Sandown Friday

WALDKONIG (John and Thady Gosden/Frankie Dettori) announced himself as capable of fulfilling his immense early potential by taking the Group 3 Bet 365 Gordon Richards Stakes. He tackled early leader Extra Elusive (Roger Charlton/Hollie Doyle) over a furlong out, and held the late challenge of veteran Desert Encounter (David Simcock/Andrea Atzeni) by a comfortable one and a quarter lengths, with the third another two and a half lengths away in a race where the field finished well spread out. The winner, who was arriving on the back of a handicap win at Pontefract, was returned favourite at 6/4.

Sir Michael Stoute’s fancied Highest Ground was a disappointing sixth having held every chance.

Arc winner

As a Kingman half-brother to the Arc winner Waldgeist, Waldkonig looked a very interesting prospect when making his debut at Wolverhampton in December 2019, and huge things were predicted after he won that by a wide margin, so he was a tad disappointing as a three-year-old, failing to win in two starts.

Going down to subsequent Prix du Jockey Club winner Mishriff on his return was a much better effort than was credited at the time, and he was comprehensively reversing form with Highest Ground here, having finished second to that rival on his only subsequent three-year-old outing at Haydock.

The winner could go to Royal Ascot for the Prince of Wales’s Stakes, while Gosden senior suggested he would likely be back for the Eclipse Stakes in July, and that a step up to a mile and a half was also a possibility in the summer.

He needs to improve to win at Group 1 level, but he has apparently progressed past a couple who were higher rated last season, and he comes from a family which tends to take time to mature, as shown by his illustrious half-brother, who produced his best effort on his final start as a five-year-old famously to dethrone Enable at ParisLongchamp in 2019.

PALACE Pier (John and Thady Gosden/Frankie Dettori) entered his four-year-old campaign as Timeform’s highest rated older horse in Europe, and he produced a performance out of the top drawer to justify his lofty rating, the 2/5 favourite proving as dominant in the race as in the betting in winning the Group 2 Sandown Mile as he pleased.

Taking over from Khuzaam when the latter weakened at the top of the straight, Palace Pier needed to be woken up by Dettori, but he stretched out well inside the last to put a yawning eight lengths between himself and Bless Him (David Simcock/Jamie Spencer) at the line, and the runner-up in turn was four and a half lengths ahead of Happy Power.

With the second favourite beaten almost 25 lengths, it’s clear that Palace Pier was facing an easier task than he might have, but the margins involved are proof enough that he has trained on well, and he did so despite showing signs of ring-rust. He will be a huge player in all the top mile races through the season.

Frankel’s sister

Dettori and the Gosdens would have been hopeful of a treble with Frankel’s full-sister Chiasma in the fillies’ novice, but the newcomer had to settle for third behind the experienced Nash Nasha.

She has the look of her dam (Kind) and brother about her, and she showed plenty, arriving with every chance a furlong out, but simply lacking the know-how to go past, and will improve markedly for the experience.

Alenquer outbattles boys in blue

CHARLIE Appleby had to settle for minor medals in the Group 3 Sandown Classic Trial, as the William Haggas-trained Alenquer (Tom Marquand) withstood the challenges of Adayar (James Doyle) and Yibir (William Buick) to run out a game winner at 25/1. The distances were half a length and a neck, and the front three came clear of 7/2 favourite Lone Eagle.

Once again, German breeding came to the fore, and while Alenquer carries the (FR) suffix, he is very much made in Germany, being by Deutsches Derby winner Adlerflug out of an Areion mare. He was positively ridden, and got involved with a protracted duel with Yibir which was only decided in the final yards. That pair deserve extra credit for committing so far out, and Adayar made relentless progress from midfield in the straight, but couldn’t quite get to grips with the winner.

Alenquer was second in the Listed Ascendant Stakes at Haydock on his second two-year-old outing having won a Newbury maiden on his debut. The going was supposedly on the quick side for this race, but the race times had made it clear at this stage that the going was no quicker than good, probably on the easy side of that, which suits the winner, who isn’t in the Derby, but does have an entry in the Dante Stakes at York.

THE jumps season finishes at Sandown this weekend, and the championships for trainer and jockey have already been decided, with Harry Skelton and Paul Nicholls booked to pick up their trophies on Saturday.

Skelton had been involved in an intriguing duel with last season’s champion Brian Hughes, but weight of numbers told in the last couple of weeks, with Hughes accepting defeat at Perth. Nicholls may have been largely eclipsed at Cheltenham in March but he will end 2020/21 with his highest ever total of winners, and with Nicky Henderson enduring a frustrating season, this particular prize has been earmarked for the Ditcheat sideboard for some time.