Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes (Group 1)

THE Middle Park Stakes promised to be a showdown between three highly promising colts, with André Fabre’s Group 1 Prix Morny winner Earthlight meeting 11-length York winner Mums Tipple – one of two for Richard Hannon in the race – and Ger Lyons’ unbeaten Group 1 Phoenix Stakes winner Siskin.

The field also featured Hannon’s Gimcrack and Champagne Stakes hero Threat, as well as Aidan O’Brien’s duo Monarch Of Egypt (runner-up to Siskin in both the Phoenix and Railway Stakes) and Lope Y Fernandez, plus Golden Horde, who beat Threat when winning the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood before finishing third to Earthlight in the Morny.

Battle

In the end, the expected battle failed to materialise, with Siskin withdrawn after rearing over in the stalls, and possibly affecting Mums Tipple who was drawn beside him, that colt running badly for no other obvious reason.

Mums Tipple, was found by the BHA vet at Newmarket to be lame on his near-fore after the Middle Park, which prompted the stewards to review the incident in the stalls. Having spoken to Oisin Murphy, they determined that his lameness was not the result of any contact between him and Siskin prior to the race.

Earthlight, ridden by Mickael Barzalona, had much less to spare over Adam Kirby’s mount Golden Horde than he had in the Morny, although he won a shade cosily by a neck from the hard-ridden runner-up, with third and fourth going to unconsidered outsiders, the Gimcrack fifth Summer Sands (Richard Fahey/Barry McHugh) grabbing third, one and three-quarter lengths behind the runner-up, and half a length ahead of King Neptune (Aidan O’Brien/Wayne Lordan), who had finished only 10th behind Golden Horde and Threat at Goodwood, and had been unplaced in lesser events since.

Neither Richard Hannon’s pair, nor the two better fancied runners from Ballydoyle made any impact, filling the final four spots and setting analysts a puzzle in rating the race.

Form-line

The first conclusion to take from the Middle Park is that the form may not be reliable, with too many previous form-lines turned around without adequate explanation. It’s clear that several of those beaten were some way below form, unless you take a contrary view that the placed horses have improved markedly, which is not easy to do looking at overall profiles, but possible given the smart time produced.

Even the winner was below form if comparing his relative performance against Golden Horde, although the latter is one horse in the race who could be expected to show continued progress, already a Group 2 winner, but with the physique of a colt who will strengthen up more than most over time.

Earthlight is clearly a top-class colt whatever view you take of the Middle Park, as he had shown by beating a host of previous and subsequent pattern winners from Britain and Ireland in a warm Prix Morny, his victims including Raffle Prize, Golden Horde, Arizona, A’Ali and Royal Dornoch. That was on soft ground, but he was perfectly at home on the quicker surface at Newmarket.

The Middle Park has proven a poor pointer to the following season’s classics, and since 1970, only the great Brigadier Gerard and Rodrigo De Triano have won the 2000 Guineas without the intervention of the stewards, although Fabre’s Lycius was beaten just a head by Mystiko in the 1991 Guineas having captured this race.

Sprinters

Most Middle Park winners tend to be specialist sprinters, but while Earthlight has a sharp turn of foot, he’s certainly not a sprinter on pedigree, being by Poule d’Essai des Poulains and Prix du Jockey Club winner Shamardal out of a seven-furlong winner who was placed in the Fillies’ Mile, and his prospects of turning into a Guineas contender seem obvious.

“For sure he will get a mile, he could even go a bit further with his pedigree,” said Fabre. “We’ll prepare for the Guineas – he is the right type, but he will go further and will get a mile and a quarter.”

There is a chance that Earthlight could even be an Epsom type, and his fourth dam, Exotic Treat produced an unbeaten Derby winner in the shape if Golden Fleece, which may be a little tenuous. His trainer is an exceptional judge of a colt, and the fact that Fabre believes that Earthlight is a middle-distance performer in the making should count for more than most expert opinions.

If anything counts against him, it’s his relative precocity, but that is rarely such an issue for the Guineas, and Fabre is enough of a sportsman to want to go head to head with Pinatubo should the opportunity arise. It’s to be hoped that Sheikh Mohammed and his closest advisors feel the same way.