Soprano wins Sandringham Stakes, Australian-bound Kitty Rose fifth
Soprano hits the right notes in the Sandringham Stakes
The George Boughey-trained and Billy Loughnane-ridden Soprano, a daughter of Coolmore’s reverse shuttler Starspangledbanner (Choisir), put a string of luckless runs behind her to produce a dominant display to win an ultra competitive renewal of the Sandringham Stakes (1m) at Royal Ascot on Friday. The Highclere Stud-raced filly finished third to Friday’s Coronation Stakes winner Porta Fortuna in the Albany Stakes at last year’s corresponding meeting and she strengthened that juvenile form further when coming home half a length clear of the Yulong-raced Strutting (Frankel), who was ridden by Australian-based rider Rachel King. Uluru (Zoffany) finished another further half a length further adrift in third. Purchased by Highclere for 100,000gns at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, Soprano is out of Lealas Daughter (Excelebration), who is herself a half-sister to three-time US Grade 1 winner Obviously (Choisir).
Australia-bound Kitty Rose runs excellent fifth in Sandringham Handicap
Following Kitty Rose’s fifth-placed effort in Friday’s Sandringham Handicap at Royal Ascot, co-trainer Michael Kent Jnr revealed that a crack at the Sir Henry Cecil Stakes (Listed, 1m) at Newmarket would be the filly’s next and final UK run before heading Down Under, provided she pulls up well from this week’s effort.
“She just kept trying all the way to the post,” Kent Jnr told ANZ Bloodstock News. “We’re still learning about her and she just lacked that real turn of foot, that real acceleration inside the final furlong. She stayed on really well and she’s beaten 25 other fillies.
“I think her lack of acceleration might have been the weight to be honest, she had a lot of it. Oisin [Murphy] rode her beautifully and she did everything right.
“As long as she pulls up well we will definitely push on to July Cup week at Newmarket where we’re probably going to go for the Listed Sir Henry Cecil Stakes. From there the plan is to go to Australia.”
Friday’s run was Kitty Rose’s first since pushing subsequent Irish 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) runner-up A Lilac Rolla (Harry Angel) to within a neck in a Group 3 at Leopardstown on April 7, and Kent Jnr admitted the filly may tighten up slightly for the run.
“She’ll definitely come on for the run but we wanted to come straight here after her first run this season otherwise things could’ve gone wrong if we had run before,” he said.
“Look, we gave it a crack and we’ll be back again another time. We don’t walk home with our tail between our legs so to speak.”
Asked about the week the Australians have had and the experience of having his first runner at Royal Ascot, Kent Jnr said: “It’s fantastic, we’ve had a favourite at Royal Ascot, it was a great feeling for the whole team. We’ll go to the loser’s bar and have a couple of drinks and get over it!
“I think it really makes any carnival when you have an international winner. I was here on Tuesday and every man and their dog from Australia was here.
“We were up in the Coolmore box when Asfoora hit the line and everyone rushed down and jumped on Henry’s bandwagon. We’re all so patriotic and it was brilliant. Delighted for Henry and the whole team.”
Oisin Murphy, who rode Kitty Rose to her fifth-placed finish, feels the daughter of Invincible Army (Invincible Spirit) will be a very nice acquisition to the Australian ranks.
“I’d say it was probably a combination of the weight and just this time of year there are probably a few fillies more forward than her. She has the right size and scope to do very well in Australia.”
Pilgrim lands Palace Of Holyrood House Stakes
The David and Nicola Barron-trained Pilgrim (Havana Grey) continued his progressive ways when bravely scoring in Friday’s closing race at Royal Ascot, the Palace Of Holyrood House Stakes (5f). Handing his trainers a first winner at the royal meeting, and jockey Joe Fanning his tenth, the son of Havana Grey (Havana Gold) held off the late challenge of Gemma Tutty-trained Blue Storm (Blue Point) to score by a half-length. The Richard Hughes-trained No Half Measures (Cable Bay) finished a further three-quarters of a length back in third place.
Vauban heading Down Under
Vauban (Galiway), the Willie Mullins-trained classy dual-purpose horse finished out of the placings as race favourite in the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) last year but following his pleasing four-placed effort behind Kyprios (Galileo) in the Ascot Gold Cup (Gr 1, 2m 4f) on Thursday at Royal Ascot, connections are bidding for redemption. “It’s a wonderful experience to have a runner here in the big race,” owner Rich Ricci said. “It’s clear to everybody now he didn’t stay. He came to win the race and I was getting jiggy when I was listening to the race and I heard them turn for home. He was right in the mix and I turned round to watch and his run just petered out,” he added. “That’s fine and Melbourne is still the plan.” Vauban ($6.50) finished 13th in the Melbourne showpiece in November and could join stablemate Belloccio (Belardo) on an Australian trip after the six year-old gelding took out the Copper Horse Handicap (1m 6f) on Tuesday. “I would love to win the Melbourne Cup – and our friends from the Victoria Racing Club are here,” Ricci said. “We’ll probably run somewhere again in the summer, then we’ll be ready to rock and roll I think.”