Older Horse Review
The Alain de Royer-Dupre-trained Dariyan (4 c Shamardal – Daryakana by Selkirk) took out the first major stakes race for older horses in Europe when comfortably winning the Prix Ganay (Gr 1, 2100m) at Saint-Cloud on 1 May.
The Aga Khan-owned and bred colt, whose peak efforts as a three-year-old included a victory in the Prix Eugene Adam (Gr 2, 2000m) and a runner-up effort in the Hong Kong Vase (Gr 1, 2400m), quickened clear in the fine style in the closing stages under Christophe Soumillon to beat Silverwave (Silver Frost) by a length and a quarter.
The son of Shamardal (Giant’s Causeway) struggled to match that level in his three subsequent starts in 2016, while the Pascal Bary-trained Silverwave (4 c ex Miss Bio by River Mist) found improvement to win the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (Gr 1, 2400m) and the Prix Foy (Gr 2, 2400m) later in the season.
However, both colts were brushed aside by A Shin Hikari (5 h Deep Impact – Catalina by Storm Cat) who recorded an emphatic ten length victory in the Prix d’Ispahan (Gr 1, 1800m) at Chantilly in May in one of the performances of the season.
The Masanori Sakaguchi-trained entire, who had beaten Nuovo Record (Heart’s Cry) by a length in the Hong Kong Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) at his previous start, eased clear under a hand ride to beat eight rivals, seven of whom had either won in Group / Grade One company or went on to score at the highest level later in the year.
The Roger Varian-trained Belardo (4 c Lope De Vega – Danaskaya by Danehill) secured his second Group One, and first since the Dewhurst Stakes (Gr 1, 7f) in 2014, in the Lockinge Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) at Newbury.
The colt, who is co-owned by Godolphin and Prince Faisal, was restrained off strongly early fractions by jockey Andrea Atzeni and came with a strong late burst to beat Euro Charline (Myboycharlie) by a length, with the now Chris Waller-trained Endless Drama (Lope De Vega) a neck away in third.
After meeting with a setback in his preparation for the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Gr 1, 1m), it was announced that Belardo would be retired to join the stallions roster at Kildangan Stud for €15,000 next year, with his final start coming when beaten a half-length by Tepin (Bernstein) in the Queen Anne Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) at Royal Ascot.
Fascinating Rock (5 h Fastnet Rock – Miss Polaris by Polar Falcon) also won for the second time at Group One level in May when getting the better of Found (Galileo) to take out the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Gr 1, 1m2.5f) at the Curragh.
Found had got the verdict earlier in the season, when beating Fascinating Rock into third in the Mooresbridge Stakes (Gr 3, 1m2f), but the Dermot Weld-trained son of Fastnet Rock (Danehill) stretched clear in fine style on rain-softened ground to beat the filly by three and three quarter lengths.
Newmarket-based trainer Roger Varian enjoyed further Group One success in 2016 with the top-class Postponed (5 h Dubawi – Ever Rigg by Dubai Destination).
The entire, who had breezed to two easy victories in the Dubai City Of Gold (Gr 2, 2400m) and the Sheema Classic (Gr 1, 2400m) at Meydan in March, returned to Europe to dominate a quality field in the Coronation Cup (Gr 1, 1m4f) at Epsom in June.
Though forced to miss Royal Ascot because of unseasonably slow ground, the son of Dubawi (Dubai Millennium) won his fourth Group One in the International Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2.5f) at York in August, a race won in recent seasons by the likes of champions Frankel (Galileo) and Sea The Stars (Cape Cross).
The Canadian-trained mare Tepin (5 m Bernstein – Life Happened by Stravinsky) made a successful raid to the UK when winning the Queen Anne Stakes (Gr 1, 1m), the traditional curtain raiser at Royal Ascot in June.
A multiple Grade One winner in North America, Tepin was racing without her usual Lasix on her first start overseas and faced a line-up of Europe’s finest milers.
Jockey Julien Leparoux, on his first ride in Britain, set even fractions on the front-end and galvanised the mare in the closing stages to fend off the challenge of Belardo, with Lightning Spear (Pivotal) running on from off the pace for a never-nearer third.
The Clive Cox-trained Profitable (4 c Invincible Spirit – Dani Ridge by Indian Ridge) progressed into a top-class sprinter in 2016.
Having already taken out the Palace House Stakes (Gr 3, 5f) and the Temple Stakes (Gr 2, 5f) at his first two starts, he came with a strong late run under Adam Kirby to snatch the King’s Stand Stakes (Gr 1, 5f) at Royal Ascot by a neck from Cotai Glory (Exceed And Excel).
The result provided Cox and Kirby with the first leg of a Group One double at this year’s Royal meeting, as My Dream Boat (4 c Lord Shanakill – Betty Burke by Choisir) caused an upset in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2f).
With short-priced favourite A Shin Hikari, bidding the give Japan their first win at Royal Ascot, fading out of contention at the two-furlong marker, My Dream Boat stormed down the centre of the track to edge past the admirable Found in the last strides to win by a neck, in the process providing his sire Lord Shanakill (Speightstown) with his first Group One winner.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained and Lloyd Williams part-owned Order Of St George (4 c Galileo – Another Storm by Gone West) also enjoyed a high profile success in the Gold Cup (Gr 1, 2m4f) at Royal Ascot.
Despite meeting trouble in running on the home bend, Ryan Moore managed to weave through runners aboard the four-year-old and powered clear inside the final furlong to beat the dual Group Three winner Mizzou (Galileo) by three lengths.
The colt went on to take out the Irish St Leger Trial Stakes (Gr 3, 1m6f) at his next start, though he would meet with a surprise defeat at the hands of Wicklow Brave (7 g Beat Hollow – Moraine by Rainbow Quest) in the Irish St Leger (Gr 1, 1m6f) itself as he attempted to win back-to-back renewals of the Group One feature.
Twilight Son (4 c Kyllachy – Twilight Mistress by Bin Ajwaad) won for the second time at Group One level in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) at Royal Ascot.
The Henry Candy-trained colt, who took out the Sprint Cup (Gr 1, 6f) as a three-year-old, got up in the last strides under a strong ride from Ryan Moore to beat the ill-fated Hong Kong sprinter Gold-Fun (Le Vie Dei Colori) by a neck, with the subsequent Prix Maurice de Gheest (Gr 1, 1300m) winner Signs Of Blessing (Invincible Spirit) just a short-head further behind in third.
Candy also secured another British sprinting feature with Limato (4 g Tagula – Come April by Singspiel), who ran out an authoritative winner of the July Cup (Gr 1, 6f) at Newmarket.
The gelding travelled strongly into contention under Harry Bentley before quickening clear in impressive fashion to beat Suedois (Le Havre) by two lengths.
Limato went on to finish second in the Nunthorpe Stakes (Gr 1, 5f) before again showing a brilliant turn of foot to win the Prix de la Foret (Gr 1, 1400m) at Chantilly, his second victory at the highest level.
The Michael Bell-trained Big Orange (5 g Duke Of Marmalade – Miss Brown To You by Fasliyev) was successful twice at Group Two level in Britain in 2016.
Having won the Princess Of Wales’s Stakes (Gr 2, 1m4f) and the Goodwood Cup (Gr 2, 2m) in 2015, he repeated the feat in both races in July with brave front-running displays before performing with credit in defeat in Australia this spring.
Highland Reel (4 c Galileo – Hveger by Danehill) also showed what he was capable of when let loose on the front-end in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr 1, 1m4f) at Ascot in July.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained globetrotter, who had run third to Winx (Street Cry) in the Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) and won the Hong Kong Vase (Gr 1, 2400m) at his last two starts in 2015, galloped clear of his rivals in the home straight to register a third top-level success under Ryan Moore.
The colt, who is a brother to his Group Two-winning stablemate Idaho (Galileo), went on to finish second a further twice at Group One level before adding the Breeders’ Cup Turf (Gr 1, 12f) at Santa Anita to his haul in November.
Speedy Boarding (4 f Shamardal – Dash To The Front by Diktat) made her presence felt on the continent during the summer, winning twice in France at Group One level for Newmarket trainer James Fanshawe.
She breezed to a comfortable success in the Prix Jean Romanet (Gr 1, 2000m) at Deauville in August before digging deep to overhaul the front-running Pleascach (Teofilo) by a short-head in the Prix de l’Opera (Gr 1, 2000m) at Chantilly in October.
Mecca’s Angel (5 m Dark Angel – Folga by Atraf) won her second Nunthorpe Stakes at York in August, stretching clear under jockey Paul Mulrennan to see off Limato by two lengths.
However, for sheer durability and consistency, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Found (4 f Galileo – Red Evie by Intikhab) was the older horse of the season.
The filly finished third at the first of ten starts in 2016 in the Alleged Stakes (Listed, 1m2f) in April before taking out the Mooresbridge Stakes at her next start.
She went on to finish second in five consecutive Group One’s thereafter before earning a deserved breakthrough in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m), the biggest middle-distance race in Europe.
She quickened clear in fine style under Ryan Moore to beat stable companion Highland Reel, and, after running second to Almanzor (Wootton Bassett) in the Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2f) and third in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, it was announced she would be retired to take up broodmare duties, with six wins and a further 14 placed efforts from 21 starts for total earnings of £5,507,122.