Newmarket Saturday
BetMGM Sun Chariot Stakes (Group 1)
FALLEN Angel (Karl Burke/James Doyle) looked at least as good as ever as she bagged a fifth career Group 1 in the Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.
Easy to back at 11/4, the daughter of Too Darn Hot made virtually all, shrugging aside the persistent challenge of Blue Bolt (Andrew Balding/Colin Keane) to win by two and a quarter lengths.
The front pair dominated from an early stage and pulled four and a half lengths clear of favourite Cinderella’s Dream (Charlie Appleby/William Buick) in third. The course was lashed by wind, but it was generally at the runners’ tails and aided the first two. Fallen Angel is likely to head to the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot next, but it will be much harder for her to repeat such smash-and-grab tactics at that stiffer track. Despite such concerns, the winner was cut to 4/1 for the Ascot event.
Remain in training
Winner of the Matron Stakes on her previous run, Fallen Angel was matching a feat achieved by the Burke-trained Laurens in 2018, and her trainer suggested that the Wathnan Racing-owned four-year-old would remain in training next season.
Burke, who went on to saddle a double on the card for Wathnan when Native Warrior landed the BetMGM Challenge Cup, said: “She is a superstar. Apparently, the fractions were very quick, and it is tough conditions out there, but she is very tough.
“I watched it, and when the Juddmonte horse came to us, I knew it would only help us. James hadn’t gone for his stick until the final furlong, and I knew she would find as she always does. She is a brilliant filly.
“I think it probably is one of her best displays. You take the second out, and she is a long way clear of some nice fillies. She is hard and very tough. I just said to Charlie Appleby that I would love to try over a mile and a quarter and a mile one again as she should be staying those trips, but she does like to get on with it, but that is a nice problem to have.
“I would say if she comes out of the race well there is no reason why we wouldn’t turn up at Ascot in two weeks. I’m told if she finishes the season sound then she stays in training next year, which is fantastic.”
Ascot Saturday
Al Qareem makes history
THE Group 3 Cumberland Lodge Stakes was billed as a clash between 2022 winner Hamish (William Haggas/Cieren Fallon) and Al Qareem (Karl Burke/Clifford Lee), hero of the 2023 and 2024 renewals, but the head-to-head didn’t materialise, with Hamish just failing to hold stablemate Tenability (Danny Muscutt) for second after Al Qareem was allowed to post an impressive six-length win and take his place in the history books as the first-ever three-time winner of the autumn feature.
Karl Burke’s stable stalwart - the 9/4 second favourite - has now gained 12 wins in 34 career starts, and over £700,000 in prize money for the Nick Bradley Racing syndicate which has owned him throughout.
The only time he’s been unplaced in 17 starts at Listed/Group 3 level was in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood as a two-year-old, and he has never once failed to give his running since an abortive trip to Dubai in the early months of 2023.
Al Qareem typically led from shortly after the start and, although Fallon’s move to slipstream the winner as he made for home into a headwind looked dangerous briefly, Al Qareem ended up pulling away to win with some comfort, looking as good as ever in the process.
Burke said: “He put up a fantastic, tough performance. We know he’s a brave horse and he went hard.
“I said to Clifford don’t be afraid to go hard, especially out of Swinley Bottom, as he could nick a few lengths and get the others at it because all he does is keep galloping.
“You can do that over a mile and a half on soft ground and whereas one mile six is probably his true trip, anything above that he just runs out of stamina.
“He’s a great warrior and it’s a great result.”
SHAGRAAN (Mick Appleby/Kieran Shoemark) gained a second listed prize when repelling all challengers in the Rous Stakes at Ascot on Saturday. The four-year-old gelding won the Listed Beverley Bullet Sprint Stakes in August and improved again when second in the Group 3 World Trophy Stakes at Newbury.
Sent off a well-supported 3/1 chance, the son of Sioux Nation raced prominently before taking up the running a furlong home and running on gamely to win by a neck from Beautiful Diamond (Karl Burke/Clifford Lee), with Getreadytorumble (Jack Channon/George Bass) third, a length behind the winner.
Appleby believes Shagraan will be better again next year, saying: “Shagraan is improving all the time. He’s still growing and filling out, and I think he’ll be even better next year. We’ll put him away now and look to next spring. He loves his racing and hopefully next year he’ll be a Group horse. Kieran gave him a great ride - he’s not ridden many for me before, but he did exactly as we told him, and it was a great job.”
Annaf for Appleby
Mick Appleby enjoyed a productive day at Ascot, with Annaf (Danny Muscutt) adding to Shagraan’s success by winning the Group 3 Bengough Stakes.
The 7/2 shot made rapid headway from the rear to hit the front over a furlong out and then held the late thrust of the unlucky Apollo One (Peter Charalambous and James Clutterbuck/Paul Mulrennan) to win by a short head, the pair a length and a half clear of Tiger Bay (Henry Candy/Joe Leavy) in third. “It was great to see him come back to form,” said Appleby. “We’ll see where we go with him next. I think these days he’s better with a bit of cut in the ground.
“Now he’s done that and come back to form, we might look at the Saudi race [1351 Turf Sprint] that he won a couple of years ago, it’s very valuable.” The meeting started with the Listed October Stakes over seven furlongs, in which 9/2 shot Cajole (John and Thady Gosden/Tyler Heard) fended off the strong challenge of Dash Of Azure (Ralph Beckett/Eddie Greatrex).
Redcar Saturday
THE Listed Two-Year-Old Trophy - Redcar’s richest race - saw Ardisia (Hugo Palmer/Oisin Orr) cap a busy season with a career-best effort, the 7/1 chance gaining a fifth career success in beating Golden Brown (Ed Walker/Aidan Keeley) by half a length, with Argentine Tango (Tim Easterby/Duran Fentiman) another three-parts of a length behind in third. The field typically worked towards the far rail in the six-furlong contest and Ardisia was better than the bare result, having been drawn on the outside of the 15-runner field.