By Tom Frary
Not seen over a mile since finishing an arguably unlucky second in Newmarket's G1 1000 Guineas last May, Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) had all the required pace to come out on top in a competitive renewal of Newbury's G1 Al Shaqab Lockinge S. on Saturday. Well-supported into 10-3 favouritism, the G1 Fillies' Mile and G1 Prix de l'Opera heroine had a perfect pace scenario tracking fellow Ballydoyle group 1 performers Deauville (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Lancaster Bomber (War Front) who pressed on with urgence on a track hugely favouring those on the speed. Committed approaching the final quarter mile by Ryan Moore, the filly was alone in the centre as the veteran Lightning Spear (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) made his bid towards the stand's rail. Typically game and determined on the run to the line, she had her head down where it mattered and the photo revealed it was just the bob of heads which had decided a short verdict. “I thought I'd got there, but I wasn't really sure–it was hard to know,” Moore said. “She's a group 1 winner at two, three and now four and has had an incredible career. She could have won a lot more at three, so this is well deserved.”
While it appeared disappointing at the time, Rhododendron's heavy defeat at the hands of Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in the G1 Epsom Oaks now reads as strong form. The way Susan Magnier's bay moved through that Classic really took the eye and suggested she had lost none of the verve with which she attacked the previous year's Fillies' Mile, where she cut down smart rivals in a heartbeat. In that regard, she was possibly always a strong-staying miler who was stretching beyond her comfort zone but after breaking a blood vessel in the G1 Prix de Diane still managed to come back and annexe the 10-furlong Opera in testing conditions before almost overcoming the widest stall in Del Mar's GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf in November. After a return fourth in the G1 Prix Ganay over a mile and a quarter at ParisLongchamp Apr. 29, it was time to shorten up with Ballydoyle looking to take advantage of a relatively weak older horse mile division.
With a talented squad assembled to escort her through this contest, Rhododendron served notice of her wellbeing with some Zenyatta-style prancing on the way out of the parade ring and the only concern was the slick ground which had led to a front-running bias on the card so far. As usual, her connections were tactically ahead of the curve and while it is probably an exaggeration to say that the race was won in the first furlong the fact that she broke rapidly and was up front with Deauville and Lancaster Bomber to lead her made a major difference to the outcome. When Moore sent her on past that duo with over two to race, she was left isolated with last year's runner-up Lightning Spear edging to the rail after Oisin Murphy had given him a breather two out. Spread apart, it was neck-and-neck all the way inside the last furlong but the Ballydoyle filly majors in toughness and that and her sex allowance narrowly decided the issue on the day.
“After what happened to her in the French Oaks, Aidan and the team have achieved a massive turnaround and it says it all about the people at home to get her back,” Moore added. “She was unlucky in the Guineas, ran into Enable in the Oaks and had she had a better draw at Del Mar would have won there as well.” O'Brien is eyeing Royal Ascot now. “It all worked out the way we thought it would and we had been very happy with her since the last day,” he said. “We hoped she had progressed, but she hadn't been back there [to a mile] since the Guineas. We had hoped she'd move up another little bit whatever she did today and we were thinking of here and then Ascot for the mile [June 19 G1 Queen Anne S.] or mile and a quarter [June 20 G1 Prince of Wales's S.]. We'll speak to Ryan and see what the lads want to do. It is a big team effort and the people who looked after her after France [the Diane] are the ones who made it happen. The lads had unbelievable patience and that made it incredibly easy for us.” Lightning Spear's trainer David Simcock has his horses in top order and was both delighted and disappointed with a fifth placing in group 1 company from Lightning Spear. “I'm very proud and gutted too,” he said. “I was praying and I thought he'd won. He got a great ride–he counted to five first. We're very fond of him and he's never let us down, but I'd really have liked to have won one with him. Fair play to the filly and I suppose we'll go to the Queen Anne now.”
In winning for the third time at the highest level, Rhododendron was equalling the tally of her fellow Aidan O'Brien-trained dam Halfway To Heaven (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) who went on from the Irish 1000 Guineas to capture the Sun Chariot and Nassau trying a mile and a quarter at Goodwood. The latter success was stretching her stamina as far as it goes, with her dam Cassandra Go (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) being the seriously fast sprinter for Trevor Stewart who was running far enough when runner-up to Mozart (Ire) in the 2001 G1 July Cup. This remarkable family also contains the G3 Abernant S. and G3 Sandown Sprint S. winner Tickled Pink (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and the G3 Summer S. winner Theann (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire), who in turn produced the GI First Lady S. and GI Rodeo Drive S. heroine Photo Call (Ire) by Rhododendron's sire Galileo. Cassandra Go is kin to the G3 Coventry S. scorer and G1 Irish 2000 Guineas runner-up Verglas (Ire) (Highest Honor {Fr}) who proved a hit at stud before his untimely demise. Halfway To Heaven has only visited Galileo so far, with her first foal being the G3 International S. winner Flying the Flag (Ire) and her 2015 offering being last year's G2 Debutante S. scorer and G1 Moyglare Stud S. runner-up Magical (Ire). She also has a yearling filly to follow.
Saturday, Newbury, Britain
AL SHAQAB LOCKINGE S.-G1, £350,000, Newbury, 5-19, 4yo/up, 8fT, 1:35.07, g/f.
1–RHODODENDRON (IRE), 123, f, 4, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Halfway To Heaven (Ire) (MG1SW-Eng, G1SW-Ire & G1SP-Fr, $941,139), by Pivotal (GB)
2nd Dam: Cassandra Go (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire)
3rd Dam: Rahaam, by Secreto
O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £198,485. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 2yo Filly-Ire, G1SW-Fr, GSW & G1SP-Ire & GISP-US, 13-5-4-1, $1,715,911. *Full to Magical (Ire), GSW & G1SP-Ire, $246,117, & to Flying the Flag (Ire), GSW-Ire & GSP-SAf, $195,702. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]2–Lightning Spear (GB), 126, h, 7, Pivotal (GB)–Atlantic Destiny (Ire), by Royal Academy. (260,000gns Ylg '12 TAOCT). O-Qatar Racing Ltd; B-Newsells Park Stud (GB); T-David Simcock. £75,250.
3–Lancaster Bomber, 126, c, 4, War Front–Sun Shower (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire). O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Sun Shower Syndicate (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien. £37,660.
Margins: NO, 2 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 3.30, 16.00, 10.00.[bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred”][bullet ad=”irt-shell”]Also Ran: Dutch Connection (GB), Deauville (Ire), Accidental Agent (GB), Suedois (Fr), Addeybb (Ire), Alexios Komnenos (Ire), Limato (Ire), Zonderland (GB), Beat the Bank (GB), Zabeel Prince (Ire), War Decree. Scratched: Lahore, Librisa Breeze (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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