All is In Good Order in Ascot’s Ted Van Heemst Stakes
All roads lead to the Perth Cup (Gr 2, 2400m) on New Year’s Day for In Good Order (American Pharoah) after Dan Morton’s progressive four-year-old registered a maiden stakes success in Saturday’s Ted Van Heemst Stakes (Gr 2, 2100m) at Ascot.
A multiple stakes-race placegetter prior to this weekend’s Group 2 event, including on three of his four prior starts, the gelded son of American Pharoah (Pioneerof The Nile) was chasing a first win since taking out a Benchmark 66 at Belmont on September 21.
Ridden for the first time by Shaun O’Donnell, with regular partner Chris Parnham out suspended, In Good Order was sent off an $8 shot to claim maiden stakes glory in the eight-runner field.
Having come four-wide rounding the home bend, the gelding kept on willingly under his rider to hold on by 0.2 lengths from the fast-finishing runner-up Let’s Galahvant (Galah), who was allowed no racing room until the closing moments of the contest.
There was a further 0.9 lengths back to the third-placed Numerian (Holy Roman Emperor), who had won the corresponding race last year.
“It was some ride and honestly, he’s the best pick-up rider in the business,” Morton said of O’Donnell’s steer.
“He’s been doing a lot of work on this horse behind the scenes. Chris Parnham has been riding him obviously, but Shaun has such beautiful hands.
“He was the go-to once Chris got rubbed out. I was singing his praises past the post the first time. It was right where we needed to be.”
Morton revealed post-race that In Good Order would now be headed for Wednesday week’s Perth Cup at Ascot where he will bid for back-to-back Group 2 victories.
“It was a bit of a roll of the dice for us, we backed ourselves in,” Morton said. “It leaps us into a Perth Cup in good shape.
“You’re not chasing fitness now, which is good. We’ll take our time, but he will take benefit out of that. We’ll tinker with him until January.
Bred by Fairway Thoroughbreds and foaled and raised at Segenhoe Stud, In Good Order (4 g American Pharoah – Angharad by Exceed and Excel) was originally purchased for $105,000 by Amelia Park Racing & Breeding out of Segenhoe’s draft at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast National Weanling Sale, before being re-sold to his trainer for $140,000 at the Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale the following year.
He is the second winner to come out of the winning Exceed And Excel (Danehill) mare Angharad, herself a half-sister to Group 3 winner and Group 1 placegetter Rimraam (Commands) and the Novara Park stallion Sweynesse (Lonhro).
Angharad was most recently bought by Yarramalong Park at the 2023 Inglis Broodmare Sale for $220,000 when in foal to Golden Slipper (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Farnan (Not A Single Doubt), and that yearling colt will be offered by Yarramalong Park as Lot 158 at next month’s Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
In Good Order became the 55th individual stakes winner for Coolmore’s former shuttler American Pharoah, who was enjoying his second new stakes winner in less than 24 hours after Khafre’s success in Friday’s Matamata Cup (Listed, 1600m) in New Zealand.