By Tom Frary
3rd-SAN, £6,000, Mdn, 7-26, 2yo, 7fT, 1:33.16, g/s.
RED MIST (GB) (c, 2, Frankel (GB)">Frankel {GB}–Red Dune {Ire} {SP-Eng & Ger, $112,848}, by Red Ransom), sent off the 6-4 favourite after attracting notable support on this debut, was keen early under restraint behind the leaders. Wound up for his challenge soon into the straight, the homebred gained a brief lead approaching the furlong marker before being joined and quickly headed by Bathsheba Bay (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}). Sticking to his guns on the uphill rise to the line, he battled by that rival in the final strides to earn a short-head verdict, with the 420,000gns TATOCT graduate Bold Reason (Ger) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) fading to fourth after attempting to dictate. “He was really green and is a bit of a baby, so Silvestre [de Sousa] rode a lovely race,” trainer Simon Crisford commented. “When the other horse came to him, he wanted it. He is a lovely horse to look forward to for the future–I was hoping to win, but on that ground first time out I was prepared for him to be beaten and at least run a good race. He's always been the most straightforward horse you could imagine at home, so easy to deal with and a nice person. He's a little bit of a sleeper who has crept through the ranks without anyone noticing in the stable, but we saw something a little bit different at the races tonight as he got a bit hot. I think he'll step forward from that quite considerably, but whether it's a conditions race next or a novice I don't know. He has the right sort of pedigree and constitution to go into better races and another race would help enormously. It is 35 years ago that I was at John Dunlops's with Sheikh Ahmed's good horse Wassl winning the Irish Guineas and he has supported me all the way. This is my first runner for him and I have five in total, so it is a great thrill and really exciting.” The winner's dam Red Dune was purchased by John Ferguson for €1,050,000 at the 2006 Goffs Million Sale by virtue of her linkage to the Ballymacoll Stud's best bloodlines. A half to the dam of the G1 Melbourne Cup and G1 Australian Cup-winning Australian champion stayer and G2 Princess of Wales's S. hero Fiorente (Ire) (Monsun {Ger}) whose granddam was the G1 Yorkshire Oaks winner and high-class producer Hellenic (Ire) (Darshaan {GB}), she raced in these silks for Michael Jarvis. A headstrong character who managed two listed placings late in her career, with a second in Ascot's October S. the pick of them over seven furlongs, her first foal was the Godolphin runner Feedyah (Street Cry {Ire}) who was second in the G3 UAE Oaks. She also has a yearling filly by New Approach (Ire) and filly foal by Dubawi (Ire). Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $5,055. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; B-Godolphin (GB); T-Simon Crisford.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
