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Breeders’ Cup Winner Golden Pal Lines Up In Friday’s Nunthorpe Stakes At York

The 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G2) champion Golden Pal lines up in the 5-furlong Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes (G1) at York on Friday. The Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes winner will receive an automatic berth into the US$1 million Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) through the international Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 84 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California, on Nov. 5-6.

International challengers Golden Pal and Suesa (IRE) head a 15-runner field in the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes.

Trained by Wesley Ward and ridden by Frankie Dettori, Golden Pal returns to the UK for the first time this season. The 3-year-old son of Uncle Mo was last seen across the Atlantic when finishing second in the Norfolk Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot in June 2020. Returning to the US, Golden Pal finished off his 2-year-old campaign in style when winning the Skidmore Stakes at Saratoga, before cruising to victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland.

Winner of the Quick Call Stakes (G3) at Saratoga in his only start this year, Golden Pal is aiming to give Frankie Dettori his fourth win in this race.

The Newmarket based jockey flew up to York on Tuesday morning to exercise Golden Pal and said, “Wesley booked me on the horse a few weeks back. He is very pleased with the horse. I've seen him race a few times, but Wesley wanted me to have a sit on him before Friday. He's in good order and looks great. I didn't let him out of third gear, it was just to get a feel of him.'

Dettori added: “Wesley is the king of sprinters so I'm with the right trainer. The Nunthorpe Stakes is probably our best sprint so it's always very hard to win, but we are going to war with a good horse. He's an explosive horse and very quick. I'm looking forward to riding him.”

George Strawbridge's Suesa was last seen winning the King George Qatar Stakes (G2) at Goodwood on July 30. The 3-year-old filly, representing French trainer Francois Rohaut, suffered her only career defeat when finishing eighth as the favorite in the Commonwealth Cup (G1) at Royal Ascot in June. Jockey William Buick is booked to ride.

Second that day in the King George Qatar Stakes was Dragon Symbol (GB), one of four occasions the son of Cable Bay (GB) has placed runner-up this season. The highly consistent 3-year-old was first past the post in the Commonwealth Cup (G1) at Royal Ascot in June but following a stewards' inquiry was demoted to second place behind Campanelle (IRE). Trained by Archie Watson, Dragon Symbol was denied another Group 1 victory when finishing 1 ¼ lengths behind Starman (GB) in the Darley July Cup (G1) at Newmarket on July 10.

The Tim Easterby-trained Winter Power (IRE) leads the home challenge for Yorkshire. The 3-year-old daughter of Bungle Inthejungle (GB) was a comfortable winner of the listed John Smith's City Walls Stakes over the same course and distance last time out, with Moss Girl (IRE), for trainer Edward Bethell, 1-length behind in second.

They are joined by last year's Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes runner-up Que Amoro (IRE), one of two runners in the race for trainer Michael Dods, who also saddles stablemate Dakota Gold (GB). Other notable runners include the Robert Cowell-trained Arecibo (FR), runner-up in the King's Stand Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot in June, and the Group 1-placed Liberty Beach (GB), trained by John Quinn.

As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes winner to start in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, which will be run at 5 Furlongs on the Del Mar turf course. Breeders' Cup will also provide a travel allowance of US$40,000 for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the Championships' pre-entry deadline of Oct. 25 to receive the rewards.

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Snowfall Dominates Yorkshire Oaks En Route To Arc De Triomphe

Aidan O'Brien looks to have racing's next superstar in his ranks – as Snowfall made light work of Thursday's Group 1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks. The daughter of Deep Impact will receive an automatic berth into the US$2 million Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) through the international Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

Having demolished her rivals in both the Cazoo Oaks and the Irish Oaks, O'Brien's filly was sent out a heavy favorite for Darley Yorkshire Oaks. And she certainly did not disappoint.

Ryan Moore kept Snowfall at the back, ridden quietly throughout the race. Stable companion La Joconde ensuring there was a good gallop throughout the race under Hollie Doyle. Turning the corner the runners came back to stands, and push came to shove on La Joconde, with Wonderful Tonight beginning to make her move.

Gasps from the York crowd rang out, as Snowfall, with consummate ease breezed her way through the field. In a matter of moments she was upside and past Wonderful Tonight – seemingly in third gear.

Ryan Moore then nudged her to press on and put the race to bed before easing her way to the line with all the dangers long behind her.

It was a special performance from a filly who looks set to go on to big things.

After the race Aidan O'Brien was in buoyant mood as he spoke about the next stage in the filly's career, he said: “She's gone very laid-back, putting on weight and starting to thrive. She's ready for the autumn. She could have another race before the Arc, if the lads want to do that.”

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Snowfall Dominant In The Yorkshire Oaks

Another group 1, another wide-margin success for the rampant Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) who emulated User Friendly (GB) (Slip Anchor {GB}), Ramruma (Diesis {GB}), Alexandrova (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) and Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in adding Thursday's Darley Yorkshire Oaks to her Epsom and Irish Oaks victories. Anchored with only Albaflora (GB) (Muhaarar {GB}) behind as her stable's La Joconde (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) set an honest tempo, the 8-15 favourite tracked Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) into the straight but was left in front as her chief rival paid for her free-running tendency. On her own for the last 2 1/2 furlongs, Ballydoyle's sixth winner of this prestige event hit the line with four lengths to spare over Albaflora, with La Joconde sticking on for third, 2 3/4 lengths away. Wonderful Tonight was ultimately disappointing in fourth, beaten 8 1/2 lengths in total. “It felt like a truly-run race and as soon as I moved on her she was there very quickly,” jockey Ryan Moore commented. “The race was as good as over from the four to be honest, she felt exceptional today. I thought Wonderful Tonight was a genuine top-level performer and maybe we didn't see the best of her today for whatever reason, but she keeps winning her races well and you can't ask her for anymore than that. The last two furlongs, there was no real serious question asked and she's very, very good.”

Snowfall's underwhelming juvenile campaign has been well-documented by now, with seven outings beginning over an extended five furlongs at Navan in June and culminating in the G1 Fillies' Mile at Newmarket in October, where she was the subject of a case of mistaken identity with the stable's other Classic heroine Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}). Those runs yielded just one maiden win over seven furlongs at The Curragh and one placing, which was on that aforementioned racecourse bow, but it was in this track's G3 Musidora S. that the watershed came at a now-laughable starting price of 14-1 on her 3-year-old re-introduction May 12. Ryan Moore thought best to leave her to Frankie for the Oaks June 4 and he was made to suffer on Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) as she bounded clear to set a record-winning distance in the easy ground.

Her subsequent Irish Oaks romp at The Curragh July 17 was enough to convince any remaining doubters as to her merit, but this served as a new examination taking on the likes of the proven Wonderful Tonight. While David Menuisier was happy to let that G1 Prix de Royallieu and G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. heroine run on this ever-quickening surface, she over-raced for William Buick even allowing for having an ideal target in the 150-1 outsider La Joconde. Hollie Doyle enjoyed a real tune from that freewheeling runner as she had when also riding for this stable in the Dante here in May and she managed to see off all bar the rearguard, with the winner in a class of her own and Albaflora providing Kirsten Rausing with another highlight in a stellar 2021 and a second consecutive runner-up placing in this after Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) followed home Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) 12 months ago. With Wonderful Tonight running well below-par, the clock remained the only true guide to Snowfall's performance and three impressive sub 12-second splits in the straight saw her set the fastest time in this race since Catchascatchcan (GB) (Pursuit of Love {GB}) in 1998.

“She'd been doing everything well and was thriving at home and putting on weight,” Aidan O'Brien said. “She is very relaxed and has got very professional. Ryan said he ended up being there way too early, but that's what she does–she quickens very well. I was a little bit taken aback by her in the parade ring and how well she had done–she looked like a filly that was going to come on for the run and she's matured from a baby 3-year-old into a very mature one. The lads will decide whether she takes another run before the [Oct. 3] Arc, either at Longchamp or Leopardstown and it doesn't matter about the ground with her. If St Mark's Basilica comes back for Leopardstown, she could go to Longchamp. She gets a mile and a half very well, has everything going for her and has a beautiful mind. She had a few blips last year, but it might have worked to her advantage as she learnt a lot before she ran in anything big. That experience of travelling to England is really showing now and it's very interesting the way it's happening for her. She is a filly that travels very well and is behaving like a filly older than she is, so it's very exciting.”

Ralph Beckett said of Albaflora, “There was a great deal of discussion whether we were even going to run, but she was really well and thriving at home. When the ball is at your feet you have to kick it. We didn't win, I'm not sure we ever thought we were going to but I was pretty sure she'd run well if things went our way. She enjoys being ridden like that. To go and do that today when she's really a soft-ground filly as well is great.”

Wonderful Tonight's trainer David Menuisier was far from downbeat as he retained laser-focus on the Arc. “William [Buick]'s report was that she's not the same filly on good ground as she is on soft,” he explained. “I told him before the race if he felt she wasn't going on it to look after her. The plan today was to give her a good blow before the next step with the Arc as the target and that's what we did. I'm really happy with the run, considering the conditions were not in her favour so I think there was no harm done. Last year when she ran in the Vermeille on good-to-firm ground she ran a similar race to today, we know when the ground gets softer she can easily improve by 10 lengths or more. She's basically the same filly she was last year on this sort of ground and that is why I'm not disappointed. We had to give it a go as I wanted her to have two races before the Arc, as we saw at Goodwood that when she gets fresh she is keen. Her next race will be at Longchamp, but it could be the [Sept. 12 G2] Prix Foy rather than the [G1] Prix Vermeille, because the fillies are better than the colts this year!”

Snowfall is the first foal out of the G3 Give Thanks S. and Listed Staffordstown Stud S. winner and G2 Blandford S. runner-up Best In the World (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who is a full-sister to three other Galileos headed by the stable's prior G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Found (Ire) successful also in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf. The others are the G3 C. L. Weld Park S. winner Magical Dream (Ire) and last year's G3 Flame of Tara S. winner Divinely (Ire), who is usually in attendance when Snowfall appears and followed her home in second in the Irish Oaks and third at Epsom before trailing in sixth here. Found is also the dam of last year's G2 Vintage S. winner and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf runner-up Battleground (War Front), while they are out of the G1 Lockinge S. and G1 Matron S. heroine Red Evie (Ire) (Intikhab). Best In the World's unraced 2-year-old full-brother to Snowfall is in training at Ballydoyle and named Newfoundland (Ire), while she also has a yearling colt by Dubawi (Ire).

Thursday, York, Britain
DARLEY YORKSHIRE OAKS-G1, £400,000, York, 8-19, 3yo/up, f/m, 11f 188yT, 2:26.61, gd.
1–SNOWFALL (JPN), 124, f, 3, by Deep Impact (Jpn)
1st Dam: Best In the World (Ire) (GSW-Ire, $141,246), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Red Evie (Ire), by Intikhab
3rd Dam: Malafemmena (Ire), by Nordico
O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Roncon, Chelston Ire, Wynatt (JPN); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £226,840. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Ire, 11-5-0-1, $974,271. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Albaflora (GB), 133, f, 4, Muhaarar (GB)–Almiranta (GB), by Galileo (Ire). O/B-Miss K Rausing (GB); T-Ralph Beckett. £86,000.
3–La Joconde (Ire), 124, f, 3, Frankel (GB)–Wadyhatta (GB), by Cape Cross (Ire). (850,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT). O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Westerberg; B-Lynch Bages Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £43,040.
Margins: 4, 2 3/4, 1 3/4. Odds: 0.53, 16.00, 150.00.
Also Ran: Wonderful Tonight (Fr), Loving Dream (GB), Divinely (Ire), Eshaada (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Lowther Glory For No Nay Never’s Zain Claudette

Improving again off her success in the G3 Princess Margaret S. at Ascot July 24, Saeed Al Tayer's Zain Claudette (Ire) (No Nay Never) made the three-pound penalty of Sandrine (GB) (Bobby's Kitten) tell as she denied that G3 Albany S. and G2 Duke of Cambridge S. winner by a length in Thursday's G2 Sky Bet Lowther S. at York. Always in the perfect spot closely tracking the pace, the 6-1 shot was delivered on the front end by Ray Dawson with a furlong remaining as Kirsten Rausing's previously-unbeaten 6-5 favourite was playing catch-up from rear. Despite the inroads made by the market-leader, Zain Claudette was maintaining her momentum to provide trainer Ismail Mohammed and her young jockey with a career highlight. Desert Dreamer (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) ran another honest race and finished two lengths away in third, with Oisin Murphy's saddle slipping late on when she was already held. “She's so straightforward and really relaxed, she's a dream of a filly,” the winning jockey said. “She's just so tough, she gives you 150% and is getting better and better. I thought there would be a little bit too much pace for me early on, but she pinged the stalls and travelled so sweetly I didn't want to take her back. This is her trip for now, but she will get further and I struggled to pull her up.”

Campaigned solely at this trip so far, Zain Claudette was a neck runner-up on debut to the subsequent G2 Prix Robert Papin third Hellomydarlin (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}) at Goodwood June 11 before opening her account at Newmarket June 25 and nosing out Desert Dreamer at Ascot. Granted an ideal lead under cover from Outside World (GB) (Iffraaj (GB) and Nymphadora (GB) (No Nay Never) here, the chestnut showed more early pace than in the Princess Margaret and that ultimately told as Sandrine was always struggling to pick up her rivals on this flat, fast terrain. Ismail Mohammed is eyeing the obvious next step. “The [G1] Cheveley Park S. [at Newmarket Sept. 25] will be next,” he said. “She has won three times now over six furlongs, but I don't think she is only a sprinter. I asked the jockey if she could stay further and he said 'no problem', so next year, we will go for the 1000 Guineas.”

Anna Lisa Balding said of Sandrine, “She slightly stumbled coming out of the stalls, but you can't take anything away from the winner who has done it well. We'll stick to Plan A and head to the Cheveley Park next. The only reason we came here with the penalty was because we felt it was just too long between races, we had to do something. She'll have a little bit of a freshen up now. David [Probert] said she ran really well and that it was just the penalty that beat her. She was also having to come widest of all. She's done little wrong, is a lovely filly and while it is always sad when you lose an unbeaten record, they have to be beaten sometimes.”

Zain Claudette was one of the cheaper purchases by her sire when costing only £20,000 at the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale. She is the first foal out of the unraced Claudette (Speightstown), whose dam Tippity Witch (Affirmed) annexed the GIII Martha Washington S. and is kin to the triple Listed Abergwaun S.-winning sprinter Senor Benny (Benny the Dip). A granddaughter of the listed scorer and GII Diana H.-placed Senora Tippy (El Gran Senor), Claudette's yearling filly by Exceed and Excel (Aus) is catalogued I the upcoming Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale.

Thursday, York, Britain
SKY BET LOWTHER S.-G2, £150,000, York, 8-19, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:10.46, gd.
1–ZAIN CLAUDETTE (IRE), 126, f, 2, by No Nay Never
1st Dam: Claudette, by Speightstown
2nd Dam: Tippity Witch, by Affirmed
3rd Dam: Senora Tippy, by El Gran Senor
(€58,000 RNA Wlg '19 GOFNOV; £20,000 Ylg '20 GOFFUK). O-Saeed H Altayer; B-Andriy Milovanov (IRE); T-Ismail Mohammed; J-Ray Dawson. £85,065. Lifetime Record: 4-3-1-0, $172,677. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Sandrine (GB), 129, f, 2, Bobby's Kitten–Seychelloise (GB), by Pivotal (GB). O/B-Miss K Rausing (GB); T-Andrew Balding. £32,250.
3–Desert Dreamer (GB), 126, f, 2, Oasis Dream (GB)–Pure Innocence (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire). (20,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Mr J W Parry and Mrs C Shekells; B-Branton Court Stud (GB); T-Stuart Williams. £16,140.
Margins: 1, 2, NO. Odds: 6.00, 1.20, 5.00.
Also Ran: Vertiginous (Ire), Nymphadora (GB), Hello You (Ire), Misty Ayr (Ire), Nazanin, Dreams of Thunder (Ire), Outside World (GB). Scratched: Illustrating (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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