MARK Johnston’s decision to let Queen Mary winner Raffle Prize (Frankie Dettori) contest the Duchess of Cambridge Stakes despite having to carry a Group 2 penalty was fully justified as she proved too hard to catch for Albany Stakes winner Daahyeh, who was forced to challenge wide under David Egan as Dettori got first run on his rivals. The winner was never in serious danger.
Frankie Dettori reported afterwards that she was better suited to the longer trip which allowed her more time to find a rhythm, and he reckoned she had improved markedly since being beaten by the runner-up over six furlongs of the Rowley Mile on their debuts.
Not for the first time this week (nor the last), the winner smashed the track record in posting a time of 1m.09.09sec. Queen Mary third Final Song (Saeed bin Suroor/Ryan Moore) filled that position againn.
Mark Johnston reiterated Dettori’s assessment than the Group 1 Prix Morny should be the daughter of Kildangan Stud’s Slade Power’s next target given she now has two Group 2 wins to her name, and going for the Lowther under a penalty would achieve nothing new.
Prix Morny target
The Morny is open to colts but has been won by fillies in two of the last three years. For one of France’s main juvenile prizes, it’s also notable that it’s gone for export in all but one season since Divine Proportions scored for Pascal Bary and the Niarchos Family in 2004.
It’s worth remembering that Attraction also won this race for Mark Johnston carrying a penalty for the Queen Mary before going on to classic success in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket and the Curragh.
With Frankie fulsome in his praise and suggesting she possesses loads of scope, there’s no telling how far she might go.
York Friday
WHAT a difference a week makes. It was all doom and gloom when Too Darn Hot, Lord Lloyd-Webber’s great white hope, was damned by the faintest of praise when placed for the third time this season in the St James’s Palace Stakes, and there were plenty of doubters who were happy to suggest that last year’s champion juvenile was a busted flush.
Fast forward to Deauville on Sunday, and those doubters looked proper Jean Prats as he redeemed his reputation in style.
Then a few days later, another Ascot flop, Ed Walker’s Commonwealth Cup also-ran Royal Intervention showed herself to be a filly on the up by landing the Group 3 Summer Stakes at York under Paul Hanagan from Clive Cox’s favourite Shades Of Blue (Hollie Doyle), with the pair almost four lengths clear of Red Balloons (Richard Fahey/Barry McHugh).
Ambassador
The daughter of Exceed And Excel – owned in partnership with former US ambassador to the UK Will Farish – was clearly suited by the faster ground at York having been beaten at Ascot on the easy side of good.
She is very speedy, and while she obviously has her limitations at the highest level, she looked full value for this improved effort where hard luck stories were thin on the ground. Shades Of Blue held every chance and ran to the line, and Red Balloons travelled well to get onto the heels of the leaders from the rear, but couldn’t live with them when they quickened.
GAVIN Cromwell, successful with Lever Du Solieil over one mile, five furlongs at Ayr on Monday, turned his progressive gelding out quickly under a penalty, and he won hard held by 11 lengths at Catterick to make it a hat-trick of wins in Britain this month.
The son of Le Havre is in for a sharp rise in the weights, but it is fully justified as long as he’s kept to around two miles, which he relishes.