Fastnet Rock's Rivet Makes All in the Racing Post Trophy

RIVETTING STUFF ON TOWN MOOR

    Bouncing back from a fifth in Newmarket's Oct. 8 G1 Dewhurst S., Rivet (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) provided jockey Andrea Atzeni with a fourth straight renewal of Saturday's G1 Racing Post Trophy in game fashion at Doncaster's Town Moor track. Last month's G2 Champagne S. victor bounded along in a smooth rhythm on the lead from the outset of this straight mile test. Coming under pressure as a wall of rivals loomed large passing the quarter-mile marker, the 11-4 second favourite kept on resolutely for continued urging and was firmly on top in the closing stages to account for 11-8 chalk Yucatan (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) by 1 3/4 lengths, with the running-on Salouen (Ire) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}) a neck further adrift in third. “We changed [hold-up] tactics [from Newmarket] and I just let him stride on and enjoy it,” explained Atzeni after adding to his scores aboard Kingston Hill (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), Elm Park (GB) (Phoenix Reach {Ire}) and Marcel (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}). “It would have taken a good one to get by him as he's very genuine and stays well. He's a lovely, big, scopey horse and he'll definitely go on. Fair play to the team for running him as he was a little disappointing in the Dewhurst,” the rider added.

Saturday, Doncaster, Britain

RACING POST TROPHY-G1, £200,000, DON, 10-22, 2yo, 8fT, 1:37.08, gd.

1–&RIVET (IRE), 127, c, 2, by Fastnet Rock (Aus)

1st Dam: Starship (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)

2nd Dam: Council Rock (GB), by General Assembly

3rd Dam: Dancing Rocks (GB), by Green Dancer

O-The Starship Partnership; B-Des Scott (IRE); T-William Haggas; J-Andrea Atzeni. £113,420. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, $265,998. *1/2 to Alexander Pope (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), GSW-Ire & GSP-Eng, $241,167. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.

2–Yucatan (Ire), 127, c, 2, Galileo (Ire)–Six Perfections (Fr), by Celtic Swing (GB). O-Flaxman Stables/Susan Magnier/Michael Tabor/Derrick Smith; B-Niarchos Family (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £43,000.

3–Salouen (Ire), 127, c, 2, Canford Cliffs (Ire)–Gali Gal (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). (€85,000 Ylg '15 GOFSPT). O-Hiran Balasuriya; B-Silvercon Edgerodge Ltd (IRE); T-Sylvester Kirk. £21,520.

Margins: 1 3/4, NK, NK. Odds: 2.75, 1.35, 16.00.

Also Ran: Raheen House (Ire), Brutal (Ire), Sir Dancealot (Ire), Finn McCool (Ire), Bay of Poets (Ire), Contrapposto (Ire), The Anvil (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

Rivet got off the mark in his second go, backing up a runner-up finish at Ascot on debut July 22 with a decisive triumph in York's storied Convivial Maiden Aug. 19, and remained on a steep upward trajectory going seven furlongs in the G2 Champagne S. at this track Sept. 10, but was unable to feature over the same trip in Newmarket's Oct. 8 G1 Dewhurst S. in his only other start. “It didn't go right for him [at Newmarket] last time as he was a bit keen and we were in behind,” said assistant trainer Maureen Haggas. “We were beholden to someone else's pace [then], so William [Haggas] said if there wasn't the pace we wanted to do our own thing and Andrea [Atzeni] did it brilliantly. The main thing was to get him to relax, which he did perfectly, and he looked to be really enjoying it. All the horses we've had out of the mare [Starship] have had very good minds and he's the same. He's got the right way about him and is very laid-back. He never overdoes it at home so you can run them. He's taking his racing well, looks well and the ground wasn't bottomless. I think we'll start off at a mile next year, but he didn't enjoy Newmarket much. It will be up to William and the owners, so we could avoid Newmarket and look at France or Ireland. My father [Lester Piggott] bred him with Mr Magnier, he's won a Group 1 and a Group 2, so it's very special.”

With Andrea Atzeni acting as Ballydoyle's nemesis in this once again, Aidan O'Brien's quest for an eighth triumph remains on hold after saddling a fourth straight second in Britain's final Group 1 of the year. “Yucatan ran very well and I am very happy with him,” O'Brien told Racing Post. “It was only his fourth start and you have to be happy, the winner looks a very nice horse. He ran all the way to the line, we are delighted with him and he will be a lovely middle-distance horse for next year. That is what we always thought he would be.” Salouen, who had run second in Chantilly's G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on Arc day earlier in the month, doubled his top-level placings with a late burst which carried him into third on the line. “Salouen ran a stormer,” trainer Sylvester Kirk told the trade daily. “I thought he was going to be fifth or sixth and he made up a lot of ground in the last half furlong on ground he didn't like. It was a really good run and it bodes well for the future.”

Rivet, whose half-brother is G3 Gallinule S. winner and G2 King Edward VII S. third Alexander Pope (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), later renamed Packing Tycoon in Hong Kong, is out of a half-sister to former Haggas stable incumbent Superstar Leo (Ire) (College Chapel {GB}), who was Europe's champion juvenile filly off the back of a campaign which featured wins in the G2 Flying Childers S. and G3 Norfolk S., as well as seconds in the G1 Phoenix S. and G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp, taking on elders in the latter. Her own progeny include G3 Molecomb S. and G3 King George S. winner Enticing (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), and the stakes-winning G3 Jersey S. runner-up Sentaril (GB) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), while her half-sister New York (Ire) (Danzero {Aus}) produced G1 Turnbull S. winner December Draw (Ire) (Medecis {GB}). Under Rivet's G2 Nassau S.-winning third dam Dancing Rocks (GB) (Green Dancer) is G1 Yorkshire Oaks third Rockerlong (GB) (Deploy {GB}) and G3 Prestige S. heroine Glatisant (GB) (Rainbow Quest), herself dam of G1 2000 Guineas-winning sire Footstepsinthesand (GB) and G1 Phoenix S. hero Pedro the Great (Henrythenavigator). Among their half-siblings is the listed-winning and G2 Dahlia S. third Belle d'Or (Medaglia d'Oro) and Frappe (Ire) (Inchinor {GB}), the latter being dam of G1 Irish 2000 Guineas and G1 National S.-winning sire Power (GB), GI E. P. Taylor S. and G2 Ribblesdale S. heroine Curvy (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), and Thakafaat (Ire) (Unfuwain), who also prevailed in the Ribblesdale. Starship has also produced a yearling colt by Declaration of War.