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Frankel’s Petricor Earns TDN Rising Stardom in Deauville Debut

Sent postward as the 7-5 favourite for Tuesday’s Prix les Ammonites, a 7 1/2-furlong debutantes’ heat at Deauville, Khalid Abdullah’s Petricor (GB) (Frankel {GB}) did not disappoint and earned ‘TDN Rising Star‘ status with an impressive opening performance at the Normandy venue. The Andre Fabre trainee broke well from an inside gate, but was shuffled back to race in a midfield seventh after occupying a prominet second through the initial strides. Angled outside for an clear passage with 350 metres remaining she quickened to challenge entering the final furlong and kept on powerfully under mild coaxing to easily deny the pacesetting Grace Shelby (Fr) (Shalaa {Ire}) by 1 1/2 lengths nearing the line.

“This filly has been working nicely at home and she confirmed that promise on the track today,” said winning rider Pierre-Charles Boudot. “More rhythm in the race would have helped and I am certain that she will stay in the future.”

Petricor is the first of three foals produced by a winning half-sister to five black-type performers headed by MG1SW sire Brian Boru (GB) (Sadler’s Wells) and MGSW G1 Irish St Leger and GI Breeders’ Cup Turf placegetter Sea Moon (GB) (Beat Hollow {GB). The February-foaled homebred bay is a half-sister to a yearling colt by Lope de Vega (Ire) and a 2020 colt by Roaring Lion. Descendants of her G3 Park Hill S.-winning second dam Eva Luna (Alleged) include G1 Epsom Derby and G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe-winning sire Workforce (GB) (King’s Best), MG1SW sire Best Solution (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), MSW G1 Moyglare Stud S. third Kissable (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and stakes-winning GI American Oaks third Amandine (GB) (Shamardal).

3rd-Deauville, €22,000, Mdn, 8-4, unraced 2yo, f, 7 1/2fT, 1:34.91, g/s.
PETRICOR (GB), f, 2, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Ruscombe (GB), by Dansili (GB)
2nd Dam: Eva Luna, by Alleged
3rd Dam: Media Luna (GB), by Star Appeal (Ire)
1ST-TIME STARTER. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, €11,000. O-Khalid Abdullah; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-Andre Fabre. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Sceptical Suffers Fatal Injury

Rags to riches sprinter Sceptical (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}-Jealous Again, by Trippi), a listed winner and twice Group 1-placed this season, died on Tuesday morning after suffering a fatal injury on the gallops.

Trainer Denis Hogan tweeted, “We have been dealt a devastating cruel blow at Boherna this morning with the loss of our superstar sprinter Sceptical. He was a horse of a lifetime and a game changer for my training career and everyone at Boherna.”

Bred by Godolphin out of the G2 Queen Mary S. winner Jealous Again, Sceptical was sold by that operation as an unraced 3-year-old at the Goffs UK August Sale last year for £2,800 to James McAuley. He won at second asking for Hogan at Dundalk in November and had won his first three starts this season-including the Listed Woodlands S. at Naas on June 8-before finishing third, beaten a half length, as the favourite in the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot and second in the G1 Darley July Cup. Sceptical had been due to run in the G3 Rathasker Stud Phoenix Sprint S. at The Curragh this weekend.

Sceptical was raced by McAuley with Hilltop Racing, which tweeted, “We had a terrible tragedy this morning as Sceptical was fatally injured on the gallops. He was an amazing horse for us and we’ll remember all the great days we enjoyed with him. We’d like to thank [Hogan and jockey Joey Sheridan] and all the staff and we feel so sad for everyone.”

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Appleby, bin Suroor to Swerve Melbourne

Godolphin’s Newmarket-based trainers Charlie Appleby and Saeed bin Suroor have informed Racing Victoria that they will not send horses to this year’s Melbourne spring carnival amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Both trainers have enjoyed success at the carnival as of late; Charlie Appleby won the 2018 G1 Melbourne Cup with Cross Counter (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}), while bin Suroor has saddled three runners up in the great race while Benbatl (GB) won the G1 Ladbrokes S. in 2018 and was second to Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) in the G1 Cox Plate.

The Australian state of Victoria has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases as of late.

“Both Saeed and Charlie have advised over the last few days that they won’t be coming to Melbourne this year,” Racing Victoria General Manager of International Operations Paul Bloodworth told Racing.com. “Charlie Appleby advised last night that because of the change to Stage 4 restrictions, he wasn’t comfortable sending his staff to Melbourne and Saeed has also advised he won’t be coming.

“It’s a great shame. Saaed 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.”

Plenty of other European-based trainers have engaged runners in the spring features-Aidan, Joseph and Donnacha O’Brien between them field 22 of the 182 entries for the Cox Plate on Oct. 24-but restrictions on staff travel into the country could yet scupper those plans.

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Mohaather Targeting QEII

Last week’s G1 Sussex S. winner Mohaather (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) is aiming for the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. on Champions Day as his next big target, with trainer Marcus Tregoning as-yet undecided as to whether the 4-year-old will have another start prior.

“His end-of-season target will be the QEII,” said Tregoning. “Whether something slots in before that we’re not sure yet, but Ascot is his main target.

“We could have really done with the [G1 Prix Jacques le] Marois being a week later than it is. There isn’t anything that slots in ideally, as the Marois is the 16th [of August] which is a bit quick and if we drop down to seven for the Foret [on Oct. 4] it’s too close to Champions Day. With the races all moved around it’s difficult. At least we’re now looking having won a Group 1; given how we felt after Royal Ascot things are a good bit different.”

Tregoning was not ruling out a tilt at the GI Breeders’ Cup Mile, either.

“The Breeders’ Cup is three weeks after Ascot this year so that would give him enough time, but that would be entirely down to Sheikh Hamdan. He is lightly raced so hopefully we’ll get a few more goes with him.”

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