring Trophy there, he reaffirmed his aptitude for seven furlongs when taking the G3 Prix de la Porte Maillot at ParisLongchamp June 25 before his display of power in the Lennox. Anchored in rear early having broken fast here, he was hard against the stand’s rail with Buick finding an able target-horse in Hello Youmzain as Golden Horde (Ire) (Lethal Force {Ire}) led Earthlight away to his right. Comfortably in touch and notably keen for action, Space Blues was only let go after the two Royal Ascot-winning sprinters had begun their prolonged duel in front and while Lope Y Fernandez and Earthlight stayed on resolutely, the winning of the race was the superior acceleration of the British raider.

On this evidence, he would be more than a match for stablemate Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal) and it may be that Appleby will have to keep them apart from here. “We all know what Dubawi’s progeny can do as they get older and that’s true for most sprinters as well,” he commented. “His profile this year has been faultless. Every time he has stepped up in grade, he has been more impressive and a lot of credit goes to the team at home. Paolo [Sirigu], who rides him, does a fantastic job looking after him and he is a Christian of a horse. There isn’t a great amount of opportunities at group 1 level for a horse like Space Blues and I was keen to try and win one with him, because he deserves it. He is a lovely horse to have around and it is fantastic for the team. Most importantly, it is fantastic for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and Godolphin.”

“It is hard to be on the front end at Deauville and the gallop was strong early doors. I felt that the race was always going to develop for a finisher and William’s instructions were to go out there and ride him to come home. He has given the horse a lovely ride. From halfway, William said he only needed for the gaps to appear and, thankfully, they came in time. We will look at bringing him back to France again for the G1 Prix de la Foret on Arc weekend [Oct. 4]. We will give him a well-deserved break first and then head to Longchamp.”

Nicolas de Chambure said of Hello Youmzain, “We’re delighted to see him back to his best. In the July Cup last time, he didn’t appreciate the ‘dip’ and once again he hit a flat spot around halfway and then found more. It’s a good result and we’re proud of him. We’ll follow the same program as last year, go for Haydock [for the G1 Sprint Cup] and then Ascot [for the G1 Qipco British Champions Sprint S.]. Next year, he will stand at Etreham.” Lisa-Jane Graffard said of Earthlight, “Mickael said he was a little bit flat in the last 100 yards, but it’s only his second run and that will help him improve his condition. He still has a very bright future, wherever he goes next, and we will take some time to reflect on everything.”

Space Blues is a half-brother to the four-times group-winning Shuruq (Elusive Quality), who is in turn the dam of the stakes-winning and GI American Oaks and GII Fair Grounds Oaks-placed Antoinette (Hard Spun). The dam is the G2 Challenge S. winner Miss Lucifer (Fr) (Noverre), a granddaughter of High Spirited (Ire) (Shirley Heights {GB}) who is a full-sister to the G1 Premio Roma heroine High Hawk (Ire) who produced the triple group 1 hero and leading sire In the Wings (GB) (Sadler’s Wells). High Spirited’s progeny include the G2 King Edward VII S. scorer Amfortas (Ire) (Caerleon) and the G3 Prix de Royaumont winner Legend Maker (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) who was responsible for the G1 1000 Guineas heroine Virginia Waters (Kingmambo) and the G3 Gallinule S. scorer Alexander of Hales (Danehill). His full-sister Canterbury Lace produced the G1 Matron S. winner Chachamaidee (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), who is in turn the dam of the G3 Pinnacle S. winner Klassique (GB) (Gaileo {Ire}). Miss Lucifer also has an as-yet unraced 3-year-old filly by Exceed and Excel (Aus) named Next Victory (Ire), a 2-year-old filly by Night of Thunder (Ire) named Beautiful Future (Ire) and a filly foal by Dark Angel (Ire).

Sunday, Deauville, France
LARC PRIX MAURICE DE GHEEST-G1, €230,000, Deauville, 8-9, 3yo/up, 6 1/2fT, 1:15.76, gd.
1–SPACE BLUES (IRE), 130, c, 4, by Dubawi (Ire)
                1st Dam: Miss Lucifer (Fr) (GSW-Eng, $193,403), by Noverre
                2nd Dam: Devil’s Imp (Ire), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB)
                3rd Dam: High Spirited (Ire), by Shirley Heights (GB)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. €131,422. Lifetime Record: GSW-Eng, 13-7-3-1, €451,723. *1/2 to Shuruq (Elusive Quality), Hwt. Older Mare-UAE at 7-9.5f, MGSW-UAE, GSW-Tur & GSP-Eng, $658,709. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Hello Youmzain (Fr), 130, c, 4, Kodiac (GB)–Spasha (GB), by Shamardal. O-Haras d’Etreham & Cambridge Stud; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd (FR); T-Kevin Ryan. €52,578.
3–Lope Y Fernandez (Ire), 126, c, 3, Lope de Vega (Ire)–Black Dahlia (GB), by Dansili (GB). (€900,000 Ylg ’18 ARAUG). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-SF Bloodstock LLC (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien. €26,289.
Margins: 3/4, HD, SNK. Odds: 4.40, 17.00, 12.00.
Also Ran: Earthlight (Ire), Golden Horde (Ire), Wooded (Ire), Reshabar (Fr), Wichita (Ire), Spinning Memories (Ire), Roncey (Fr), Batwan (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Godolphin’s Shared Sense ‘Really Has Done No Wrong’ Ahead Of Ellis Park Derby

A missed break. A pace scenario that fails to materialize. An upstart contender who uncorks the race of their life.

Any of the above of scenarios can undo even the most overwhelming of favorites, which is why horsepeople often remind everyone that races are conducted on the track, not on paper. All that being said, Sunday's $200,000 RUNHAPPY Ellis Park Derby features an entity that would need an exceptional amount of circumstances to converge to keep it from declaring victory on the day.

While Bruce Lunsford's homebred colt Art Collector looms as the dominant equine athlete in the Ellis Park Derby field, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum's Godolphin operation might hold the strongest collective hand for the race. In addition to standing Bernardini, sire of Art Collector, Godolphin also has their own homebred entrant in Shared Sense, a son of Darley stallion Street Sense who brings his own share of momentum into the nine-furlong test.

The Ellis Park Derby offers 85 qualifying points (50-20-10-5) toward the Kentucky Derby on September 5.

The same week Art Collector announced himself as a leading sophomore contender with his victory in Keeneland's Grade 2 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes on July 11, Shared Sense made his own statement as one his classmates will have to tangle with if they want to land some of the division's better races. In his first try against graded-stakes company, the bay colt captured the Grade 3 Indiana Derby by three lengths on July 8 over a field that included fellow Ellis Park Derby contender Necker Island.

When Art Collector did his thing a few days later at Keeneland, it actually made Shared Sense's victory at Indiana Grand all the more impressive as the two colts had met in an allowance-optional claiming race at Churchill Downs on June 13 with Art Collector prevailing handily by 6 ½ lengths. It will take a massive step forward for Shared Sense to close that gap this Sunday but, as the upsets which peppered the racing landscape last weekend demonstrated, there is always reason for confidence when you're armed with a contender whose form is going in the right direction.

“I think any time you open the gates, any one is liable to stub their toe or miss the break like we saw last weekend (with Tom's d'Etat in the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes) where you can stumble at the gate and cost yourself everything,” said Jimmy Bell, president of Godolphin's U.S. operations. “We're going in with no illusions. Art Collector is the best horse on paper and in the flesh and I think it's his race to lose really, and only if he's not himself or certain things happen beyond their control that we're in position to take advantage of.

“I think obviously Art Collector is the overwhelming, deserving favorite. But we're going to get a pretty good measure of how Shared Sense will tackle the upper echelon of 3-year-olds. His win in the Indiana Derby was enough to give us confidence that he can step up and enter a race like the Ellis Park Derby with horses like Art Collector in it.”

Having a homebred son of 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense in the conversation at this point in the year was expected from the Godolphin team, only many figured it would be Grade 1 winner Maxfield as the subject matter. A condylar fracture suffered in June sent that undefeated colt to the sidelines and, while that gut punch still stings, Shared Sense has quietly stepped up as a contender to carry Sheikh Mohammed's blue silks to Louisville come September.

Trained by Brad Cox, Shared Sense broke his maiden via disqualification at Churchill Downs last November 30 and, after finishing sixth in the Smarty Jones Stakes during his seasonal bow on January 24, he captured a one-mile allowance-optional claiming test at Oaklawn Park on February 29.

A venture on turf would follow next time out with a run in the War Chant Stakes on May 23, but that experiment was shelved when Shared Sense finished sixth. His progress has been built in increments rather than dynamics, but there were always indicators that he could swim in deeper waters.

“His only real blemish could be attributed to us where we took a chance and ran him on the grass in the War Chant and he came from out of the clouds, was almost last and finished well enough,” Bell said. “So you take that race out of there and he's had a win, a second and his second was to Art Collector. So he really has done no wrong in basically his last four races.

“When he got beat down at Oaklawn Park over a muddy track in the Smarty Jones, there were some nice horses that ran that day. He's just been a horse who has done very little wrong. He's been a little unlucky, this that and the other, but the Indiana Derby was a big boost. He got a proper Beyer and a proper (Ragozin) out of that number.”

Shared Sense was not an original Triple Crown nominee and would need to be supplemented for $45,000 (plus entry fees) into the Kentucky Derby field should he make a definitive case for himself this weekend.

“It'd be a little overly speculative to be making any comments on that but…. (Art Collector) is genuinely one of the top 3-year-olds and one of the reasons we chose the Ellis Park Derby is to get a line on (Shared Sense),” Bell said. “It didn't make a lot of sense to be shipping a long ways out of here when you have an opportunity like this at Ellis Park. So I certainly think the results would speak for themselves.”

The presence of both Shared Sense and Art Collector in the Ellis Park Derby field also serves as a mini tribute the all-around prowess of Darley's 17-year-old stalwart Bernardini, the 2006 Preakness Stakes winner and 3-year-old champion.

In addition to siring 4-5 favorite Art Collector, Bernardini is also the broodmare sire of 9-2 second choice Shared Sense, who is out of the unraced mare Collective. Bernardini's rise up the ranks as a broodmare sire is particularly notable for a stallion his age as his daughters have also produced such standouts as Maxfield, 2019 Kentucky Oaks heroine Serengeti Empress, and Grade 1 winner Dunbar Road.

“I think Bernardini probably as quickly and as rapidly as any young stallion has stamped himself as being just a phenomenal broodmare sire,” Bell said. “He's shown that ability to get that top-class colt and his daughters, whether or not they are great racemares, it seems the blood is there and the production speaks for itself. It's been really amazing the success he's had as a broodmare sire as young as he is. Usually you begin to see that late in their careers but … almost as soon as those fillies are retired they start showing up as producers.”

Hence, even if Art Collector gets the better of their runner again this weekend, it will still go down as a victory for one of the industry's most successful global operations.

“I think Sheikh Mohammed takes enormous satisfaction in having a stallion making such a contribution to the breed,” Bell said. “If we by chance were to get nipped, we'd still love to keep the Bernardini connection going. If we can't do it with the broodmare sire in Shared Sense, maybe Bernie can get it done with Art Collector.”

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British Racing Survey Launched

A survey, which aims to create a source of information and inspiration for people in the industry and to showcase the scale and value of racing’s contribution to wider society, was launched on Wednesday. Racing Together, The Racing Foundation, and Godolphin-with the help and support of industry leaders–will manage the resulting directory, which will include the work that racing people and organisations across Britain are doing in areas of education and community development. The survey is available for all racing organisations and participants and can be completed here. For more information on the project, click here.

John Blake, CEO of Racing to School and Racing Together said, “What is exciting about this project is that so many different corners of the sport are getting involved and can see the benefit for racing and, more importantly, for the wide range of beneficiaries that their work is able to help–locally and on a national scale.”

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COVID-19: Trainers Appleby, Bin Suroor To Skip Melbourne Cup

Due to concerns about COVID-19 and Melbourne's recent change to stage four restrictions, top trainers Charlie Appleby and Saeed bin Suroor have both decided to skip this year's Melbourne Cup in Australia, reports racingpost.com.

Both trainers for Godolphin, Appleby won the Melbourne Cup with Cross Counter in 2018. This year's edition of “the race that stops a nation” is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 3.

“Charlie Appleby advised last night that because of the change to stage four restrictions, he wasn't comfortable sending his staff to Melbourne and Saeed has also advised he won't be coming,” Racing Victoria general manager of international operations Paul Bloodworth told racingpost.com. “It's a great shame. Saeed has been a regular in Australia for 30 years and Charlie certainly over the last five or six years so it's a shame they won't be able to compete.”

Leading owner Lloyd Williams is also considering missing out on the Melbourne Cup, he told racingpost.com on Wednesday. The six-time winner of the prestigious race has several hopefuls in training with Joseph O'Brien in Ireland, and concerns about staff safety while traveling are causing Williams to rethink his plans.

“It's too early to say, but travelling now is a greater consideration than it was 72 hours ago,” Williams told racingpost.com. “If there was any concern for staff travelling, I would not allow my group of horses to come – health is paramount.”

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