By Tom Frary
What Sir Michael Stoute is to the Gordon Richards, John Gosden is to this Derby pointer and it was his stable's apparent second-string Cunco who emerged best to provide his trainer with an eighth renewal as his much-vaunted stablemate Monarchs Glen (GB) (Frankel {GB}) failed to hit the mark. A headline horse last May as the first winner for his sire, Cunco had shown useful form on more than one occasion thereafter as when third behind Churchill (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in Royal Ascot's seven-furlong Listed Chesham S. in June and second to the fellow Gosden trainee Coronet (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the Listed Zetland S. over this trip at Newmarket in October. Signing off with a seventh in the hotly-contested G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud in October, the bay came more into the reckoning the more that reports from the jockeys filtered back that the officially “good” ground had been over-watered ahead of Saturday's national hunt fixture.
Settled last of the quintet early by his regular work-rider Robert Tart with the impressive Kempton handicap winner Monarchs Glen proving too keen for Frankie Dettori in front, he was gradually wound up for his effort out wide as that 5-6 favourite began to tire. Intern thrust between the other two sons of Frankel, Cunco and Frankuus, inside the final furlong but in the final strides Cunco gained the advantage and held on in the bobber. “I ride him every morning and he's very quirky and tricky, but he liked this good-to-soft ground,” his jockey said. Gosden added, “He'd been working nicely and wasn't here for fun. The form is solid and he outstayed them, whereas the other boy [Monarchs Glen] was not happy on the ground. Cunco is a first foal and not very big, but he has a heart as big as a lion and gives everything. He has plenty of stamina for this ground and wants a mile and a half already, so he may go to the [May 11 G3] Chester Vase, even with a penalty for this, as that track would suit him. Monarchs Glen was never particularly comfortable, changing his legs and hanging, so obviously the ground didn't suit him. It's a little bit different to bouncing off the Polytrack.”
Cunco is the second group winner of the season for Frankel, for whom he was also the first foal to be born, and evidence that his stock possess stamina as well as his inherent speed. Gosden was a close watcher of the great horse on the Newmarket gallops and added, “There is no doubt that Henry always let Frankel know who was boss and he was always settled in behind in his work. The Frankels are amazing athletes and most want to run like the wind and have a wonderful wildness in them.” Cunco was led out unsold at 280,000gns at Tattersalls, which has proven a blessing for his breeders and instant justification for their private purchase of the G3 C.L. Weld Park S. and G3 Park Express S. winner and G1 Pretty Polly S. third Chrysanthemum who was carrying this colt at the time of her offering at Tattersalls December. The third dam Saintly Speech had the speed and precocity to win the G3 Princess Margaret S., while her own dam Eloquent Minister (Deputy Minister) also possessed abundant pace as an Irish highweight sprinter who also captured the Garden City Breeders's Cup S. Chrysanthemum's 2015 colt is by Galileo (Ire) and he is named Cassini (Ire), while the following year she produced a filly by Australia (GB).
Friday, Sandown, Britain
BET365 CLASSIC TRIAL-G3, £65,000, SAN, 4-28, 3yo, 10f 7yT, 2:14.33, gd.
1–#@CUNCO (IRE), 127, c, 3, by Frankel (GB)">Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Chrysanthemum (Ire) (MGSW-Ire & G1SP-Ire, $275,329), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
2nd Dam: Well Spoken (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
3rd Dam: Saintly Speech, by Southern Halo
(280,000gns RNA Ylg '15 TATOCT). O-Don Alberto Stable; B-Don Alberto Corporation (IRE); T-John Gosden; J-Robert Tart. £36,862. Lifetime Record: 8-2-1-2, $93,965. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Intern (Ire), 127, c, 3, Rip Van Winkle (Ire)–Uliana, by Darshaan (GB). (€49,000 RNA Ylg '15 GOFORB). O-Acing Lead Ltd; B-Newstead Breeding LLC (IRE); T-Ralph Beckett. £13,975.
3–Frankuus (Ire), 127, c, 3, Frankel (GB)">Frankel (GB)–Dookus (Ire), by Linamix (Fr). (€130,000 Ylg '15 GOFORB). O-Hussain Lootah & Ahmad Al Shaikh; B-Ballylinch Stud (IRE); T-Mark Johnston. £6,994.
Margins: HD, 1, 2. Odds: 5.00, 12.00, 6.00.
Also Ran: Monarchs Glen (GB), Fierce Impact (Jpn). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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