Now we know why Kevin Buckley was sent to Doncaster, writes Tony Stafford. Few trainers or owners would miss the chance of a ninth ST army, a third in a row, and a possible 1-2-3 to start up, probably enough to complete another British trainers title.
No, while the British representative of the boys in the city of Moor was to view another routine classical victory, the Big Guns in Leopardstown, where Derby Flop Delacroix hit a good career at 10 Furlongs in July by adding the Irish Champion Stakes in the Coral-Eclipse.
Meanwhile, earlier in the afternoon, Woeste Lambourn, who had benefited from the discomfort of Delacroix at Epsom, back to Doncaster, but again wilted in the final phase, as was the case in the Great Voliors in York. His final fourth place, behind determined Outsider Rahiebb and his second Stablemate residence, was an honest achievement, without perhaps the authority expected from a double derby winner.
That was perhaps the intended route for Delacroix when he was on Epsom under Ryan Moore. In retrospect, however, for his future stallion competitions, two top group 1 victories at ten Furlong’s immeasurably better cash register for potential owners of Elite Merries than the type of mix of Epsom on that first Saturday in June.
The future of Lambourn is perhaps further. As an alternative, as was the case for its predecessor, surprising winner of the Covid Derby, Serpentine, a change of location in Australia and a future doll at the Melbourne Cup can be on the maps.
But no confusion for Delacroix, which seems to see that we have seen for the last time. As Aidan O’Brien said after his defeat of the two stylish seven -year -old -year -olds Anzin and Royal Champion, he was booked for a place at Coolmore Stud. “We waited a long time for a Dubawi.” No wonder, with all those Galileo mares waiting for a suitable freer back in the velvet paddocks of Tipperary.
After he was probably disappointed by his first pair of journeys such as the Ryan Moore replacement without a victory, Christophe Soumillon finally received the financial reward that his “Have Saddle Will Travel” initiative had expected.
The first prize in the Irish Champion Stakes was € 712K where the Belgian will also collect the share of the rider of the combined € 147K for winning the two Invenraces for young people on the Luipaardstown card. Diamond Necklace looked a smart marefish in the listed event, while in group 2, five-length winner Benvenuto Cellini broadcast an early signal for next year’s derby.
It must be a warning for Irish racing that the race of a mile could collect only three opponents for the 2/1 on Chance of Aidan, especially because all three were trained by Aidan’s sons Joseph and Donnacha, whose connections are far from negligible € 47k for their pain.
I would have been on Doncaster in the normal way of things and it was difficult not to admire the fighting qualities of the Tom Marquand-affected Scandinavia in the last classic of the British season, but it should not have been a surprise after his defeat of older residence in the Goodwood Cup.
The collective £ 510k earned by the St. Army Trio certainly places the championship beyond Andrew Balding, although Kingsclere’s master remained through the entire week, again benefit from the skills of Oisin Murphy.
Scandinavia had comfortably beaten the Gosden-Train Sweet William in the Goodwood Cup and the easy victory of that older horse in the Doncaster Cup on Friday, named after my old daily Telegraaf-Adjunct Howard Wright, should have been enough to strengthen the references of the favorite.
Howard, who died earlier this year, had never missed a ST army day since he was brought to the track 80 years ago as a toddler. Now that sponsors Betfred are attaching his name to the longest race of the meeting, there is no reason why he should be with us there for many years.
At the end of the game on Saturday, the margin in favor of Ballydoyle over Balding was extended to an almost indisputable £ 750k and Andrew will have to win at least three of the races on Champions Day on Ascot next month, as well as some nice handicaps in the meantime to overcome that shortage. Not that Aidan will not interfere!
On the same day, one of my favorite horses ran in one of my favorite handicaps. The handicap of Portland about 5F140Y is something of the journey of a specialist and there is no doubt that Jim Goldie’s horses know how to win it.
On Saturday, Jim’s eternal sunshine set his neck out to make three wins in the last four running of the race (one of them via a profession). In addition, he denied another large Sprint Handicap victory for the Peter Charalambous Legend Apollo One. An ordinary big player in many valuable sprints in the past three seasons, he seems back to his best and nothing would please me more than if he could turn another one to the end of the season.
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