A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT
Two of Royal Ascot's legendary figures, The Queen and Sir Michael Stoute, have been significant presences at the meeting since the 1950s and 1970s respectively and fittingly combined to cap a stellar week of racing with Saturday's G2 Hardwicke S. hero Dartmouth (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), who had to emerge from a tussle with Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and a subsequent stewards's inquiry to deliver a landmark result. Brought to the boil perfectly by his trainer, the steadily progressive 4-year-old who took the G3 Ormonde S. over an extended 13-furlong trip at Chester last time May 6 was always travelling with ease under Olivier Peslier and moved around the outer to engage the Ballydoyle runner just before the furlong pole. Maintaining the upper hand despite leaning in on that rival, the 10-1 shot prevailed by a head in a thrilling finale, and duly provided Stoute with a 10th winner of this race and seventh in the last 11 years. More importantly, it also represented an all-time Royal Ascot record-equalling 75th success, bringing him alongside his old friend and rival, the late Sir Henry Cecil. “That's a great mark to reach and I hope it doesn't stop there,” the Freemason Lodge handler commented. “He's a lovely, quality horse who everybody in the yard is fond of and he's stepped up all year.”
Saturday, Royal Ascot, Britain
HARDWICKE S.-G2, £225,000, ASC, 6-18, 4yo/up, 12fT, 2:32.06, g/s.
1–DARTMOUTH (GB), 127, c, 4, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Galatee (Fr) (GSW-Ire, $149,253), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Altana, by Mountain Cat
3rd Dam: Albertine (Fr), by Irish River (Fr)
O-The Queen; B-Darley (GB); T-Sir Michael Stoute; J-Olivier Peslier. £127,598. Lifetime Record: 12-7-0-1, $432,789. *1/2 to Manatee (GB) (Monsun {Ger}), MGSW-Fr, $310,206; and Gaterie (Dubai Destination), SW-Fr, $138,365. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Highland Reel (Ire), 127, c, 4, Galileo (Ire)–Hveger (Aus), by Danehill. (460,000gns Ylg '13 TAOCT). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor; B-Hveger Syndicate (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £48,375.[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]3–Almodovar (Ire), 127, g, 4, Sea the Stars (Ire)–Melodramatic (Ire), by Sadler's Wells. O/B-Bjorn Nielsen (IRE); T-David Lanigan. £24,210.
Margins: HD, 3 1/4, 3 3/4. Odds: 10.00, 6.00, 9.00.
Also Ran: Mount Logan (Ire), Beautiful Romance (GB), Wicklow Brave (GB), Simple Verse (Ire), Exosphere (GB), Astronereus (Ire). Scratched: Eagle Top (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Dartmouth was apparently considered a possible Derby type by connections last spring, but he showed when 12-lengths fourth to Jack Hobbs (GB) (Halling) in a 10-furlong handicap at Sandown in April that he was not ready for such exalted heights at that point. Brought back to that course and distance to capture a similar race in May, he was sixth upped to a mile and a half here in June before returning to the same track and trip to bounce back with another success the following month. Adding a Glorious Goodwood handicap to his resume in early August, he was fifth as the highweight again over this course and distance in September before signing off his 3-year-old campaign with a third placing in Kempton's Listed Floodlit S. staying at 12 furlongs in November. Showing the kind of improvement expected from a member of the Stoute brigade that has his profile when winning the G3 John Porter S. switched from a waterlogged Newbury to Chelmsford's Polytrack and staged over an extended 13 furlongs Apr. 16, the bay made all under Ryan Moore to capture the Ormonde in workmanlike fashion over that trip at Chester and was deserted by that rider in favour of the flashier Stoute runner and 6-4 favourite Exosphere (GB) (Beat Hollow {GB}) as a result.
Happy despite being out wide off the solid pace set by Almodovar (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), he was alongside Exosphere at the end of the back straight but once they straightened it was instantly evident that he had plenty more to give. With Seamie Heffernan squeezing between the long-time leader and Dartmouth to join battle approaching the furlong pole, the Royal runner looked as if he would go away and win decisively but he tended to hang in to Highland Reel and may have idled with the runner-up's rider having lost his whip at a vital stage. The Queen's racing advisor John Warren said, “It's been a long week and there have been a few ups and downs. He had never been in this company before, so we weren't sure what to expect, but he did win his last two group races and Michael is such a master at training horses to their peak. It means a lot to the Queen and Michael always had it firmly in mind that this was going to be the objective. We were just hoping he was up to it. He's such a genuine horse and the Queen got such a thrill out of seeing him stick his head out. It reminded us of watching Estimate. This is the Olympics and even to have a runner here is huge. To end up with a winner is so fantastic.”
Almodovar's trainer David Lanigan was delighted with the marked progression his representative had found to be third here and said, “He has done us credit. He has got a lot of speed for a big horse. A mile and a quarter would not bother him on that ground, but it just found him out in the last half a furlong. He has improved 20 pounds from what he did [in a handicap] at Kempton and he is the horse we thought he was. He has beaten some high-class horses.” Dartmouth is one of three black type-scorers for his G3 Blue Wind S.-winning dam Galatee, with last year's G2 Grand Prix de Chantilly scorer Manatee being the best until now. Her own granddam Albertine (Fr) (Irish River {Fr}) is a half to the French champion and sire Ashmore (Fr) and proved herself an outstanding producer with the GI Breeders' Cup Classic and G1 Prix d'Ispahan hero Arcangues heading the list of top descendants. They also feature the G1 Prix de Diane winner Aquarelliste (Fr) (Danehill), her own sister Artiste Royal (Ire), the G1 1000 Guineas winner Cape Verdi (Ire) (Caerleon) who was bred from a full to Arcangues and Angara (GB) (Alzao). Galatee also has an unnamed yearling full-sister to the winner.
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