Sandown Saturday
THE feature race at Sandown last Saturday was the Group 3 Atalanta Stakes, which saw the downgraded Tamfana (David Menuisier/Oisin Murphy) justify 13/8 favouritism by beating Doha (Ralph Beckett/Hector Crouch) by two and three-quarter lengths.
The winner, in the frame in the 1000 Guineas and Prix de Diane in the spring, was dropping back to a mile after finishing fourth in the Grand Prix de Paris, and while the trip was a worry on paper, she had no difficulty in cutting back in distance, and won with authority.
“I’m absolutely delighted and she has done it with style, which was what we were expecting to see really,” said Menuisier. “She was in need of the run, and without being cheeky, that is how she should have won the race - the form was there.
“She is entered in the Sun Chariot and the Prix de L’Opéra, so we have the choice, we won’t make the call right now. She is versatile and she is not ground dependent – you can run her on good, quick, heavy, all-weather. We haven’t tried dirt!”
John Gosden has been the dominant training force in the recent history of the Solario Stakes and – although now training on the same licence as son Thady – he saddled his seventh winner of the Group 3 event in the shape of Field Of Gold (Kieran Shoemark), who quickened smartly when asked to beat Matauri Bay (Ralph Beckett/Hector Crouch) by three-quarters of a length.
The winner was returned at 5/4 favourite and was following up an impressive maiden win at Newmarket.
The Juddmonte homebred may target Group 1 glory in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket or wait for the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on Arc weekend, as Juddmonte Europe representative Barry Mahon explained after the Solario.
“I think there’s three options – the Royal Lodge, the Dewhurst and the Lagardere,” said Mahon.
“We haven’t made a decision, and we’ll see how the horse comes out of it and sit down with the owners in a week’s time, but it will be one of them three, I would imagine.”
Chester Saturday
THE 2023 Ebor hero Absurde (Willie Mullins/Danny Tudhope) got back on track after a rare poor run in the Irish St Leger Trial when landing the Listed Chester Stakes on Saturday.
The gelding put himself firmly in the picture for another tilt at the Melbourne Cup as he beat race favourite Caius Chorister (David Menuisier/James Doyle) by a length and a quarter, Tudhope getting a dream run when the pace-setting Enemy drifted off the inner on the home turn.
LAST Saturday’s Beverley Bullet produced a finish of noses, with front-running 8/1 shot Democracy Dilemma (Robert Cowell/Tom Eaves) just withholding the late flourish of Albasheer (Archie Watson/Hollie Doyle).
Hollie Doyle may have been miffed to miss out there but reached a significant landmark when riding her 1,000th career winner at Goodwood on Tuesday aboard Leyhaimuir for David Simcock.
Having ridden her first winner in 2013, she has carried the banner for female riders in Britain, and her victory aboard Bradsell in the Nunthorpe at York last month was her ninth win at the highest level in Europe.
As well as Absurde at Chester, there were Irish trained winners at both Lingfield on Saturday, where Peter McCreery’s Make Clear won a fillies’ handicap on the Polytrack under Dale Swift, and at Worcester on Sunday, where Brilliant Light took the maiden hurdle for Shark and Paddy Hanlon.