Another Nunthorpe For Mecca's Angel

Having downed Acapulco (Scat Daddy) in York's G1 Coolmore Nunthorpe S. 12 months ago, David Metcalfe's Mecca's Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) was back on her favoured Knavesmire on Friday to foil another heavily-backed favourite in Limato (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) for back-to-back successes in the sprint highlight. Expertly ridden by Paul Mulrennan, the 9-2 second favourite was just off the pace but without a lead to complicate matters early as the heavily-backed 15-8 market-leader Limato tracked her at just over a length distance. That was as close as he ever got, as after the grey had taken the overall lead passing the quarter pole she was too strong and hit the line with two lengths to spare. “She's an aeroplane on her day–the best,” her rider said. “That was probably her best performance and she's a very special filly. I'd love to say she's complicated and I have to do this and that, but I just have to point her.”

Friday, York, Britain
COOLMORE NUNTHORPE S.-G1, £417,250, YOR, 8-19, 2yo/up, 5fT, :56.24, gd.
1–MECCA'S ANGEL (IRE), 134, m, 5, by Dark Angel (Ire)
1st Dam: Folga (GB) (SP-Eng, $140,774), by Atraf (GB)
2nd Dam: Desert Dawn (GB), by Belfort (Fr)
3rd Dam: Cast Pearls, by Cutlass
(16,000gns Ylg '12 TAOCT). O-David T J Metcalfe; B-Yeomanstown Stud & Doc Bloodstock (IRE); T-Michael Dods; J-Paul Mulrennan. £236,622. Lifetime Record: Hwt. Older Horse-Eur at 5-7f, Hwt. Older Mare-Eur at 5-7f, GSW-Fr & Ire, 18-10-4-0, $954,069. *Full to Markaz (Ire), MGSW-Eng, $238,354. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Limato (Ire), 137, g, 4, Tagula (Ire)–Come April (GB), by Singspiel (Ire). (£41,000 Ylg '13 DNPRM). O-Paul G Jacobs; B-Seamus Phelan (IRE); T-Henry Candy. £89,709.
3–Take Cover (GB), 137, g, 9, Singspiel (Ire)–Enchanted (GB), by Magic Ring (Ire). O/B-Norcroft Park Stud (GB); T-David Griffiths. £44,896.
Margins: 2, 2, NK. Odds: 4.50, 1.85, 25.00.
Also Ran: Cotai Glory (GB), Thesme (GB), Profitable (Ire), Goldream (GB), Sole Power (GB), Brando (GB), Danzeno (GB), Pearl Secret (GB), Goken (Fr), Prince of Lir (Ire), Silver Rainbow (Ire), Easton Angel (Ire), Iffranesia (Fr), Washington Dc (Ire), Out Do (GB), Yalta (Ire). Scratched: Muthmir (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

If opponents of Mecca's Angel had a glimmer of hope that she might have gone off the boil and left the five-furlong category wide-open after her flop when beating only one of her 17 rivals in the G1 King's Stand S. at Royal Ascot June 14, she made it clear on her last start that she was back on song. Her three-length dismissal of the G3 Sandown Sprint S. winner Brando (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) in the G2 Sapphire S. over this trip at The Curragh July 16 suggested that connections were right in putting her Royal reversal down to her being in season. Interestingly, the mare who has become typecast as a mud-lover due to her trainer's past unwillingness to risk her on ground with firm in the description was unable to flow on the rain-softened surface at Ascot, which compounded her problems that day. It was only good-to-soft when she captured this race and also the G3 Prix de Saint-Georges at Longchamp last term and as luck would have it just enough drizzle fell in the build-up to this race to eliminate any prospect of jar.

Banishing the memory of her King's Stand debacle and also the disappointment of her second on her seasonal bow to Profitable (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in the G2 Temple S. also over five at Haydock May 21, it was the Mecca's Angel of Nunthorpe past from the outset as she gave Limato a tow towards the far side with the real pace of the race slightly ahead and to her right. Paul Mulrennan was keen to draw the sting from the G1 July Cup winner who was slipstreaming all the way and asked his mount to extend approaching the quarter pole. In front soon after, she was able to give another surge to settle the result some way out and just miss Dayjur's track record in the process.

Michael Dods has carefully stage-managed Mecca's Angel's career and deserves great credit for not being impulsive with his stable star in the past. As usual, he had to go through his anxious moments leading up to the race. “I had a sleepless night last night, because I knew they weren't going to put any water on and driving here today I got to within half an hour of the track and it was raining,” he explained. “I was happy to let her run, as I knew it would be good ground come the race and this is the ground she wants. She doesn't want it soft–on this she's got another two gears. I said to Paul to just keep it simple, jump, travel, take a lead and when you're happy push the button. She's quickened away and had it won two out.”

Henry Candy was proud of Limato, who did everything right bar match the more pacier winner. “I think he's run as well today as he did at Newmarket and he ran in a straight line, which was nice to see,” he said. “I was very happy where he was and he got a lovely lead and quickened up really well, but that mare is absolutely astonishing over five furlongs and that's the difference between a five-furlong specialist and a six-furlong specialist. I'm still convinced he'd get a mile if necessary, but we needed to see him run a race like that over five furlongs to have any confidence in the Breeders' Cup, so six furlongs over there will be ideal for him.”

Mecca's Angel, who is the bargain purchase of recent years, is a half to the G3 Chipchase S. and G3 Criterion S. winner Markaz who was ironically second to Limato in last year's G2 Park S. Her dam and second dam both achieved black-type, with Desert Dawn considerably better having won the G3 Prix d'Arenberg and finished second in the G3 Norfolk S. Folga's Dark Angel 2-year-old filly named Dirayah (Ire) cost 825,000gns at Tattersalls October and there is an as-yet unnamed yearling full-sister to them both to follow.