Man O’ War Stakes (Grade 1)

YIBIR was sent off the odds-on favourite to pick up his third Grade 1 win in the US at Belmont last weekend but, despite a small field, there were reasons to take him on.

He had looked a bit laboured when beaten in the Jockey Club Stakes last time, this was a furlong shorter and he made things even more difficult as he walked out of the starting gate at least a five lengths behind his four rivals.

Despite quickly making up the ground off a slow early pace, (1m 17.60secs for the half mile) and moving into a challenging position before the final turn, he was unable to quicken past the leader, the former Paul Cole-trained Highland Chief. Gufo also finished ahead of him in their final efforts to take second.

Charlie Appleby put the blame on the track surface after rain early in the afternoon. “The turf was a little bit on the slower side of where he likes to hear his feet rattle. It blunted his acceleration slightly,” he said.

While the course may not have been to Yibir’s liking, it was fine for Mrs. Fitri Hay’s homebred Highland Chief, a five-year-old son of Gleneagles, taking the Grade 1 honours for trainer Graham Motion on his second US start.

Highland Chief raced second behind the pacesetting Abaan early. Leaving the two-furlong mark, McCarthy sent Highland Chief to the front and he maintained a length margin in the final furlong to give Trevor McCarthy his first Grade 1 after nearly 9,900 rides.

“He was very game today. He’s a funny horse in the morning and a little bit hard to read,” Motion told BloodHorse.

“He had won at Royal Ascot and had some back class but I can’t tell you that I knew he was this good.”

A return trip to Royal Ascot or the Manhattan Stakes at Belmont (June 11th) are the main possibilities for his next start.

“It was pretty special. To win it for Graham, who has given me so much support in my career. My father started riding for Graham and we got to be good friends with them and his family,” winning rider Trevor McCarthy said.

Appleby reported that Yibir will probably return to the US for the Sword Dancer Stakes at Saratoga (August 27th).

Peter Pan

The Grade 3 Peter Pan for three-year-olds ended the Belmont card and it provided an impressive winner as We The People raced to a 10-length victory in the traditional stepping stone race to the Belmont Stakes. The well-named son of Constitution trained by Rodolphe Brisset, was stepping up again from the disappointing seventh in the Arkansas Derby.

“The Belmont Stakes is a consideration for sure. The way he galloped out and the way he handled the mile and an eighth, it’s something to consider,” said Elliott Walden, racing manager of WinStar Farm said.

Opinions differed on the merit of the performance as it came over a sealed racetrack after rain.

We The People was one of two stakes wins on the card for Flavien Plat, he also won the Grade 3 Beaugay Stakes on turf with Peter Brant and Michael Tabor’s Rougir, winner last year of the Prix de l’Opera, for trainer Chad Brown.

Duggan strikes again

David and Lara Duggan enjoyed another Grade 3 success with stablestar Drafted at Belmont last weekend. David is from Birdhill, Co Tipperary, and Lara is the daughter of Susan and the late Willie Robinson on the Curragh.

Lara suffered a concussion about a month ago when she was unseated by Drafted during exercise. There were happier scenes on Saturday, however, when the eight-year-old gelding won the $150,000 Runhappy Stakes over six furlongs, his second Grade 3 win this year.

“There’s no malice in him,” David Duggan reported. “He’s a likeable rogue. We’ll leave everything open and try to stay away from Jackie’s Warrior and those horses.”

BREEDERS’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint winner Twilight Gleaming will likely join trainer Wesley Ward’s Royal Ascot-bound team after her front-running victory in the Mamzelle Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs.

In the Mamzelle, a five-furlong turf sprint for three-year-old fillies, the Irish-bred National Defense filly kicked clear in the straight and held on by a head over Devine Charger. Ward said: “We’ll talk things over, but I’d say sending her back to Royal Ascot would be a logical next step.”

THERE was no luck for Gordon Elliott or Davy Russell on their trip to Nashville last weekend when Burn The Evidence could only take second place in the Margaret Currey Henley Sport of Kings Filly & Mare Hurdle Stakes won by Down Royal for Bernard and Kate Dalton.

In the feature race of the meeting at Percy Warner Park, Russell teamed up with Keri Brion on Iranistan but they pulled up as the former top US jumper Snap Decision was triumphant again in the Grade 1 Calvin Houghland Iroquois Sport of Kings Hurdle Stakes over three miles.

The Graham Watters-ridden gelding beat the Nicky Henderson-trained Irish-bred Pistol Whipped by over seven lengths.