Newmarket Saturday

Darley Dewhurst Stakes (Group 1)

CHALDEAN (Andrew Balding/Frankie Dettori) made most of the running despite a sluggish start to land the Group 1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket last Saturday, holding on gamely to withstand the late thrust of Royal Scotsman (Paul & Oliver Cole/Jim Crowley) by a head, with Nostrum (Sir Michael Stoute/Richard Kingscote) – who shared favouritism with the winner at 5/2 – beaten by another two and a quarter lengths in third having looked a big threat running into the dip.

The first and third raced in the Juddmonte colours of the late Khalid Abdullah, with Dettori sporting the lesser-sighted green cap.

Chaldean, a son of 2010 Dewhurst winner Frankel, missed the start slightly with Royal Scotsman breaking best from the stalls, but with that colt soon restrained and no-one else keen to lead, Dettori was able to get to the front without expending too much energy, and that proved crucial given he was all-out to hold on at the line.

This was a first Dewhurst win for Balding, whose father Ian took the race three times: Silly Season (1964) winning in his first season, with the great Mill Reef (1970) adding a second almost two decades before Dashing Blade scored in 1989.

Praise

Balding Jr was full of praise for horse and jockey in the aftermath of this landmark success, saying: “Frankie has given him a fantastic ride and all credit to him. Frankie is the reason we came here because after Doncaster he was adamant this was the race for him. He’s played his part massively.

“The horse has won a nice collection of races and the nice thing is he’s so relaxed, he should go on next year and certainly stay a mile, so we have a lot to look forward to.

“The Dewhurst is an amazing race to win – it’s the most important two-year-old race of the year.

“This is our first season training for Juddmonte, and I think this horse was the first one in. It’s a huge privilege when you get sent horses like him by the stallions, they have access to – it’s a dream.”

FRANKIE Dettori was on cloud nine after winning the Dewhurst on Chaldean, but his day started less auspiciously after a fall in the Group 3 Zetland Stakes won by 10/11 favourite Flying Honours (Charlie Appleby/Will Buick) by a length from Blanchland (Jane Chapple-Hyam/Adam Kirby), with long-time leader Dear My Friend (Charlie & Mark Johnston/Richard Kingscote) weakening after being headed a furlong out to be beaten by four and a half lengths into third.

Dettori’s mount Liftoff fell after clipping heels three furlongs out, but that filly and her rider both escaped injury in a nasty incident.

Flying Honours was beaten in a messy Royal Lodge on his previous start, but had impressed with a couple of wide-margin wins prior to that and was back to form with this success which proved his stamina for a mile and a quarter.

The colt who really relished the test, however, was Blanchland, who looked well beaten half a mile from home when dropping to the rear of the field but picked up well when meeting the rising ground and gave the winner something to think about.

“We weren’t sure whether to run him or put him away for the winter but I’m glad we have run him” said Charlie Appleby of the winner.

“He has grown up again since that last run and we can put him to bed for the winter now on the back of getting his head back in front and looking towards those Derby trials in the spring.”

Knott for stopping

There was a familiar theme playing out in the Group 3 Autumn Stakes over a mile, with Charlie Appleby’s Silver Knott (Will Buick) bouncing back from a disappointing effort when odds-on to beat Chaldean in the Champagne Stakes.

The son of Lope de Vega was unable to get competitive on softish ground in the Champagne but showed why he was favoured that day with a fine performance to beat Epictetus (John & Thady Gosden/Rab Havlin) and Holloway Boy (Karl Burke/) by a neck and a length and a quarter.

The winner was gaining his second Group 3 success having landed the Solario Stakes at Sandown in August and while that form had been called into question, he proved his worth by beating a representative field under a penalty here, with Holloway Boy in particular a decent yardstick.

Silver Knott was gaining a third win from five starts and he is bred to do better as a three-year-old, being out of the Park Hill and Premio Lydia Tesio winner God Given, a half-sister by Nathaniel to Postponed.

Unsurprisingly he looked suited by stepping up to a mile for the first time, running down Epictetus after that rival had got first run. He’s reported to be on course for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, with Appleby feeling he’ll prove best at around a mile and a quarter next season, with a sound surface considered important to him.

Epictetus emerges from this race with great credit having had only one previous run to the winner’s four, and experience certainly carried the day.

The runner-up had won a Newmarket maiden in July which has proven strong form for the level – in fact, the contest threw up two other winners on the card, with Desert Order (third) landing the nursery and fourth-placed Flying Honours taking the Zetland Stakes.

THE Cesarewitch has always been a huge draw at this fixture, and despite a surprisingly small field of 22, the race threw up a popular result with punters as Run For Oscar (Charles Byrnes) scored at 4/1 in the two-and-a-quarter-mile contest.

Sporting the colours made famous by Byrnes’ World Hurdle winner Solwhit, Run For Oscar was held up but made headway travelling ominously well two furlongs out, and when David Egan asked him to go, the race was over in an instant.

Hughie Morrison trained both second and third, with Not So Sleepy making the frame for the third time in the contest having been fourth in 2019 and 2020.

The Listed Boadicea Stakes went as expected to Michael Dods. The Co Durham handler saddled both 9/2 joint favourites, and while Gale Force Maya ran well to be fourth, it was stable-companion Azure Blue who gained the plaudits after coming home best under a well-judged David Egan ride.

Dods has a remarkable record in blacktype sprints with relatively modestly bred fillies, and Azure Blue is likely to be even better next year.