York Wednesday
Juddmonte International Stakes (Group 1)
THE feature race on day one of York’s historic Ebor Festival was the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes, in which the expected duel between Ombudsman (John and Thady Gosden/William Buick) and Constitution River (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) failed to materialise, with Juddmonte’s own Item (Andrew Balding/Colin Keane) arriving late to deny Almaqam (Ed Walker/Kieran Shoemark) by a head at odds of 10/1.
Hawk Mountain cut out the running, with Constitution River racing keenly in close attendance, while Ombudsman was anchored towards the rear on the inside.
As the front-runner folded in the straight, Constitution River briefly committed for home, but Almaqam swept by and looked to have made the decisive move until Item, belatedly finding room after meeting traffic, finished best of all to get up in the final stride.
Constitution River was three and a half lengths back in third, with Ombudsman only fourth having endured a troubled run, but unable to produce the turn of foot that had carried him to victory in the race 12 months earlier.
Only blemish
Item had already won the Dante and the SkyBet York Stakes over the same course and distance this season, his only blemish coming in the Derby when conditions at Epsom counted against him.
He was again forced to show toughness here, having been short of room in the straight before Colin Keane switched him out and asked him to chase down Almaqam, who had looked home for all money and traded at the minimum price on the exchanges.
Balding admitted afterwards that Item had not been certain to make the journey north after a late scare, saying: “Everything had gone great up until about declaration time and we had a little hiccup there with his feet.
“Thankfully, everyone who looks after him has worked overtime to get it right, and happily it was a 5am decision that he got on the box to come up here. I’m very relieved.” As for future targets, connections were understandably in no rush to commit, although the manner in which Item finished his race, allied to Balding’s view that he would have no problem staying a mile and a half, opens up several enticing autumn options, including the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland.
Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes (Group 2)
MALTESE Cross (William Haggas/Tom Marquand) reversed Derby form with Christmas Day (Aidan O’Brien/Ryan Moore) and defied a 5lb penalty for his Grand Prix de Paris success to land the Group 2 Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes in impressive fashion, returning at an SP of 9/4.
The Aidan O’Brien trio ensured there was no dawdle, with Antigua sent on before Christmas Day made the first serious move, but Maltese Cross travelled strongly just behind the pace and was quickly alongside when Marquand asked him to lengthen.
He hit the front two furlongs out and kept finding enough to beat Pierre Bonnard (Aidan O’Brien/Wayne Lordan) by two lengths, with Christmas Day a further two and a quarter lengths away in third.
The winner was runner-up to Christmas Day at Epsom when the ground was soft, but has clearly progressed further since, and the way he travelled before putting the race to bed marked him down as a colt still on the upgrade.
Group 1 performance
It was also no small effort to concede weight to several smart rivals, and Haggas was entitled to describe the run as a Group 1 performance.
The obvious question now is whether Maltese Cross heads to Doncaster for the St Leger or whether connections are tempted by the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, for which he has an appealing profile as a progressive three-year-old with proven course and distance form.
“He clearly stays very well and the St Leger is a prestigious race in its own right,” responded Haggas when asked.
“So let’s not be hasty and make decisions today. He did very well today - I think that was probably a career best. He showed a nice turn of foot in Paris last time that we didn’t think he had. All options are open.”
THE Aidan O’Brien-trained Haffner gained compensation for his narrow Vintage Stakes defeat at Goodwood, when running out a comfortable winner of the Tattersalls Acomb Stakes under Ryan Moore at odds of 11/8 favourite.
Stardom Glory helped force the pace before Vega King took over, but Haffner was always close enough from his wide draw and moved up smoothly to challenge inside the final two furlongs.
Gentle Hurricane (Andrew Balding/Oisin Murphy) travelled well and gave chase, but Haffner found plenty once Ryan Moore got serious and stretched two lengths clear, with Trean (Paddy Twomey/Billy Lee) another half-length back in third.
The winner, a son of Justify, still looked to be learning on the job when second at Goodwood, but he was more professional here and suggested that a mile will be well within his range. With races like the Futurity and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf potentially on his radar before a tilt at the 2027 Classics.
O’Brien told Racing TV: “He ran a lovely race in Goodwood. Ryan thought he was a little bit babyish, little bit green, that he would improve.
“He’s a very good mover, so we thought the ground, the quicker the better for him but Ryan said he had no problem, he handled it well; he thought it was good to soft, a little bit more soft than good.
“Every week that goes by he will get better. He’s a typical Justify, they very rarely relent when they get to the front. A big long stride and the stride doesn’t shorten and that’s the way he is. Ryan said he was a little bit slow away, but he gave him a chance, then when he asked him, he said he really quickened, he said he got there a little bit earlier than he wanted, but he kept going well.
“He’s a very sound horse and we always think those horses, after five battles at two, it stands them in great stead as three-year-olds, it makes them tough and hard and to win classics, they have to be tough and they have to know what they’re doing and used to being in competitive races.
“This horse will have no problem going to a Breeders’ Cup Mile, a Futurity Trophy, a National Stakes or Dewhurst, because he cruises up there and keeps going. He has a lot of roads he can go.”
Irish winner
It wouldn’t be a big UK Festival meeting without a winner for Dylan Browne McMonagle and Joseph O’Brien and Small Fry did the job in the justifying 2/1 favouritism in the Sky Bet Stayers Handicap (Heritage Handicap) over two miles and half a furlong. The son of Harzand led over a furlong out and went clear, idled and reduced his lead inside the final furlong, as Mountain Road closed the gap to a length. The winner has entries in the big stayers races in Australian this autumn.