Newmarket Saturday
Darley Dewhurst Stakes (Group 1)
MIDDLE Park Stakes winner Shadow Of Light (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) took advantage of the absence of favourite The Lion In Winter to follow up in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes, emulating U S Navy Flag (2017) and Diesis (1982) as the only colts to have achieved that particular double since WWI.
The field of five split into two groups, making for a less-than-satisfactory contest, with Shadow Of Light tracking Seagulls Eleven on the far side of the track while Expanded (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) edged gradually to the stands rail where he was chased by Ancient Truth (Charlie Appleby/James Doyle).
With two furlongs left, the pair nearest the stands had a clear advantage, with Ancient Truth edging ahead, but never able to shake off Expanded. That pair battled for supremacy, but Buick sensibly edged the evens favourite closer to them, and Shadow Of Light joined Expanded just as that colt had regained the lead inside the last furlong. All three kept on gamely, with Shadow Of Light getting up in the last few strides to prevail by a neck over Expanded, with Ancient Truth the same margin back in third.
This result throws up a few questions, not least whether Shadow Of Light will now be campaigned for the Guineas as now seems likely, for all connections were pretty adamant that he was a sprinter after the Middle Park. U S Navy Flag proved best at sprint trips after completing the Middle Park/Dewhurst double, taking the July Cup in 2018.
Expanded ran an extraordinary race to finish a close second just a week after his racecourse debut at the Curragh and must be a top-class prospect if such a hard race at this juncture doesn’t leave a mark. He was notably green when winning at the Curragh and his mental development since that victory was remarkable, needing a robust attitude to make the running and battle back to the lead when headed, for all he lost the race, while Ancient Truth also deserves credit for briefly looking the likeliest winner on his first outing since landing the Superlative Stakes at the July meeting.
Lead Artist scores for classic generation
THERE was only one three-year-old in the field for the Group 3 Darley Stakes, and Lead Artist (John and Thady Gosden/Kieran Shoemark) defended the honour of the classic crop by beating Cambridgeshire winner Liberty Lane (Karl Burke/Clifford Lee) by a length and a half under an enterprising ride.
Liberty Lane tracked leader Al Mubhir travelling well, but it was Shoemark who made the first move, rousting 3/1 second favourite Lead Artist up to take the lead two furlongs out and stealing a march on his market rival before repelling his renewed effort.
Lead Artist seemed to relish the step up to nine furlongs here, seeing the trip out well having finished second to Kinross over seven furlongs in Doncaster’s Park Stakes on his previous outing.
The winner’s stablemate Peace Man (Rab Havlin) shaped well on his belated return, faring best of the others, but almost four lengths adrift of Lead Artist at the post.
“He’s done everything right,” said John Gosden.
“He came second to a very good horse, who is a multiple Group 1 winner, at Doncaster last time.
“He’s done it well; he’s beaten the Cambridgeshire winner, and it was a solid race.
“The ground was slightly on the testing side, but it was good and for this time of year we’re lucky to have it.”
Starz extends Ralph Beckett’s golden run
THE Group 3 Zetland Stakes over 10 furlongs is always a tough test for a juvenile, and it produced a taking winner in the shape of Starzintheireyes (Ralph Beckett/Rossa Ryan), who lengthened impressively to take victory by a length from Green Storm (Charlie Johnston/Oisin Murphy), with favourite Shackleton (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) third, thjree and a quarter lengths behind th runner-up. This made it two wins in three starts for Starzintheireyes, and his only defeat came when beaten by Solario Stakes winner Field of Gold on racecourse bow.
Green Storm set his stall out early, making a bid for home with over three furlongs left and getting most of his rivals in trouble, but while Starzintheireyes couldn’t quicken immediately, he devoured the ground when finding full stride and ultimately outstayed the runner-up as the pair pulled clear. The winning rider was still showing the signs of a prior clash of heads with Starzintheireyes which required a plaster under his right eye, but that incident was quickly forgotten.
“What happened in the week was one of those freak accidents, but he has duly obliged today. I knew he would get lost coming down the hill and the day he won at Leicester it took him forever to organise himself. He’s still learning and was a bit gassy to post, so I took it upon myself to drop him in today, just to get him to relax early, which he did well.
“They went a good honest gallop the whole way and, on this ground, I knew he would outbattle everything, I just needed to organise him, hence the sitting into him a little bit earlier than everyone else.
“He’s a big galloping horse. I would say this sort of ground and worse are his conditions and he’s going to grow up an awful lot from two to three, I think. Physically, he’s all there, but mentally it’s coming slowly.”
Delacroix proves determined
THERE aren’t many juvenile pattern races in Britain that have eluded Aidan O’Brien, and he belatedly added the Autumn Stakes to the races he’s plundered when Delacroix (Ryan Moore) got the better of a sustained duel with Stanhope Gardens (Ralph Beckett/Rossa Ryan) in the Group 3 contest.
Stanhope Gardens was bidding to give Beckett, Ryan and owner Marc Chan a double on the day after Starzintheireyes had taken the Zetland Stakes, and he looked the likeliest winner when ranging alongside 15/8 favourite Delacroix a quarter of a mile out, but the latter proved most willing when challenged, and kept pulling out extra to prevail by a neck, with the pair four lengths clear of Nightwalker (Sir Michael Stoute/Richard Kingscote) in third.
The winner could appear again in the Futurity Stakes at Doncaster according to his trainer.
“He got a bump early which just unnerved him a little bit,” said O’Brien. “He’s progressive and that’s why we are keeping him busy, and Ryan was much happier with him today. He’s a tough, hardy horse who looks like he’s going to get middle-distances next year.”
OISIN Murphy gained his 200th British winner of the year at Goodwood on Sunday, the second time he has broken through the 200 barrier for a domestic season and the first since 2019. Murphy gained his landmark win aboard Qetaifan in a restricted novice contest, although he had to sweat through a stewards’ enquiry before victory was confirmed.
Murphy will be focused on his group race rides at Ascot on Saturday, where he will be crowned Champion Jockey, but he will also be aware that his previous highest total was 220 winners in 2019, and he will be keen to beat that total before his thoughts switch to the lucrative international circuit.