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Menuisier Celebrates First Royal Ascot Win With Wonderful Tonight

Wonderful Tonight gave trainer David Menuisier a first Royal Ascot success when beating the boys in the G2 Hardwicke Stakes over a mile and a half.

The four-year-old filly was making her seasonal debut after winning the G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot on her final start in 2020.

Racing keenly early on, jockey William Buick eventually got Wonderful Tonight (5/1) settled behind the leaders before kicking clear in the straight for an impressive length and a half success over 9/4 favorite Broome. Hukum (8/1) was the same distance again back in third.

Menuisier said: “Wonderful Tonight is an absolute champion. I couldn't be bullish in the press before the race because she was always going to improve for the run.

“She was running against tough opposition with the benefit of at least one run, so you always have to be on the side of caution, but she is amazing. I didn't know what to say in the last 50 yards, it gave me a great sense of pride.

“Wonderful Tonight showed a tremendous turn of foot which she perhaps never showed before. I am very proud of the team, proud of the filly and also proud it is the only day Her Majesty came to this week, so I'm pleased she got to see this filly live.

“The fact that she handles soft/heavy ground so well compensated for the lack of fitness today. Can I go as far to say she will show the same traits on good ground? I don't know. Perhaps we will try in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe if the ground happened to be good. Would we try her on good ground before that? I don't know. She loves Longchamp and Ascot so we will keep an eye on all the races she can run it at both venues.

“The King George was run on very soft ground last year. The Hardwicke was not the plan until last week and at the confirmation stage I saw that there was rain forecast and we decided to keep her in. Sometimes you need to be lucky as well!

Speaking about what a first Royal Ascot win means, he added: “It means the world because you carry it like a monkey on your back until it happens. I am absolutely thrilled.”

Winning owner Christopher Wright said: “I couldn't believe it. I honestly couldn't believe it, I was breathless. Absolutely staggered. I knew she needed the race. What a filly. She is amazing.

“I wasn't expecting her to win, the trainer had managed my expectations and he had also managed the expectations of the entire punting public in the Racing Post by saying that she was at 80/85 percent fit. Maybe she was, I don't know, but didn't she win so well! What a filly she is, that was unbelievable.

“I have been running horses here for 40 years, almost every year at least one, sometimes several. I've never ever had a winner at Royal Ascot – lots of seconds, lots of very good horses. Culture Vulture, who won a Classic, was second twice, but I've never had a winner here. I almost can't believe it – I thought I never ever would have a winner here, but I have.

“It means everything, actually. There are winners and winners, but a Royal Ascot winner… I've won a lot of very good races, but to win at Royal Ascot is like I've died and gone to heaven.

“After last year, when we almost ran Wonderful Tonight in the Arc, we thought that we would target the Arc this year. I know that's like shooting for the moon, and it's a pretty tough target to aspire to, but that has been the target and her program has been based around it, so we didn't want her to start the season too early. We don't think she's a filly who will like a mid-season break particularly, so we wanted to start the season and gradually bring her along so she could peak on the first weekend of October. This was step one of that plan.”

Buick is still in the hunt for the Royal Ascot leading jockey title after riding his third winner of the week. He said: “Wonderful Tonight has a lot of stamina. I won the Fillies & Mares on her on Champions Day last year and I rode her like a real stayer because she'd won the Royallieu, the 14-furlong fillies race on Arc weekend, making plenty of use of her.

“She is top-class. She probably does handle this ground well compared to some others, but I thought that performance today against the colts was her best yet. And she showed a turn of foot today that I don't think she'd shown before. I thought she looked great – David and his team had done a great job with her over the winter and have bided their time.

“She is very versatile tactically. She can make her own running as long as she's in a good rhythm and doesn't get chased along too early. She was entitled to be a bit fresh today, first run for a while, but I was very comfortable where I was after a furlong or so. It was a nice smooth race; good performance from her and she's got it all ahead.”

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Godolphin, Appleby Go 1-2 In Jersey Stakes At Royal Ascot

Trainer Charlie Appleby and Godolphin enjoyed a 1-2 in the G3 Jersey Stakes, with Creative Force just getting the better of Naval Crown.

The James Doyle-ridden Creative Force was making it four wins from four starts this season in the seven-furlong contest, beating Naval Crown and William Buick by a length and a quarter. Buick would likely have had the difficult choice between the stablemates, and the betting market couldn't split them either, with both starting as 5-1 joint-favorites.

Vadream outran her odds of 28-1 by taking the third spot, beaten a further three-quarters of a length by the front two.

Appleby was enjoying his second Royal Ascot winner of the week and his 11th in total. He said: “Both horses turned up in great order and full credit to the team. I worked them together probably about 10 days ago and said to Marie [Murphy] and Alex [Merriam], the assistants, 'we don't want to be doing that again' as they are both very genuine horses and it was a stronger piece of work than I ideally wanted. But it just showed their wellness.

“From William's point of view, he knew when he chose Naval Crown… he said to me 'Charlie, it is such a hard choice – I'm going to do what I'm going to do and it could tee up quite nicely for Creative Force'. Full credit to everybody, full credit to the lads, they've given both of them a great ride and it's obviously nice to come here and have a 1-2.

“We were hopeful on Creative Force's pedigree and what he has shown us at home in his attitude – and the way he is finishing out in his gallops and his races – that stepping up to seven furlongs would be within his realm, and he's gone and duly obliged today.

“James has given him a lovely ride. He knew he had to sit a bit patient on him stepping up over this trip and on this ground, and as James said on his way in, he is a very brave horse. I'm delighted first and foremost for the team – it's great to get a second winner on the board this week.

“I think we'll probably look at something like the Prix Maurice de Gheest; drop back half a furlong to six and a half. He's got bags of pace there, travels well, and picks up well, so I think that'll be a nice race there to suit his profile. Potentially, the likelihood is the same for Naval Crown – they might just have to take each other on again, and see if we can reverse the form.”

Doyle, registering his 17th Royal Ascot victory, said: “We have hit the crossbar a couple of times this week, but I was quietly confident with this horse. I just loved Creative Force at Newbury. You go back through his form and he has beaten two subsequent Royal Ascot winners. It was difficult for William as Creative Force and Naval Crown were priced up as joint-favorites earlier this week. It was a big choice and it worked out for me today.

“Creative Force went through the ground, no problem. The draw was the only slight worry, especially with the lack of pace around us. I was hoping Richard Kingscote would lead our group, but he wanted to take a lead, so I thought we could be in trouble. But he's a brave horse, he did it all by himself from two and a half furlongs, with no targets to follow, so full credit to him.

“I just could have done with more targets really, but obviously the field split into two groups. I kind of was trying to keep an eye on what the guys were doing on the stands' side, but it's not easy because it can muck things up a little bit. We just had to be a bit brave and mindful of the trip, obviously, but his dam stayed alright.

“Full credit to Charlie, I can't thank him enough. All his team have done a fantastic job and it's nice for us to have winners at these meetings.”

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McGaughey Confident About Vigilantes Way In Sunday’s Eatontown Stakes

Even after 11 career starts, six of them wins or runner-up finishes, Shug McGaughey believes the best is yet to come for the 4-year-old filly Vigilantes Way.

Her last race underscored that belief for the Hall of Fame trainer.

The regally-bred Vigilantes Way was able to close into slow early fractions before just missing by a half-length in the Grade 3 Gallorette Stakes at a mile and a sixteenth on the grass on Pimilco's May 15 Preakness card. The horse that held on to beat her? Mean Mary, a five-time graded stakes winner and millionaire who is 7-for-11 lifetime, including a win in the Grade 2 New York Stakes in her next start.

Now Vigilantes Way, a daughter of Medaglia d'Oro – Salute by Unbridled, will look to build off that effort in Sunday's Grade 3 Eatontown Stakes at Monmouth Park. The $150,000 feature, which drew a full field of 12 (plus four alternates), is also scheduled for a mile and a sixteenth on the turf.

“We didn't get the position out of the gate that we wanted to in (her last race),” said McGaughey. “She had a little trouble early and we were further back than we wanted to be. But I was pleased with the way she closed. She got beat a half-length by a very good filly.

“That gives us some more hope that the future is bright for her.”

After a solid 3-year-old campaign in which the Phipps Stable homebred won 4-of-7 starts, Vigilantes Way is 0-for-3 this year. But two of her losses have come in Grade 3 events.

“I think she has come back this year even better than I expected her to,” said McGaughey. “She has been a bit of a surprise. She was small as a yearling and she would not have been one that you picked out in the field for her pedigree. But everything she has done so far has been right.

“I think she still has a pretty good future in front of her.”

McGaughey said that adding a graded stakes win to her credentials would be significant for Vigilantes Way but that it's not something he is obsessed with.

“With her pedigree, it is something we're looking to get,” he said. “Basically, I'm just looking to win a race with her, whether it's graded or not. I thought this race was a good spot on the calendar. It gave her plenty of time from Pimlico to here. We'll see what happens.”

Paco Lopez has the mount.

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Del Mar Futurity Winner Dr. Schivel Victorious In Comeback At Santa Anita

Idle since winning the Grade 1 Del Mar Futurity on Sept. 7, Dr. Schivel overcame significant adversity from his rail post position to win Friday's $65,000 allowance feature by a neck at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif. Sold privately prior to the Futurity and running for the first time for trainer Mark Glatt, Dr. Schivel was ridden with confidence by Flavien Prat while getting six furlongs over a track that hadn't been playing overly fast earlier in 1:09.46.

Breaking from the rail, Dr. Schivel was an attentive third, about two lengths off pacesetter Canadian Pride, with three furlongs to run and with the Bob Baffert-trained Speed Pass keeping him hemmed in behind the leader, Prat finally got loose outside of Canadian Pride inside the furlong marker and gradually overhauled him in a thoroughly professional effort.

Off as the 6-5 favorite in a field of five 3-year-olds and up, Dr. Schivel, a Kentucky-bred colt by Violence, paid $4.40, $2.60 and $2.20.

“He broke sharp and then a couple steps outta there, he kinda stutter stepped a little and I think he lost a little bit of early position,” said Glatt. “Those other horses pretty much had him down in a spot there where he was in a lot of trouble, but the most impressive thing was, when Flavien did get him off the inside, and in a place where he could let him run, he said 'You're not beating me.' He came and got that horse.

“A lot of horses at that point, might have said 'Hey, UNCLE for today,' but he just pinned his ears and came after that horse and got him. We've actually been hoping he'd come back and run a race like this in his comeback race. There's a couple races for 3-year-olds at Saratoga in August and we've been planning on getting him back there. That kinda keeps us from stretching him out. There will be a time to stretch him out, but if we can take a shot at a Grade 1 at the end of August for 3-year-olds, that's gonna be right up his alley.”

Owned by Red Baron's Barn, LLC, Rancho Temescal, LLC, William A. Branch and William Dean Reeves, Dr. Schivel is out of the Mining for Money mare Lil Nugget. Originally trained by Luis Mendez, Dr. Schivel improved his overall mark to 5-3-1-1 and with Friday's winning purse of $39,000, increased his earnings to $236,000.

Trained by Peter Eurton, Canadian Pride ran too good to lose, as he did all the early work and finished 5 ¼ lengths in front of Speed Pass. Off at 9-5 with Abel Cedillo, Canadian Pride paid $2.80 and $2.20.

In hot pursuit of the runner-up for five eighths of a mile, Speed Pass, who was off at 7-2 with Edwin Maldonado, paid $2.60 to show while finishing a half length better than Fight On.

Fractions on the race were 22.27, 44.98 and 56.98.

First post time on Saturday, the penultimate day of Santa Anita's 78-day Winter/Spring Meeting is at 1 p.m. PT. Four stakes will highlight an 11-race program.

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