By Tom Frary
Newmarket's July festival marks the arrival of the juveniles from the major yards with Classic pretensions and Friday's Weatherbys British EBF Maiden S. could prove a hotbed for some likely types with that in mind. Godolphin were four-strong and Ballydoyle were represented by the 2-1 favourite Mount Tabora (Scat Daddy) in the race that was won by future group-winning sires Elusive Pimpernel (Elusive Quality) and Native Khan (Fr) (Azamour {Ire}) and in which Postponed (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) was fifth on his debut five years ago.
William Buick's mount Art Du Val (GB) (No Nay Never) was withdrawn at the start after being upset in the stalls and it was his lesser-fancied stablemate Al Hilalee (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) who stepped up to the fly the flag for the Charlie Appleby yard. A son of the G1 Pretty Polly S. heroine Ambivalent (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}), he travelled kindly towards the rear but was well in touch racing up the centre. Jinking right away from the whip inside the final quarter mile, the bay gathered his composure to grab the lead approaching the furlong pole and stayed on to score by 3 1/4 lengths from Al Mureib (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who nosed out Mount Tabora.
Appleby, who saddles another TDN Rising Star by this sire in Quorto (Ire) in Saturday's G2 Superlative S. here, said, “As an individual you cannot fault him, his work has been nice at home. We'll get him home and see where we are, but I have it in the back of my mind that he could be a horse for something like the [G1] Racing Post Trophy later in the season. He's got a bright future.”
As well as winning the Pretty Polly, the quirky Ambivalent also captured the G2 Middleton S. and was third in the G1 Coronation Cup and G1 Dubai Sheema Classic. Al Hilalee is her first foal, while she also has a yearling full-sister and a 2018 filly by Sea the Stars (Ire). She is a half to two other black-type performers and also Diary (Ire) (Green Desert), whose progeny include the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp hero Total Gallery (Ire) (Namid {GB}) and the G1 Fillies' Mile runner-up Lady Darshaan (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}). The third dam Flamenco (Dance Spell) captured the G3 Waterford Candelabra S., which is now known as the Prestige, and was also runner-up in this meeting's G3 Child S., now the Falmouth.
5th-Newmarket, £12,000, Mdn, 7-13, 2yo, c/g, 7fT, 1:26.00, g/f.
AL HILALEE (GB), c, 2, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Ambivalent (Ire) (G1SW-Ire, GSW & G1SP-Eng, G1SP-UAE & GSP-Tur, $1,014,955), by Authorized (Ire)
2nd Dam: Darrery (GB), by Darshaan (GB)
3rd Dam: Flamenco, by Dance Spell
Sales history: 300,000gns Ylg '17 TATOCT. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $10,252. O-Godolphin; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Limited (GB); T-Charlie Appleby. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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