By Tom Frary
Confidently backed into favouritism to get Ballydoyle off the mark at the May meeting, last year's GI Belmont Derby winner Deauville led from pillar to post to secure another pattern-race success at this fixture for his sire, stable and jockey. Galileo's record in group races around the “Roodeye” is 10 winners from 21 runners, with seven others filling the placings and it is a record that the Chester faithful take seriously especially when his representative has the best form in the race. That is the case with the still lightly-raced Deauville, whose career-defining moment in New York came between a second in the G2 Dante S. at York in May and third in the GI Arlington Million. A length second to Ulysses (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G3 Gordon Richards S. over this 10-furlong trip at Sandown last time Apr. 28, the bay had quicker conditions this time and put his rivals instantly on the back foot with a rapid break to bag the all-important lead and rail advantage. Placing rival after rival under pressure before the home turn, his only real threat arrived via the Stoute representative Poet's Word, but he had enough left to hold on and continue the charmed run of connections.
For Ryan Moore, the start was key. “He jumped a length and a half quicker than them all and then I was able to get into a very comfortable rhythm and do what I wanted to do,” he said. “He loves fast ground and a track like this and was a grade one winner who knows how to race, so he was able to control it.” Aidan O'Brien added, “We will look at the Curragh [for May 28 G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup] and [Royal] Ascot [for the June 21 G1 Prince of Wales's S.] and we'll try to split our horses up if we can. He's a very versatile horse and a mile and a quarter is probably as far as he wants to go. He's a very professional, straightforward, genuine and sound horse.”
Deauville's useful dam has also produced the Corsican (Ire), who was the result of the first of her ongoing dates with Galileo. Successful in the G3 Newbury Arc Trial, he was also fourth in the 2015 G1 Prince of Wales's S. The dam is a half to Callwood Dancer (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), champion grass mare in Canada and winner of the GII Nassau S. and runner-up in the GI E. P. Taylor S., as well as the G2 Oaks d'Italia heroine Contredanse (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}). The third dam Dish Dash, who was successful in the G2 Ribblesdale S., produced the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S.-winning sire Maroof and was also responsible for the dam of this stable's Desert King (Ire) who was at the forefront of the revival of Ballydoyle in 1997 when completing the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas-Irish Derby double. His unraced half-sister Dawn Attack (Ire) (Fantastic Light) is the dam of four black-type performers headed by the MGSW and G1SP Hazard (Aus) (Flying Spur {Aus}). Walklikeanegyptian has a 2-year-old full-brother and yearling full-sister to the winner to come.
Thursday, Chester, Britain
SPORTINGBET.COM HUXLEY S.-G3, £75,000, CHE, 5-11, 4yo/up, 10f 70yT, 2:10.22, gd.
1–DEAUVILLE (IRE), 126, c, 4, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Walklikeanegyptian (Ire) (GSP-US), by Danehill
2nd Dam: Ahdaab, by Rahy
3rd Dam: Dish Dash (GB), by Bustino (GB)
O-Fitri Hay, Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier & Derrick Smith; B-Mrs Fitri Hay; T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £42,533. Lifetime Record: GISW-US & GSW-Ire, 11-4-3-1, $982,269. *Full to The Corsican (Ire), GSW-Eng, $268,341. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]2–Poet's Word (Ire), 126, c, 4, Poet's Voice (GB)–Whirly Bird (GB), by Nashwan. (300,000gns Ylg '14 TAOCT). O-Saeed Suhail; B-Woodcote Stud Ltd. (IRE); T-Sir Michael Stoute. £16,125.
3–Folkswood (GB), 126, g, 4, Exceed and Excel (Aus)–Magic Nymph (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). (160,000gns Ylg '14 TAOCT). O-Godolphin; B-Hascombe & Valiant Studs (GB); T-Charlie Appleby. £8,070.
Margins: NK, 2 3/4, 2. Odds: 1.50, 4.00, 3.30.
Also Ran: Gabrial (Ire), Snoano (GB), Royal Artillery. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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