By Tom Frary
Left out of most equations following his fourth in the Champagne, Yuesheng Zhang's Gewan (Night Of Thunder) bounced back in style on unseasonably quick ground to cause a 25-1 upset in Saturday's G1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes. Always in the front line under James Doyle, the Andrew Balding-trained grey who had earlier won the Acomb at York drifted over to the stand's rail but maintained his momentum to deny Ballydoyle's well-backed 7-4 favourite Gstaad (Starspangledbanner) by 3/4 of a length. Godolphin's Distant Storm (Night Of Thunder) was 1 1/2 lengths away in third.
“The Champagne was on slow ground and he moved beautifully on the way to post–he has a nice, flowing action so I can see why soft ground at Doncaster didn't suit him,” James Doyle said. “He is very straightforward to deal with and he found an early rhythm, which is so important on this track.”
“He really whooshed down into the dip and I let him flow down into it as Kieren Fallon says he used to like doing,” he added. “Track is fine and a mile will be fine, so the Guineas is there for him–he's very uncomplicated and has ticks in all the boxes. There was no fluke whatsoever about that, he felt like a good horse”
Intriguingly, Gewan had won the same Newbury novice as Andrew Balding's 2022 Dewhurst winner Chaldean and followed the same path as that subsequent 2,000 Guineas hero when winning the Acomb. Disappointing behind Puerto Rico in the Champagne, which the Frankel colt had also garnered three years ago, he was back on track here.
This race was won either side of halfway, as the winner began to turn it on from a more advantageous position than the runner-up. Gewan was fractionally slower over each of the last three furlongs than Gstaad, who was restrained early by Christophe Soumillon after showing keenness. Distant Storm was a shade too far out of his ground to get involved, while the unbeaten July Stakes, Vintage Stakes and National Stakes winner Zavateri (Without Parole) looked all at sea coming down into the dip and appeared to run out of steam late as he finished fourth.
“We were saying before the race that he was overpriced, because his York performance was very good and we thought you had to forgive him Doncaster,” Balding said. “He was given a brilliant ride by James and he's a very good horse. The soft ground didn't help at Doncaster, but I don't think it was just that, for whatever reason he wasn't at his best.”
“He's very similar to Chaldean–the only thing he hasn't done is win at Doncaster,” he added. “If you could forgive that Doncaster run he came here with every chance as the Acomb form was rock-solid. It's a relief, but his work at home suggested he would play a part today.”
Aidan O'Brien said of the runner-up, who was filling that spot for the third consecutive time at this level, “He ran really well, he ran a lovely race. I think going up to a mile next season will be fine for him, he will be older and stronger. He's run in lots of good races this year and he just keeps bumping into one, but he's still run well and I'm very happy with him. I think he will be one for the Guineas, any of the three.”
Charlie Appleby said of Distant Storm, who posted the race's fastest sectional when putting in a 11.07 penultimate split before paying for that in the last furlong, “We were a little bit drawn into a Dewhurst on the back of his win last time and he will be given the winter to develop and strengthen now. William said that, among those horses, he felt as though immaturity was coming out a bit.”
“He has lost nothing in defeat and we will put him away for the winter and bring him out in the spring and decide whether to go for a Craven or have a racecourse gallop and come for the Guineas,” he added. “He switched off lovely and the last twice he has raced the right way around. I think he is a horse that will be in contention as a Guineas horse in the spring.”
Eve Johnson Houghton said of Zavateri, “He's run a perfectly fine race and if you said to us this time last year we would be fourth in the Dewhurst we would have bitten your hand off. He's won a Group 1 and already got that in the bag and he possibly didn't handle the track, but he's going to have to learn to handle it if he's going to come back here for the Guineas–that is still the dream over the winter.”
“Charlie [Bishop] said he just didn't come out of the dip very well, but that can happen here,” she added. “It's been amazing and I can't be anything but happy. We've all been dreaming the dream with him and I'm confident we'll still have a great horse next year.”
Pedigree Notes
Gewan, who capped another big day for his sire, is the second foal out of the Listed-placed Grey Mystere (Lethal Force) who is kin to another Listed-placed filly in Ginalyah (Chachnak). The third dam Cracovie (Caerleon) produced the G1 Prix Saint-Alary heroine Coquerelle (Zamindar) and the G3 Prix du Lys winner Spring Master (Mastercraftsman) and is the third dam of the recent G3 Sceptre Stakes scorer Fair Angellica (Harry Angel). From the dynasty of Roi Normand, Trampoli and Luth Dancer, Grey Mystere also has a son of the former Dewhurst winner Native Trail entered in the upcoming Tattersalls December Foal Sale.
Saturday, Newmarket, Britain
DARLEY DEWHURST STAKES-G1, £500,000, Newmarket, 10-11, 2yo, 7fT, 1:23.39, g/f.
1–GEWAN (GB), 129, c, 2, by Night Of Thunder (Ire)
1st Dam: Grey Mystere (GB) (SP-Fr), by Lethal Force (Ire)
2nd Dam: Creamcake, by Mr. Greeley
3rd Dam: Cracovie (GB), by Caerleon
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (100,000gns Ylg '24 TATOCT; €80,000 2yo
'25 ARQBRU). O-Yuesheng Zhang; B-Overbury Stallions Ltd &
Dukes Stud; T-Andrew Balding; J-James Doyle. £283,550.
Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, $524,587. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Gstaad (GB), 129, c, 2, Starspangledbanner (Aus)–Mosa Mine
(GB), by Exceed And Excel (Aus). (450,000gns Wlg '23
TADEWE). O-Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier & Michael
Tabor; B-Maywood Stud; T-Aidan O'Brien. £107,500.
3–Distant Storm (GB), 129, c, 2, Night Of Thunder (Ire)–Date
With Destiny (Ire), by George Washington (Ire). TDN Rising
Star. 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. (90,000gns Ylg '24 TATOCT;
€1,900,000 2yo '25 ARQBRU). O-Godolphin; B-Newsells Park
Stud; T-Charlie Appleby. £53,800.
Margins: 3/4, 1HF, 3/4. Odds: 25.00, 1.75, 2.25.
Also Ran: Zavateri (Ire), Oxagon (Fr), Alparslan (Ire), Pacific Avenue (Ire), Italy (GB), Saba Desert (GB).
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