By Adam Houghton
The G3 Solario Stakes betting market was thrown into disarray late on Friday evening when the news broke that the favoured Publish (Kingman), representing John and Thady Gosden and Juddmonte, had been withdrawn due to unsuitable ground. The Gosdens will still be keenly observing the result, however, even though none of the remaining trainers are within shouting distance of John Gosden's record seven wins.
With Publish's defection and G1 2000 Guineas implications on the line, step forward Pacific Avenue (Dubawi) into poll position. Tagged a 'TDN Rising Star', the Godolphin homebred carries an unbeaten tag, having clawed out a narrow victory over his more-fancied stablemate Wild Desert (Too Darn Hot) in a hot seven-furlong Newmarket contest back in June. His task has become immeasurably easier with the withdrawal of the Juddmonte runner, and Pacific Avenue's trainer Charlie Appleby is no Solario novice. Appleby has saddled a trio of winners, most notably with the subsequent Derby hero Masar in 2017, himself the sire of the Listed Prix Millkom hero Grecian Destiny on Friday.
Wathnan Racing's Humidity (Ulysses) has every right to bounce back to his best on Saturday. A maiden winner at Newbury in May, he ran out a length scorer of the Listed Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot over this trip before disappointing in the G2 Vintage Stakes at Goodwood last month. Trainer Andrew Balding won the 2016 edition of this race with South Seas (Lope De Vega).
There are still Gosden threads woven here and there in the Solario, with John Gosden's 2018 winner, Too Darn Hot, the sire of Jaber Abdullah's Beverley winner He's Waliim for trainer James Tate. Clive Cox's A Bit Of Spirit (Palace Pier) has never been worse than second in four starts and is coming in off back-to-back runner-up finishes at Ascot and Salisbury, respectively.
–Heather Anderson
Fillies to Follow on Sandown Undercard
Although the Solario head-to-head between Godolphin and Juddmonte failed to materialise, there will be other opportunities for the two powerhouses to clash as we head into the autumn, both on the racecourse and in the sales ring.
True, the Juddmonte team perhaps wouldn't be as well known for its big-money buys as the likes of Godolphin, but it's always worth taking note when that operation does opt to dip its toe into the transfer market. The Classic winners Chaldean and Field Of Gold headline their foal purchases in recent years, while the GII Mrs Revere Stakes heroine Nay Lady Nay (No Nay Never), dam of the aforementioned Publish, was acquired for $1.7 million at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton November Sale.
Another Juddmonte filly who is starting to look well bought is the Andrew Balding-trained Blue Bolt, a leading fancy for the other Group 3 contest on Saturday's card at Sandown, the Atalanta Stakes. A €400,000 purchase at the Arqana August Yearling Sale, she completed a hat-trick last month when stepping up in grade to win the Listed Coral Distaff over Saturday's course and distance.
The improving daughter of Blue Point holds Group 1 entries in the Matron Stakes and the Sun Chariot Stakes later this year, but first the Atalanta will pose a stiff test of her top-level credentials. The William Haggas-trained Alobayyah (Ghaiyyath) could emerge as the biggest threat, making her first start since impressing on her debut at Yarmouth last October, while fellow three-year-olds Cathedral (Too Darn Hot) and Flight have already performed with credit at the top table in 2025.
It was on this card last year that 1,000 Guineas runner-up Flight opened her account with a four-length win in the seven-furlong fillies' maiden. This year it's another daughter of Siyouni who promises to be the centre of attention, namely Act Of Kindness, who cost Godolphin 3.7 million gns when they flexed their muscles at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.
The third foal out of the Shamardal mare Shambolic, Act Of Kindness is most notably a half-sister to the G1 Fillies' Mile winner Ylang Ylang (Frankel). She doesn't hold any fancy entries at this stage, but there's time to rectify that if she can make the perfect start to her career at Sandown.
From the Curragh to Kentucky Downs
Away from that Esher track, Juddmonte will also be represented in Group races at the Curragh and Deauville on Saturday, with Frankel filly Red Letter likely to be a warm order for the G3 Snow Fairy Fillies Stakes at the first-named venue.
Heading the opposition is Sand Gazelle as the Gosdens try to outmanoeuvre another old ally, though even that British raider has roots which can be traced back to the Juddmonte breeding empire. As well as being another daughter of Frankel, she is out of the Juddmonte homebred Desirous (Kingman), a half-sister to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Bluestocking (Camelot) and this year's surprise Sussex Stakes winner Qirat (Showcasing).
Over in France, Juddmonte's Derby fourth New Ground (New Bay) should take plenty of beating in the G2 Grand Prix de Deauville if his headstrong tendencies can be curbed, while My Cloud (Blue Point) will be a significant runner for a new venture when he lines up in the G3 Prix Quincey. Last seen winning the Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot, he will be sporting new silks on Saturday after KHK Racing merged with Victorious Racing to form Victorious Forever.
My Cloud's half-brother, Palace Pier, enjoyed two of his best days at Deauville when winning back-to-back editions of the Prix Jacques le Marois in 2020 and 2021. All told, the son of Kingman was a five-time Group 1 winner for the Gosdens, with Frankie Dettori doing the steering in all but one of his 11 starts.
The days of Dettori riding for the Gosdens in Europe might now be a thing of the past, but he could bag a headline or two of his own on Saturday when he partners a trio of European raiders at the extremely valuable Kentucky Downs fixture.
Dettori first teams up with the Charlie Hills-trained Khaadem (Dark Angel) in the $2m GII Kentucky Turf Sprint Stakes, while Hugo Palmer has also booked him to ride Cheshire Dancer (Phoenix Of Spain) in the $2m GIII Ladies Turf Stakes.
Meanwhile, in the $3.5m GIII Nashville Derby Invitational Stakes – America's richest race for three-year-olds after the $5m GI Kentucky Derby – Dettori will ride Wimbledon Hawkeye (Kameko) for James Owen and the Gredleys. Last year's G2 Royal Lodge Stakes hero is yet to win in six starts this season, but he's been nothing if not consistent and few would begrudge him this bumper payday.
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