Woodbine

Ricoh Woodbine Mile (Grade 1)

CHARLIE Appleby has had a quieter season than normal with quite a few disappointments in the Godolphin yard but he won his second Grade 1 Woodbine Mile in a row last Saturday when Master Of The Seas ran out a dominant winner under William Buick.

The race may have been a little light on quality but there was no mistaking the winner’s superiority when he hit the front and ran away to a three and a three-quarter length success.

The winning odds-on favourite, who finished second in the 2000 Guineas two years ago, earns a fees-paid place for the Breeders’ Cup Mile, where last year’s Woodbine winner Modern Games followed up. He is currently around 8/1 for that race, behind Paddington, Tahiyra and Inspiral.

It looked almost like a replay from a year earlier as the gelded five-year-old son of Dubawi came charging down the stretch to go clear. Second placed Shirl’s Speight, second to Modern Games both here and in the Breeders’ Cup last year, is also Santa Anita bound.

Master Of The Seas was runner-up, beaten just a nose by Poetic Flare, in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket two years ago and came into this race after an impressive victory in the Group 2 Summer Mile Stakes at Ascot on July 15th.

Master Of The Seas was last out of the gate and trailed his five rivals early. Buick allowed him to find his stride and pushed the button at the top of the straight with impressive results. Shirl’s Speight edged Lucky Score for second.

Buick said: “He usually breaks pretty fast. For one reason or another, he really didn’t today but there weren’t that many runners and the pace was even throughout without being crazy and it’s a big, fair track and he’s a horse with a turn of foot. So it was my job to kind of navigate a trouble-free passage for him.”

Buick added: “He’s pretty high maintenance but the boys at home have done a great job and I thought today he was much more the finished article. When he won at Ascot the last time, you sort of sensed he was showing his best and back to his best form.”

Appleby’s assistant at the track, Alex Merriam, echoed his rider’s sentiments: “They went nice even fractions all the way around and I thought he had a pretty smooth trip.

“He’s very lightly raced and he’s not the most straightforward but he’s come over here and done a great job. He’s been very relaxed over here and he’s travelled well and I think you’ve seen the result of that.

“He’ll ship home and then see how he comes out of the race and I’m sure Charlie will make a call about the Breeders’ Cup when the time comes.”

Roger Attfield was pleased with his runner-up who had travelled to Japan and Meydan earlier in the season. “Then he came back and got sick and was in the clinic for a week. Then he got fat on me,” he said.

There were two Grade 1 two-year-old contests on the card and Appelby and Godolphin also provided the favourite in the Grade 1 for juvenile fillies in the Natalma Stakes. Dazzling Star could only finish third, however, six and three quarter lengths behind the winner, as trainer Cherie de Vaux recorded the first Grade 1 victory of her career when She Feels Pretty rallied in the straight to win by four and a quarter lengths from outsider Simply In Front.

In the colts’ Grade 1 Summer Stakes jockey Dylan Davis and Carson’s Run surged past front-running My Boy Prince to post a two and a quarter-length victory.

Carson’s Run - by Cupid, who was siring his first Grade 1 winner - was landing his first stakes win for Christophe Clement and owners West Point Thoroughbreds and Steven Bouchey.