Goodwood Saturday/Sunday
THE feature race of the weekend was the Group 2 Celebration Mile, and victory went the way of Amanda Perrett’s Lavender’s Blue, who proved better than ever under ideal conditions to spring a surprise at 20/1 in the hands of Rob Hornby.
Owned by Benny Andersson of ABBA fame, the five-year-old mare gained the biggest win of her career as she nabbed the luckless Benbatl (Saeed Bin Suroor/Oisin Murphy) right on the line.
The runner-up was in the stalls a long time on his first start for nearly a year, and reared as they opened, losing his chance to dominate.
He was soon chasing the leaders, before making rapid progress to lead a furlong out, but he had no extra when tackled by the winner, and is likely to have won had he broken on terms. The pair were two lengths clear of Pogo (Charlie Hills/Kieran Shoemark) in third.
Lavender’s Blue was gaining a fourth career success, adding to her win previous Group win in the Atalanta Stakes at Sandown in 2019, and she has been keeping very good company against her own sex for some time. She had the run of the race here, but knuckled down to the task well, and while she will no doubt be up against it in Group 1 company next time, this was a fine achievement for a well-bred mare who will join Andersson’s select band of broodmares with wins in listed, Group 3 and Group 2 company to make her resumé appear pretty impressive.
If she can follow up in either the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown or the Sun Chariot, then her page will look better still.
Trainer’s husband Mark Perrett suggested that the Newmarket race was the favoured option, while Saeed Bin Suroor nominated the Group 2 Joel Stakes at Newmarket as Benbatl’s next target.
King on Cesarewitch trail
Mark Johnston won the Group 3 March Stakes in 2019 with St Leger runner-up Sir Ron Priestley, and last year with subsequent Gold Cup winner Subjectivist, so it was apt that he should take the latest renewal courtesy of Dancing King, who typically made all and hung on grimly to deny the persistent challenge of odds-on favourite Nagano (Roger Varian/David Egan) by a head, with the pair pulling 20 lengths clear in a race lacking depth.
The winner, a son of Free Eagle, who was just touched off in a listed race at Chester a week before, was returned the 100/30 second choice in the market.
The March Stakes has been a good pointer to the St Leger of late, but Dancing King is not entered at Doncaster, and the winning trainer suggested that the Cesarewitch was very much the aim. He incurs a 4lb penalty for that early-closing race, compared to the 3lb the handicapper has raised him, for what it’s worth.
Prestige Stakes
All of Goodwood’s pattern contests on Saturday produced very close finishes, and you could say the stage was set in the first of them when Oisin Murphy and 7/1 shot Mise En Scene swooped very late to deny favourite Daneh (Simon & Ed Crisford/ by a neck in the Group 3 Prestige Stakes, thereby providing trainer James Ferguson with his first pattern winner, adding to the listed prize won by Zoetic last year.
Tucked away just behind the pace, Murphy saved ground and energy on the winner before sending her in pursuit of Daneh inside the last furlong. She got to the front close home to win by a neck with Prosperous Voyage (Ralph Beckett/Rob Hornby) a further one and a half lengths back in third.
Improved
The winner was maintaining an unbeaten record, having won a Haydock novice by four lengths on her debut, and she had clearly improved markedly for that experience, while the runner-up was a slightly unlucky third in the Group 3 Prix Six Perfections at Deauville on her previous outing, and was confirming the merit of that form here, for all she had every chance this time.
Mise En Scene comes from the family of Pam Sly’s 1000 Guineas winner Speciosa and Champion Stakes winner Pride, so she looks sure to stay further, and Ferguson mooted the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket next month as a likely target.
THE most impressive winner over the two days at Goodwood was Toro Strike (Richard Fahey/Ryan Moore), and the 7/2 second-favourite was two lengths too strong for the game Double Or Bubble (Chris Wall/Jack Mitchell) in the Group 3 Supreme Stakes, winning with a bit to spare and in a new course record.
Rhoscolyn (David O’Meara/Danny Tudhope) ran creditably to be third, beaten three and three-quarter lengths in total.
Hollie Doyle and Mehmento set a strong gallop, and Moore was happy to sit off the leaders before pouncing late. It could be argued that the margin flatters him given how well-run the race was, but he did it nicely, and again showed how well Goodwood suits having won a competitive handicap at the Glorious Meeting last year before finishing a close second in this corresponding event.
Toro Strike has come up short when tried in better company before, and will almost certainly be meeting several higher-rated rivals should he take up his entry in the Group 2 Park Stakes at Doncaster next weekend, but he can’t be ruled out if the going remains fast, which clearly suits him.
Double Or Bubble won a listed race over six furlongs at Pontefract prior to this, and saw things out well given she raced closer to the pace than the winner. This was a good performance in the circumstances, and she should soon pick up a Group 3 against her own sex on this evidence.