Three-year-old Season Review
It was first blood to the Ed Walker-trained Stormy Antarctic (3 c Stormy Atlantic – Bea Remembered by Doyen), though, who booked his ticket to the 2000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) when winning the Craven Stakes (Gr 3, 1m) in impressive fashion at Newmarket in April, while the John Gosden-trained Fillies Mile (Gr 1, 1m) runner-up Nathra (3 f Iffraaj – Rada by Danehill) won the Nell Gwyn Stakes (Gr 3, 7f), the fillies trial for the 1000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m).
However, the first Classic of the season would go the way of the Hugo Palmer-trained and Al Shaqab-Racing owned Galileo Gold (3 c Paco Boy – Galicuix by Galileo), who swept clear to win the 2000 Guineas in decisive fashion under Frankie Dettori.
The colt, a Group Two-winning juvenile who ran third in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (Gr 1, 1600m) at his last two-year-old start, belied his 14/1 starting price to beat Massaat (Teofilo) comfortably by a length and a half, with the champion two-year-old Air Force Blue (War Front) trailing home in a well-beaten 12th.
The first Group One winner by Highclere Stallion Paco Boy (Desert Style) would meet with defeat in the Irish 2000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) at the hands of Awtaad (3 c Cape Cross – Asheerah by Shamardal) at the Curragh, though he reversed form with that rival when making all in the St James’s Palace Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) at Royal Ascot.
Top-class juvenile Minding (3 f Galileo – Lillie Langtry by Danehill Dancer) made the perfect start to her three-year-old season when outclassing the opposition in the 1000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) at Newmarket on 1 May for Aidan O’Brien.
The daughter of champion sire Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) thrashed her stablemate Ballydoyle (Galileo) by three and a half lengths, the first of five victories at Group One level during a stellar campaign.
Though meeting with narrow defeat in the Irish 1000 Guineas, when just touched off by Jet Setting (3 f Fast Company – Mean Lae by Johannesburg) who was subsequently bought for £1,300,000 by the China Horse Club at the Goffs London Sale, Minding overcame severe trouble in running in the Oaks (Gr 1, 1m4f) at Epsom to secure a second Classic victory.
In securing the Epsom Group One, Minding became the first filly since Godolphin’s Kazzia (Zinaad) in 2002 to secure the Guineas/Oaks double.
She was then imperious in defeating a field of older mares in the Pretty Polly Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2f) at the Curragh, was not extended to win the Nassau Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2f) at Goodwood, and, having finished third in the Irish Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2f), she rounded off an excellent campaign when dropped back in trip to win the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Gr 1, 1m).
O’Brien enjoyed further Classic success early in the season, thanks to The Gurkha (3 c Galileo – Chintz by Danehill Dancer), who was an impressive winner of the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) (Gr 1, 1600m), this year run at Deauville.
The colt would go on to finish second to Galileo Gold in a tactical St James’s Palace Stakes but gained his revenge on that rival when edging a memorable battle to take the Sussex Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) at Goodwood, though his career was to be cut short after he suffered a displaced colon.
The Jean-Claude Rouget-trained La Cressonniere (3 f Le Havre – Absolute Lady by Galileo) kept the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) (Gr 1, 1600m), however, fending off the challenge of Nathra to win by a length.
The daughter of Le Havre (Noverre) would go on to secure the Prix de Diane (French Oaks) (Gr 1, 2100m) at Chantilly for Rouget, who trained nine Group One winners en route to being crowned French champion trainer.
The Aga Khan had owned and bred the winner of the Derby (Gr 1, 1m4f) on four separate occasions before Harzand (3 c Sea The Stars – Hazariya by Xaar) provided him with a fifth Derby, and a first win since Sinndar (Grand Lodge) was successful 16 years ago, in June.
The result also provided trainer Dermot Weld and jockey Pat Smullen with their first win in the £1,325,000 race, but the horse had to overcome a scare, when injuring a foot on the morning of the race, before getting the better of US Army Ranger (Galileo) by a length and a half.
Harzand went on to confirm himself the best mile and a half colt in Europe when gamely seeing off Idaho (Galileo) by half a length in the Irish Derby (Gr 1, 1m4f), and it was announced at the end of the season that he would join the stallions roster at Gilltown Stud in Ireland next year.
However, the accolade of best three-year-old colt in Europe would be reserved for Jean-Claude Rouget’s Almanzor (3 c Wootton Bassett – Darkova by Maria´s Mon), who secured his first of three Group One victories in the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) (Gr 1, 2100m) in June.
By second season sire Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj), the colt doubled his Group One tally with a stylish victory in a stellar running of the Irish Champion Stakes, a race which featured eight individual Group One winners, coming from off the pace to beat Aidan O’Brien’s subsequent Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Found (Galileo).
Almanzor would again prove too strong for the O’Brien filly in the Champion Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2f) at Ascot, where he showed a smart turn of foot to land the spoils by two lengths on British Champions Day.
With the Classic’s taken care of, attentions were turned to Royal Ascot, where Godolphin’s Ribchester (3 c Iffraaj – Mujarah by Marju), a Group Two winner as a juvenile, would confirm himself a smart colt in the Jersey Stakes (Gr 3, 7f) before going on to land the Prix Jacques le Marois (Gr 1, 1600m) at Deauville and pushing Minding close in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.
Godolphin enjoyed further success at the Royal meeting, with the Charlie Appleby-trained Hawkbill (3 c Kitten´s Joy – Trensa by Giant´s Causeway) taking out the Tercentenary Stakes (Gr 3, 1m2f) en route to a stirring victory over The Gurkha in the Eclipse Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2f) at Sandown the following month.
The Karl Burke-trained Quiet Reflection (3 f Showcasing – My Delirium by Haafhd), who had earlier taken out the Sandy Lane Stakes (Gr 2, 6f) at Haydock in May, won for the first time at Group One level in the Commonwealth Cup (Gr 1, 6f) under former jumps jockey Dougie Costello.
She would go on to run second to Limato (Tagula) in the July Cup (Gr 1, 6f) before blowing the opposition away in the Sprint Cup (Gr 1, 6f) at Haydock, confirming herself a top-class sprinter.
Qemah (3 f Danehill Dancer – Kartica by Rainbow Quest) gave Jean-Claude Rouget another notable success in the Coronation Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) at Royal Ascot, the Al Shaqab Racing filly proving too strong for a smart collection of fillies.
She followed up that success with a clear cut win in the Prix Rothschild (Gr 1, 1600m) at Deauville, but she had no answers to the stunning turn of foot of Alice Springs (3 f Galileo – Aleagueoftheirown by Danehill Dancer) in the Matron Stakes (Gr 1, 1m2f) at Leopardstown at her only start thereafter.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained Alice Springs burst onto the scene with a decisive victory in the Falmouth Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) at Newmarket in July before following up in the Matron and the Sun Chariot Stakes (Gr 1, 1m), though she could never land a blow when last seen in the Breeders’ Cup Mile (Gr 1, 8f) at Santa Anita.
Another O’Brien filly to make a huge impression during the 2016 season was Seventh Heaven (3 f Galileo – La Traviata by Johannesburg), who ran away with the Irish Oaks (Gr 1, 1m4f) in July before lowering the colours of stablemate Found in the Yorkshire Oaks (Gr 1, 1m4f) at York in August.
However, the most heart-warming story was saved for the latter part of the Flat European season, as the unfancied Harbour Law (3 c Lawman – Abunai by Pivotal) won the St Leger Stakes (Gr 1, 1m6.5f), the final British Classic, at Doncaster in September.
Purchased for £30,000 at the Goffs London Sale and trained at Epsom by Laura Mongan, who had never before saddled a Group winner, Harbour Law took advantage of a slip by odds-on favourite Idaho to beat Ventura Storm (Zoffany), a subsequent Premio Jockey Club (Gr 1, 2400m) winner in Italy, in a thrilling finish.