KEENELAND PHOENIX

STAKES (GROUP 1)

A 21-YEAR barren spell for English raiders in Europe’s first Group 1 of the year for two-year-olds finally came to an end as Advertise confirmed his status as one of the star juveniles of 2018.

Before last Sunday, Princely Heir was the last raider to land this prize, when it was run over Leopardstown’s now defunct sprint track, but there was a certain air of inevitability that this year’s edition would be going for export.

Advertise came here with cast iron claims having followed up his fine second in the Coventry Stakes with a smooth win in the Group 2 July Stakes at Newmarket.

Aidan O’Brien fielded three challengers headed by Sergei Prokofiev who was just a neck behind Advertise in the Coventy. However, the leading Ballydoyle hope finished at the rear of the field having raced much too freely.

STRAIGHTFORWARD

Advertise was able to deal with the filly So Perfect and the pace-setting The Irish Rover. The five-runner race was a straightforward one for the Frankie Dettori-ridden and Phoenix Thoroughbreds-owned winner who headed the market at 11/10.

Advertise was able to track The Irish Rover from early and, although he was being niggled long early enough, there was never cause for concern.

Advertise responded to Dettori’s promptings to edge ahead of The Irish Rover inside the last quarter of a mile. The last-named stuck to his task and So Perfect finished off well over the course of the last furlong. Hard as they tried though, this Ballydoyle duo couldn’t match Advertise. Martyn Meade’s representative finished with half a length to spare over So Perfect, with The Irish Rover the same distance back in third.

“That’s fantastic. I was quite bullish about him beforehand and thankfully it’s paid off. No matter how much faith you have in a horse you can never be certain but he’s done it well,” said Meade. “I would say that now he will step up to seven furlongs. I don’t like to overdo it with them at two and he’s been busy enough lately so we might just give him a break and then bring him back and prepare him for the Dewhurst.

“I suppose we did come here with a degree of trepidation but the race went well for him, then again good horses have a habit of making things look straightforward. After he won at Newmarket Frankie got off him and said that you can go wherever you want with him so we’ve come here and he’s won his Group 1 which is great.”

Dettori, who won the race on Pips Pride all the way back in 1992, added: “I was surprised that there wasn’t more pace so I had to ride him more forward than I did at Newmarket. I knew he stays well so I kicked pretty early.

“I got a little bit of a fright when the others were challenging me but he still had plenty left. He probably needs to step up to seven.

“He has got a great temperament and he really wants to do it for you.”