Diamond Jubilee bridesmaid Dream Of Dreams bids to go one better in final day feature
The Diamond Jubilee Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) has garnered plenty of Australian interest down the years since Paul Perry’s Choisir (Danehill Dancer) bowled over the Europeans on their own turf back in 2003, most notably the victory of the great Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) in 2012, and while Covid-19 has ensured there is no southern hemisphere raid this time around, the fact that the past three winners are now exciting southern hemisphere stallion prospects makes the contest worthy of a watchful eye.
Choisir’s grandsire Danehill (Danzig), in fact, won the race in 1989 – when it carried Group 3 status and the moniker of the Cork And Orrery Stakes – before emerging as the great Australasian stallion of his era and a significant influence on the breed both north and south of the equator.
Today’s contest will see the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Dream Of Dreams (Dream Ahead) attempt to shed his ‘bridesmaid’ tag, with the seven-year-old – a gelding, alas – having placed second in the past two renewals.
In 2019 he chased Godolphin’s champion sprinter Blue Point (Shamardal) who will stand his second season at Darley Australia’s Victoria base at a 2021 fee of $44,000. Last year, Dream Of Dreams had to give best to Hello Youmzain (Kodiac), who won under the joint ownership of Haras d’Etreham and Cambridge Stud. Hello Youmzain is set to stand his first southern hemisphere season at the New Zealand farm at a 2021 fee of $30,000 (inc. GST), having stood for €25,000 in France. The 2018 winner, Merchant Navy (Fastnet Rock), stands at Coolmore Australia for a fee of $33,000.
Dream Of Dreams has a loose Australian connection, too. His dam, Vasilia (Dansili), is a half-sister to the top-class sprinter Airwave (Air Express), whose grandson Churchill (Galileo) shuttles to Coolmore Australia, while that former champion’s brother Blenheim Palace is in training with Daniel Bowman and last raced in the Warrnambool Cup (Listed, 2350m) in May.
The contest will also feature the exciting four-year-old Starman (Dutch Art), trained by Ed Walker, who made it four wins from five starts when landing the Duke Of York Stakes (Gr 2, 6f) at York last time.
Glen Shiel (Pivotal), meanwhile, was running 10th in the Buckingham Palace Handicap (7f) at this meeting a year ago but the Archie Watson-trained seven-year-old lines up this time as a Group 1 winner, having subsequently landed the British Champions Sprint (Gr 1, 6f) over today’s course and distance on rain softened ground and heads in off a first-up fourth behind Gustavus Weston (Equiano) on testing ground in the Greenlands Stakes (Gr 2, 6f) at the Curragh.
Derby hero rides Tiger Moth
Adam Kirby was the hero of the hour when he won the Epsom Derby (Gr 1, 1m 4f) for the first time two weeks ago aboard Godolphin’s Adayar (Frankel) and today he will join the Coolmore camp to team up with Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) second Tiger Moth (Galileo) in the Hardwicke Stakes (Gr 2, 1m 4f).
The four-year-old has raced once since going down to compatriot Twilight Payment (Teofilo) at Flemington in November. That came in the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Gr 1, 1m 2 ½f) at the Curragh on May 23 when the colt finished last of eight behind Helvic Dream (Power) on testing ground, with Seamie Heffernan reporting his mount had “gurgled”.
Tiger Moth is one of four Aidan O’Brien-trained runners, alongside the Group 1-winning brothers Japan (Galileo) and Mogul – the latter being the winner of the Hong Kong Vase (Gr 1, 2400m) in December – and the Tattersalls Gold Cup runner-up Broome (Australia), who reeled off three wins on the bounce this term before that narrow reversal.
While O’Brien has raised doubts about the feasibility of taking horses to Australia given Racing Victoria’s new requirements for incoming competitors, the contest could yet contain horses with Spring Carnival potential.
The field of 15 also features the Group 2 winner Sir Ron Priestley (Australia) a half-brother to Thursday’s Gold Cup (Gr 1, 2m 4f) victor Subjectivist (Teofilo). Also of note, is the unexposed and progressive Ilaraab (Wootton Bassett), a winner of his last six races, whose prized sire will be shuttling to Coolmore Australia. The four-year-old also represents the combination of William Haggas, Tom Marquand and Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum that has bagged three Australian Group 1s in the past 15 months with Addeybb (Pivotal).
Meanwhile, the two-time Group 1-winning four-year-old filly Wonderful Tonight (Le Havre) is out of a half-sister to the stakes-placed Mr Garcia (Paco Boy) a dual winner in Australia and currently in the Lees stable.
Queen hopes Moon will rise in Chesham
The Queen will look to Reach for The Moon (Sea The Stars) to ensure a good start to the day for royal watchers. The John and Thady Gosden-trained juvenile will have his second career outing in the Chesham Stakes (Listed, 7f) and is out of the homebred Golden Stream (Sadler’s Wells), a dual Listed-winning daughter of her 1995 Ribblesdale Stakes (Gr 2, 1m 4f) heroine Phantom Gold (Machiavellian). That makes the youngster a half-brother to Invictus Prince (Dansili), who finished a respectfully-distanced runner-up behind the mighty Winx (Street Cry) in the 2018 Winx Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) at Randwick.
Golden Stream’s half-sister Daring Aim (Daylami) produced Bold Sniper (New Approach) who won two races for the Queen in Australia under the watch of David Hayes and Tom Dabernig.
The Chesham also features Wootton Bassett’s (Iffraaj) son Great Max, who won on debut at Newbury last week. The Michael Bell-trained colt is out of Teeslemee (Youmzain), a sister to the 2015 Chesham winner Suits You (Youmzain), who won a seven-furlong handicap at Sha Tin for the John Moore stable when named Sunny Way.
The juvenile contest also features the highly-regarded Ballydoyle runner Point Lonsdale (Australia) who won his sole start to date by five and a half lengths. The O’Brien-trained colt is out of Sweepstake (Acclamation), a Group 3-placed mare and successful in the National Stakes (Listed, 5f) at Sandown as a juvenile, making the likely race favourite a full-brother to Hardwicke Stakes contender Broome.
Her majesty, meanwhile, has four runners in total on the final day of the meeting and King’s Lynn (Cable Bay) will carry the royal silks in the Wokingham Stakes (6f), when the four-year-old gelding will represent his sire, who has found success shuttling to Woodside Park in Victoria.
Light Refrain (Frankel) and Tactical (Toronado) will also carry Queen Elizabeth’s gold-braided scarlet and purple in the Jersey Stakes (Gr 3, 7f).