Danehill Dancer's Qemah Prevails in the Duke of Cambridge

Qemah | racingfotos.com

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   Al Shaqab Racing's Qemah (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who annexed last year's G1 Coronation S. at this meet and the G1 Prix Rothschild at Deauville, lined up for Wednesday's G2 Duke of Cambridge S. at Royal Ascot coming off a third in Leopardstown's Sept. 10 G1 Matron S. and a second in last month's G3 Chartwell Fillies' S. at Lingfield. Reserved off the pace in rear initially, the 5-2 favourite inched ever closer from halfway and was driven out once quickening smartly to challenge approaching the final eighth to comfortably hold Aljazzi (GB) (Shamardal) by 3/4 of a length. Last year's winner and 11-4 second choice Usherette (Ire) (Shamardal) was shuffled back through rivals after breaking with the leaders and closed fast and late to finish a neck further back in third. “She was a little too excited before her run at Lingfield last time, but was very quiet today,” explained winning rider Gregory Benoist. “She was ready for this race, the pace and ground suited her and she had a good day. She goes on any ground and is a very good filly.” Trainer Jean-Claude Rouget added, “I was happy beforehand as she was a different proposition from the one which ran at Lingfield. We will now look to the [July 30 G1] Prix Rothschild at Deauville and the [Sept. 9 G1] Matron S. [at Leopardstown] after that.”

 

Wednesday, Royal Ascot, Britain
DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE S.-G2, £201,500, ASC, 6-21, 4yo/up, f/m, 8fT, 1:38.34, g/f.
1–QEMAH (IRE), 126, f, 4, by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
1st Dam: Kartica (GB) (GSP-Fr, $132,100), by Rainbow Quest
2nd Dam: Cayman Sunset (Ire), by Night Shift
3rd Dam: Robinia, by Roberto
(€200,000 Ylg '14 ARAUG). O-Al Shaqab Racing; B-Ecurie Cadran Bissons SAS IEI (IRE); T-Jean-Claude Rouget; J-Gregory Benoist. £114,271. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Fr & Eng, 10-5-2-3, $876,667. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”mandore-purchased-by”]
2–Aljazzi (GB), 126, f, 4, Shamardal–Nouriya (GB), by Danehill Dancer (Ire). O-Saleh Al Homaizi & Imad Al Sagar; B-Saleh Al Homaizi & Imad Al Sagar (GB); T-Marco Botti. £43,323.
3–Usherette (Ire), 126, m, 5, Shamardal–Monday Show, by Maria's Mon. O-Godolphin S.N.C.; B-Darley (IRE); T-Andre Fabre. £21,681.
Margins: 3/4, NK, 3/4. Odds: 2.50, 40.00, 2.75.
Also Ran: Smart Call (SAf), Aim to Please (Fr), Turret Rocks (Ire), Dawn of Hope (Ire), Pirouette (GB), Greta G (Arg), Furia Cruzada (Chi), Same Jurisdiction (SAf), Mix and Mingle (Ire), Opal Tiara (Ire), Summer Icon (GB). Scratched: Absolute Blast (Ire), Laugh Aloud (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
   Qemah, who closed her juvenile campaign in 2015 with a third in Longchamp's G1 Prix Marcel Boussac, opened her sophomore term last year with victory in Chantilly's G3 Prix de la Grotte and hit the board in Deauville's G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches before registering a Group 1 double in the summer. “She needed her run at Lingfield last time to get the buzziness out of her, but she was calmer today and much more settled,” commented Al Shaqab's racing manager Harry Herbert. “Gregory said she was the same filly this year as when she won the Coronation S. [at this meeting last year]. She is a high-class filly and, as a Group 1-winning filly running in here without a penalty, she should have been winning this. It was fantastic viewing and the conditions of the race suited her. She still had to do it on the day, but she was very impressive.”
   Runner-up Aljazzi, who bagged the Listed Snowdrop Fillies' S. at Kempton earlier this term, appears set for a Stateside adventure according to trainer Marco Botti, who said, “I actually thought dropping back to a mile would be her best trip. She likes the [good-to-firm] ground and tries very hard. It's great that she's got some [more] black type. We try to achieve as much black type as we can so we might aim for something in America like the [GI] Beverley D. S. [at Arlington Park] in August. She wants a bit of time between races and she obviously had a hard race today so we aren't in a rush to do anything.”
   Qemah is one of two scorers, and the leading performer, out of G3 Prix Fille de l'Air placegetter Kartica (GB) (Rainbow Quest). Her second dam is the stakes-winning MGSP British highweight Cayman Sunset (Ire) (Night Shift), herself kin to the Group-placed I'm Supposin (Posen) and Tarfaa (Ire) (Night Shift), who were produced by a winning half-sister to MG1SP Seal Ring (Known Fact).

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