By Tom Frary
John Gunther's current run of luck is bordering on the obscene and just days after the colt he bred Justify (Scat Daddy) completed the Triple Crown he was able to live out a longtime dream of owning a Royal Ascot homebred winner as Without Parole (GB) (Frankel {GB}) justified 9-4 favouritism in the G1 St James's Palace S. Unbeaten and brimming with potential for a John Gosden-Frankie Dettori axis in firm forward motion, the Listed Heron S. scorer used US Navy Flag (War Front) as a bullseye before having another Ballydoyle delegate Gustav Klimt (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) come at him but at the line the verdict was his by a half length. “In all the 20 years I have been coming to Royal Ascot, my dream was just to have a horse run but then we start in a group one and do it. I don't know what to say,” Gunther said as he stood alongside his daughter Tanya. “This does mean more [than breeding Justify] and always will. This was the most important and means everything to me. To be able to mate the mare to Frankel, with Juddmonte giving me that nomination even though the mare was unproven. To go through all that and then watch Without Parole being raised as a yearling was so special. Juddmonte allowing me to breed that mare to Frankel meant everything, believe me, because I love Frankel so much.”
Bursting on to the scene on Newcastle's Tapeta nine days before Christmas, Without Parole cut an unlikely St James's Palace winner at that stage even allowing for the obvious exhibition of his raw material. Next seen in another novice contest, this time at the seaside venue of Yarmouth Apr. 24 when the wet British spring relented to open a window of fast ground for him, the bay excited the clock-studiers in particular as he repeated his debut six-length win and a 2000 Guineas tilt was announced. In the event, he was forced to sidestep an encounter with Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) with a bruise to his off-fore and consequently entered the Heron at Sandown with the minimum of work behind him. Dealing with rain-softened ground and smart opposition in that May 24 prep for this race, he had enjoyed a flawless build-up to the Royal meeting and public confidence remained strong despite support for US Navy Flag.
Ryan Moore set about making it a true test on last year's champion juvenile from his wide stall and if he had gone fast through the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas he was like the proverbial hare in this contest. Wisely, Dettori sat a few lengths back and his more even effort began to pay off as Moore's gamble failed in early straight. With US Navy Flag dropping back quickly, Without Parole was left in front a shade prematurely heading to the furlong marker as the stable's Calyx (GB) (Kingman {GB}) had been an hour earlier. As with that dynamic juvenile, Frankie faced little choice than to commit and be brave and the final furlong must have seemed to drag for him as a resurgent Gustav Klimt bore down on him near the line. They pulled 3 1/4 lengths clear of Wootton (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who again was too free as he had been in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains, with the G1 2000 Guineas runner-up Tip Two Win (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Irish Guineas hero Romanised (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) well beaten as the 3-year-old miling division finally sorted itself out.
“US Navy Flag had gone and Frankie had to go after him, but in the end he went a bit soon and then of course with Aidan there is always another arrow at your back,” Gosden said. “Without Parole is a grand horse and there were no hiding places in that race. It was proper, proper group one pace. I think he is still on the up and still learning–at the moment he has a bigger middle than me, which is not a good thing in a racehorse!” Regarding the future, Gosden was looking at eventually stepping up. “I think he could stay at a mile or go up,” he continued. “I think he was green on the bend and he's so lazy at home–I've never seen a horse eat and sleep like it, which is a great, great thing in a racehorse. I think he will improve, he'll get sharper and I think he will get a little further too.”
Dettori recounted the final moments of an ultimately strong renewal in which the cream rose to the top. “I had to move because Ryan Moore in front is always very dangerous and then when I got to him, I looked up and thought 'I'm a sitting duck here', but in fairness Without Parole answered every call of mine,” he explained. “He has only run four times and to do what he did was great. He's a lovely horse with a big future. The guys who watched him going to the start will have seen that he moves so good. That race will have made a man of him and what a horse he is–this is the first proper race he has had.” Wootton's rider Mickael Barzalona said, “He was rather tense and too keen early on. He had a few little traffic problems, but it didn't help with the way he raced.”
With the obvious turf targets such as the G1 Sussex S. at Goodwood, G1 Prix Jacques le Marois and G1 Juddmonte International in August, Without Parole who gave his sire his first Royal Ascot group 1 win here and who has a similar “from nowhere” feel to Justify has further opportunities to enhance his ranking but there is potential in his pedigree for a switch to dirt should connections opt for that avenue. His unraced dam, whose first foal was the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and G2 Godolphin Mile winner Tamarkuz (Speightstown), is a half to the GI Travers S., GI Cigar Mile H. and GII Jim Dandy S. hero Stay Thirsty (Bernardini) and fellow sires by Fusaichi Pegasus in Andromeda's Hero and Superfly. The third dam Make Change (Roberto) was runner-up in the GI Mother Goose S., GI Ladies H., GI Alabama S., GI Hempstead H. and GI Monmouth Oaks, while her grandson Age of Reason (UAE) (Halling) also finished in that spot in the G1 Gran Premio di Milano. Famously bought back at the Tattersalls October Sale, he could be only at the beginning of a fairytale for his owner-breeders. On a huge day for Without You Babe (Lemon Drop Kid), her 2-year-old filly by Kingman (GB) named She's Got You (GB) now holds extra credibility thanks to Calyx's exploits, while she also has a yearling filly by Oasis Dream (GB).
Tuesday, Royal Ascot, Britain
ST JAMES'S PALACE S.-G1, £538,750, Ascot, 6-19, 3yo, c, 7f 213yT, 1:38.64, g/f.
1–WITHOUT PAROLE (GB), 126, c, 3, by Frankel%20(GB)#tot">Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Without You Babe, by Lemon Drop Kid
2nd Dam: Marozia, by Storm Bird
3rd Dam: Make Change, by Roberto
1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (650,000gns RNA Ylg '16
TATOCT). O-John Gunther & Tanya Gunther; B-John Gunther
(GB); T-John Gosden; J-Lanfranco Dettori. £305,525. Lifetime
Record: 4-4-0-0, $446,209. *1/2 to Tamarkuz (Speightstown),
GISW-US & MGSP-UAE, $1,840,444. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. [bullet ad=”glennwood-raced-by-mating-planned”]2–Gustav Klimt (Ire), 126, c, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Massarra (GB),
'TDN Rising Star' by Danehill. O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor
& Derrick Smith; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (IRE);
T-Aidan O'Brien. £115,831.
3–Wootton (Fr), 126, c, 3, Wootton Bassett (GB)–American
Nizzy (Fr), by American Post (GB). O-Godolphin SNC; B-SARL
Ecurie Haras de Quetieville (FR); T-Henri-Alex Pantall. £57,970.
Margins: HF, 3 1/4, HD. Odds: 2.25, 8.00, 8.00.
Also Ran: Tip Two Win (GB), Kings Shield, Gabr (GB), Romanised (Ire), Threeandfourpence, U S Navy Flag, Chilean (GB).
Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
