4th-LIN, £19,000, Cond, 12-6, 3yo/up, 10f (AWT), 2:04.01, st.
TOAST OF NEW YORK (h, 6, Thewayyouare–Claire Soleil, by Syncline), who was staging a belated comeback having last been seen finishing runner-up in the 2014 GI Breeders' Cup Classic, led initially before accepting a lead after the early stages. Back in front with over two furlongs to race, the 2-1 second favourite who sported a hood showed his old tenacity to ward off Petite Jack (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) and win by a length. Initially retired after sustaining a tendon injury during his preparation for the 2015 G1 Dubai World Cup, Toast of New York covered mares in Doha with 10 in foal before the decision was made to bring him back to the track.
Trainer Jamie Osborne said of the former G2 UAE Derby winner who was also runner-up in the GI Pacific Classic, “I'm just hugely relieved. It's an unusual task, so it's a relief we were able to get him to the point of doing what he's done.”
Adding of the winner, who bucked with Frankie Dettori before the start, “He hasn't beaten bad horses there, they were all rated over 100. Obviously, with the feeling that he might need the run, we were a little bit cautious in how aggressive we were through the race. He's only set foot on dirt once in his life, but put up the performance of his life and I have no doubt he's a better horse on dirt. He's the only 6-year-old entire I've had, not surprisingly, and interestingly, looking at him on TV today from the Newmarket sales, I thought he looked very fat, but he's actually only five kilos heavier than when he ran at Santa Anita. We can tune him a bit more yet and as long as he's sound in the morning and his leg is fine, we'll make a plan from there.” Connections are considering a tilt at either the Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 27 or Dubai World Cup on Mar. 31 or possibly the All-Weather Championship Finals at Lingfield on Good Friday.
“There's an awful lot to be decided and I'll have to speak to the team, but if we ended up going the Pegasus route we wouldn't have a run before it,” Osborne concluded.
The dam, who also has an as-yet unraced 2-year-old filly by Speightstown, a yearling colt by Declaration of War and a filly foal by Bernardini, was the product of a smart dirt performer in Claire Marine (Ire) (What a Guest {Ire}) who took the GI Matriarch S., GI Beverly Hills H., GII Palomar H. and GII Wilshire H. Sales history: $35,000 Ylg '12 KEEJAN; €60,000 RNA Ylg '12 GOFORB. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-UAE at 9 1/2-11f, GSW-UAE & MGISP-US, 9-4-3-0, $2,359,014. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
O-Al Shaqab Racing; B-Ashleigh Stud Farm, Frank Ramos & Jackie Ramos (KY); T-Jamie Osborne.[bullet ad=”hunter-valley-sold-by-hv-for-ashleigh-stud”][bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred-keen-grad”]
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