By Tom Frary
Brought in as a substitute for Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in the G1 St James's Palace S., Flaxman Stables and Coolmore's Circus Maximus (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) proved toughest in combat with the best of the rest around in the Ascot rain to provide Aidan O'Brien with an eighth renewal. Second early with Ryan Moore keen to exploit his one draw, the 10-1 shot who sported blinkers for the first time coming back from a sixth placing in the June 1 G1 Epsom Derby ground his way to the front with two furlongs to race. First seeing off the 2-1 favourite Phoenix of Spain (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and then TDN Rising Star Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), he hit the line a neck ahead of the strong-finishing fellow TDN Rising Star King of Comedy (Ire) (Kingman {GB}). The latter, who arrived wide of the winner's vision and was eating into the margin with every stride, had 3/4 of a length to spare over stablemate Too Darn Hot. Emulating Marju (Ire) and Dawn Approach (Ire) in succeeding in this so close to a Derby effort, Circus Maximus was also providing further Royal glory for his family after his dam Duntle (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) had captured the 2012 Listed Sandringham H. and 2013 G2 Duke of Cambridge S. “He had good form as a 2-year-old and the dam won here twice and was not short of pace,” Moore said. “He has a real good attitude and plenty of speed. He's just been a little bit slow coming to himself and learning about it. The rain came and it was a help–Too Darn Hot came to beat him, but he kept finding.”
All are accustomed to the many levels in Ballydoyle's pecking order and the way this can shift in the course of a season, so it was not a great surprise that once Magna Grecia had become unavailable for this target event that Circus Maximus was next in line. Three lengths behind his G1 2000 Guineas-winning stablemate when third in the G3 Autumn S. at Newmarket in mid-October, he had shown himself capable of a rapid rate of progression as he honed that margin down to only a length in the space of a fortnight when fourth in Doncaster's G1 Futurity Trophy. Handling Chester's good-to-soft ground without issue when making a successful comeback in the May 9 Listed Dee S., the Niarchos colour-bearer was understandably sent to Epsom on the back of his languid performance in that time-honoured trial. Fitted with “Ruler of the World” cheekpieces in the blue riband as his trainer sought to concentrate his mind, he showed creditable aptitude for the task racing near the front end before weakening late under Frankie Dettori.
Demonstrating a greater urgency this time in the altered headgear, he was quick to slip to the flanks of the pace-setting G2 Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen winner Fox Champion (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and away from the rail to avoid being hemmed in. Phoenix of Spain, who was not forced onto the lead this time as he had been at The Curragh, was content to track with Jamie Spencer waiting in behind while Frankie Dettori held on the free-running Too Darn Hot on his inner. On a Dee Stakes winner, Moore was always going to commit with plenty of straight ahead and as soon as he launched his attack he was there to be shot at with the favourite and Gosden big guns unwinding.
Surprisingly, the Irish Guineas winner was the first to back out and once Too Darn Hot had been subdued the result was settled, with the latter's stablemate King of Comedy too far out of his ground to eradicate the deficit. If this was a masterclass of how to ride a willing Galileo around Ascot, Moore was quick to point out that Circus Maximus was as much aided by the persistent rain that had begun after the Coventry and duly tilted this renewal more towards the attritional.
Aidan O'Brien revealed that the commitment to supplement had come from owning connections. “This is thanks to Maria [Niarchos] and the lads,” he explained. “They decided to run and we ran with it. He was a very good horse last year, but was a green horse that was rushed as a two-year-old. He was very impressive at Chester and Frankie said he wasn't mad about the track at Epsom. This was a big challenge to the horse and he had blinkers on as he didn't have any time to learn about coming back from a mile and a half.”
“We were obviously worried the pace was going be completely different at a mile and what we asked was unfair to him really, but everyone was delighted with him at home and that's why he was here,” O'Brien continued. “Ryan gave him a great ride. It's so difficult to win any race here–everyone is ready to die for it and we don't take anything for granted. Both the [July 31 G1] Sussex [at Goodwood] or [July 6 G1] Eclipse [at Sandown] would be strong possibles, but he had a tough enough race today and we rolled him back quick, so we will see how is.”
Adam Kirby was left pondering what might have been after the storming finale from the still-green King of Comedy, who understandably hung fire momentarily as he was asked for his finishing effort in the straight. “I was really pleased with him–he settled beautifully but didn't get away that well, so I was a length further back than I wanted to be,” he explained. “I had loads of horse in the straight, so I decided to pull out for a run at them as he's uncomplicated. Maybe if I had stayed on the fence, it would have opened up but hindsight is a wonderful thing.”
Frankie Dettori reported the opposite problem to Kirby's, as Too Darn Hot shaped this time as if even a mile was stretching him. “I had a good trip and came to win in the last 100 yards, but he didn't have the legs for it,” he said of the colt who was set to go to Epsom just over a month earlier. “The stiff mile at Ascot was too much for him.” Gosden, who had foiled Ballydoyle last year with Without Parole (GB) (Frankel {GB}), was on the receiving end this time and summed up the situation with the second and third. “One ran out of track and the other found the mile too stiff,” he stated.
“Too Darn Hot ran a very good race and is built very powerfully. He looks like a sprinter-miler,” Gosden opined. “Frankie said he feels like a [seven-furlong] Jersey horse and that's what he is. He was champion two-year-old, won the Dewhurst in great style but stamina wasn't for him today. King of Comedy ran a blinder and in another 25 yards he could have won. He will go a mile and a quarter, whereas Too Darn Hot needs an easy mile or seven furlongs. The Sussex Stakes will be his target.” Charlie Hills said of Phoenix of Spain, who ended up in sixth, “On the turn in, I was quite excited but he flattened out and maybe his first race [at The Curragh] took its toll.”
Circus Maximus is the sole progeny out of the aforementioned former David Wachman-trained Duntle, who was disqualified from first in the 2013 G1 Matron S. and was runner-up in the G1 Prix Rothschild. Her dam Lady Angola (Lord At War {Arg}) is kin to the dam of the GI Turf Classic S.-winning sire Honor In War also by Lord At War, while the third dam Benguela (Little Current) is a half to a host of stakes winners headed by the GI John Henry H.-winning sire Al Mamoon (Believe It) and the GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup heroine La Gueriere also by Lord At War. The latter is in turn responsible for the GI Personal Ensign S. heroine Icon Project (Empire Maker) and the multiple graded-stakes scorer and GI Hollywood Derby runner-up Lasting Approval (With Approval). The fourth dam Lady Winborne (Secretariat) is a half-sister to the great Allez France (Sea Bird II).
Tuesday, Royal Ascot, Britain
ST JAMES'S PALACE S.-G1, £538,750, Royal Ascot, 6-18, 3yo, c, 7f 213yT, 1:39.90, g/s.
1–CIRCUS MAXIMUS (IRE), 126, c, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Duntle (Ire) (MGSW & G1SP-Ire, GSW & G1SP-Eng, G1SP-Fr, $458,532), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
2nd Dam: Lady Angola, by Lord At War (Arg)
3rd Dam: Benguela, by Little Current
1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £305,525. Lifetime Record: 7-3-0-1, $502,617. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–King of Comedy (Ire), 126, c, 3, Kingman (GB)">Kingman (GB)–Stage Presence (Ire), by Selkirk. O/B-Lady Bamford (IRE); T-John Gosden. £115,831.
3–Too Darn Hot (GB), 126, c, 3, Dubawi (Ire)–Dar Re Mi (GB), by Singspiel (Ire). O-Lord Lloyd-Webber; B-Watership down stud (GB); T-John Gosden. £57,970.
Margins: NK, 3/4, HF. Odds: 10.00, 4.00, 2.00.
Also Ran: Skardu (GB), Shaman (Ire), Phoenix of Spain (Ire), Fox Champion (Ire), Van Beethoven, Royal Marine (Ire), Bell Rock (GB), The Irish Rover (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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