Godolphin’s Avilius headed for greater glories
The attractive, near black gelding, having his first start in Australia and his first race since September 30, 2017, stepped out in the 1600 metre Tony Crawford 50th, a Benchmark 91 contest, but his performance left me thinking he could well capture a Group 1 in the coming weeks.
Carrying 59.5 kilograms, Avilius was last early and second last approaching the home turn before jockey Glyn Schofield launched him on a sweeping run in the straight to win untouched by a neck in class record time of 1:35.66, his last 600 metres covered in 33.88, defeating handy mare Dagny (Darci Brahma).
Bookmakers clearly shared my opinion of Avilius’s ability by immediately making him favourite for The Metropolitan (Gr 1, 2400m) at Randwick on September 29 but there are other big race opportunities for him in both Sydney and Melbourne during the spring and going on his earlier form in France he should be a worthy contender in any race from 2000 metres to 2400 metres.
On Saturday Avilius was having only his eighth career start. In France he broke his maiden over 1900 metres on his second start at Chantilly before winning the Prix de Suresnes (Listed, 2000m) at Maisons-Laffitte but a better guide to his ability may be his second to Cracksman (Frankel) in the Prix Niel (Gr 2, 2400m) on a soft track at Chantilly on September 10, 2017. Cracksman is now rated one of the best horses in the world and, while Avilius finished three and a half-lengths behind him that day, the Pivotal (Polar Falcon) gelding was a length ahead of third placed Finche (Frankel), a Group 2 winner in France last season and winner of a Group 3 event over 2500 metres at Deauville last Sunday.
One thing is certain, Avilius has the quality of pedigree to become a Group 1 winner.
His Britain-based veteran sire Pivotal was recently represented by his 28th Group 1 winner when Lightning Spear captured the Sussex Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) at Goodwood on August 1.
Pivotal was a top class short course sprinter whose signature victory came in the historic Nunthorpe Stakes (Gr 1, 5f) at York but at stud he has proved surprisingly versatile and consistently successful since retiring to Cheveley Park Stud in 1997, with his fee in 2018 being £40,000. Already, too, Pivotal has earned renown as a broodmare sire, his daughters having so far produced 12 Group 1 winners headed by the previously mentioned Cracksman, Harbour Law (Lawman), Hydrangea (Galileo), Rhododendron (Galileo), Main Sequence (Aldebaron) and Australian feature winners The United States (Galileo) and Polarisation (Echo of Light).
While many of Pivotal’s best winners are sprinters and milers like Brando and the sires Siyouni, Kyllachy and Excellent Art, a number, such as promising young sire Farhh, dual Oaks (Gr 1, 1m4f) winner Sariska and Buzzword, winner of the Deutsches Derby (Gr 1, 2400m), have been effective at ten furlongs and further.
Avilius is one of three stakes winners produced by his dam Alessandria (Sunday Silence), winner in Britain of two races up to a mile and a half.
Best of these is Saint Baudolino, an older brother to Avilius who won two Group races in France up to 2000 metres and was second in the Prix du Jockey Club (Gr 1, 2100m) and third in the Grand Prix de Paris (Gr 1, 2400m). Another half-brother, Army Bulletin (Invincible Spirit), like Avilius, won the Prix de Suresnes.
Tereshkova (Mr. Prospector), the second dam of Avilius, was a high class two-year-old, winner of the Deauville Prix de Cabourg (Gr 3, 1200m) and runner up in the Curragh Moyglare Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) who later won up to 1600 metres.
Lycius (Mr. Prospector), a brother to Tereshkova, won the Newmarket Middle Park Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) before embarking on a fairly moderate stud career in the United States during which he served the 1999 season in NSW leaving 46 living foals although nothing of any note.
Linebred 4m x 5m to Northern Dancer (Nearctic), Avilius further back also has two lines of speed influence Grey Sovereign (Nasrullah) and a rarely found double of the mare Banish Fear (Blue Larkspur) in his diverse breeding background.