Ballydoyle juveniles dominate
Two-Year-Olds
The well-bred Clemmie (2 f Galileo – Meow by Storm Cat) took out the Cheveley Park Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) in tenacious fashion at Newmarket on Saturday.
The filly, whose siblings include her multiple Group One-winning stablemate Churchill, was ridden to lead around a furlong out by Ryan Moore but faced a stern challenge from the strong travelling Different League (Dabirsim).
However, she knuckled down and fought on well to score by a length and three quarters from the French raider, with Madeline (Kodiac) a further length and a half behind in third place.
In the following race, U S Navy Flag (2 c War Front – Misty For Me by Galileo) took out the Middle Park Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) to give O’Brien his fifth win in the race.
The colt, who has made good progress throughout the season, raced up with the pace throughout in the hands of Seamie Heffernan, and he travelled strongly into the lead just over a furlong out.
He stretched clear with his stablemate Fleet Review (War Front) in the closing stages, eventually winning by half a length, with the consistent Cardsharp (Lonhro) a further two and a quarter lengths behind in third.
At Chantilly on Sunday, the exciting Happily (2 f Galileo – You’resothrilling by Storm Cat) won the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (Gr 1, 1600m), becoming the first filly since 1986 to win the Group One.
She was one of the first to come off the bridle in the six-runner field but she stayed on strongly in the closing stages to run down Olmedo (Declaration Of War) by a length and a quarter, with Masar (New Approach) a further short neck behind in third.
She is one of five foals out of the Group Two winner You’resothrilling (Storm Cat), making her a sister to four winners, including Classic winner Marvellous and multiple Group One winner Gleneagles, who was first past the post in the 2014 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere but was demoted for causing interference.
The lucrative meeting at Chantilly commenced with the Prix Marcel Boussac (Gr 1, 1600m), and the Charlie Appleby-trained Wild Illusion (2 f Dubawi – Rumh by Monsun) caused an upset when making all the running under James Doyle.
She was a length and a half clear of the favourite and previously unbeaten Polydream (Oasis Dream) at the line, with Mission Impassible (Galileo) a further head behind in third, giving Appleby and Godolphin back-to-back wins in the race following Wuheida’s (Dubawi) victory 12 months ago.
Wild Illusion is the second foal out of the stakes winner Rumh (Monsun), making her a half-sister to the stakes winner Really Special (Shamardal), while her second dam is the Group Three winner Royal Dubai (Dashing Blade).
At Newmarket on Saturday, the John Gosden-trained Roaring Lion (2 c Kitten’s Joy – Vionnet by Street Sense) stretched his unbeaten record to three when landing the Royal Lodge Stakes (Gr 2, 1m).
The Qatar Racing-owned colt travelled strongly into contention under Oisin Murphy and narrowly got the better of the Aidan O’Brien-trained Nelson (Frankel) by a neck in the last strides, with Mildenberger (Teofilo) a further length and three quarters behind in third place.
Gosden also saddled Juliet Capulet (2 f Dark Angel – Capulet Monteque by Camacho) to win the Rockfel Stakes (Gr 2, 7f) at Newmarket the previous day.
The two-year-old filly has come into the race off the back of good second in the Sweet Solera Stakes (Gr 3, 7f) in August, and she narrowly got the better of the classy Nyaleti (Arch) by a head in a tight finish, with a further length and a half back to Gavota (Bated Breath) in third.
Three-Year-Olds
The brilliant filly Enable (3 f Nathaniel – Concentric by Sadler’s Wells) ran out an emphatic winner of the €5,000,000 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m) at Chantilly on Sunday, confirming herself the best middle distance horse in Europe.
The daughter of Nathaniel (Galileo) has been the dominant horse over a mile and a half in Britain and Ireland this season, winning the Oaks (Gr 1, 1m4f) at Epsom and the Irish Oaks (Gr 1, 1m4f), King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr 1, 1m4f) and the Yorkshire Oaks (Gr 1, 1m4f), and she was sent off the odds-on favourite for John Gosden and jockey Frankie Dettori.
She was always handily positioned in behind the frontrunning Idaho (Galileo) by Dettori, who has now ridden the winner of the prestigious Group One on a record five occasions, and she travelled strongly into a share of the lead at the top of the straight.
Once asked to stretch, she quickened away in ready fashion to beat the Godolphin-raced Cloth Of Stars (Sea The Stars) by two and a half lengths, with dual Group One winner Ulysses (Galileo) a further length and a quarter behind in third.
Later on the card, O’Brien moved a step closer to US Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel’s record for Group One winners in a calendar year when saddling Rhododendron (3 f Galileo – Halfway To Heaven by Pivotal) to win the Prix de l’Opera (Gr 1, 2000m), his fourth Group One winner of the weekend.
O’Brien has now saddled 22 winners at the highest level in 2017, just three behind Frankel’s long-standing record, and he trained the first two home in the Prix de l’Opera as Rhododendron narrowly beat stablemate Hydrangea (Galileo) by a neck, with Lady Frankel (Frankel) in third.
Dual Group One winner Rhododendron is one of five foals out of the triple Group One winner Halfway To Heaven (Pivotal), making her a sister to the Group Two winner Magical and the Group Three winner Flying The Flag.
The Charlie Hills-trained and Shadwell-raced Battaash (3 g Dark Angel – Anna Law by Lawman), who shot to prominence with a breathtaking win in the King George Stakes (Gr 2, 5f) at Goodwood in August, gained a Group One breakthrough with a dominant win in the Prix de l’Abbaye (Gr 1, 1000m).
He raced up with the pace throughout under Jim Crowley and lengthened clear inside the final 200 metres to beat the last-start Nunthorpe Stakes (Gr 1, 5f) winner Marsha (Acclamation) by four lengths, with Profitable (Invincible Spirit) a further neck behind in third.
Battaash is now among the favourite for the British Champions Sprint Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) on 21 October, though his trainer suggested that he would now be spelled for the remainder of the season.
At Newmarket on Friday, Beat The Bank (3 g Paco Boy – Tiana by Diktat) emerged as a bona fide Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) contender when taking out the Joel Stakes (Gr 2, 1m) in impressive style.
The three-year-old has only been beaten once in his career and, having taken out the Thoroughbred Stakes (Gr 3, 1m) by three lengths at Goodwood last month, he took another step forward under Oisin Murphy.
He travelled strongly into contention and quickened clear inside the final furlong to beat the Aidan O’Brien-trained Sir John Lavery (Galileo) by five lengths, with Jallota (Rock Of Gibraltar) a further two and a quarter lengths adrift in third place.
Older horses
The top-class Aga Khan homebred stayer Vazirabad (5 g Manduro – Visorama by Linamix) led close home to win the Prix du Cadran (Gr 1, 4100m) at Chantilly on Saturday, his third win at the highest level.
The Alain de Royer-Dupre-trained gelding, who has now won 13 of his 18 career starts and over €2,000,000 in prize money, cruised into contention under regular rider Christophe Soumillon.
He was shaken up to challenge inside the final 200 metres and ran down Mille Et Mille (Muhtathir) by half a length, with a break of seven lengths back to Trip To Rhodes (Rail Link) in third place.
The Martyn Meade-trained and Canning Downs part-owned Aclaim (4 c Acclamation – Aris by Danroad) completed a memorable day for the British and Irish raiders at Chantilly on Sunday, winning the Prix de la Foret (Gr 1, 1400m) to give the visiting party a clean sweep of the six Group One races.
The dual Group Two winner was briefly short of room at the 300 metres under Oisin Murphy but quickened up well when presented with a gap to lead close home, beating So Beloved (Dansili) by three quarters of a length, with Karar (Invincible Spirit) a further short head behind in third.
Aclaim is out of a stakes-placed half-sister to dual Group One winner Again (Danehill Dancer), while his family can be traced back to the late champion Montjeu (Sadler’s Wells).
On Saturday, the Jean-Claude Rouget-trained Taareef (4 c Kitten’s Joy – Sacred Feather by Carson City) won back-to-back renewals of the Prix Daniel Wildenstein (Gr 2, 1600m) at Chantilly.
The four-year-old colt pushed Ribchester (Iffraaj) close when second in the Prix du Moulin (Gr 1, 1600m) last time, and he went one place better under Christophe Soumillon to beat Buthela (Acclamation) by a length and a quarter, with Noor Al Hawa (Makfi) a further three quarters of a length behind in third.
A US$675,000 purchase by Shadwell at the 2014 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Taareef is now the fifth horse to win the Prix Daniel Wildenstein on two occasions.
On the same afternoon, the Nicolas Clement-trained The Juliet Rose (4 m Monsun – Dubai Rose by Dubai Destination) also successfully defended her Prix De Royallieu (Gr 2, 2400m) title.
The mare, who has only run once since her win in the race 12 months ago, beat Listen In (Sea The Stars) by a short neck with another head back to Kitesurf (Dubawi) in third.