Seven Days: Forget the Angst, Feel the Joy

“Racing brings me so much joy.” It's what you want to hear, from an owner relatively new to the game, living the dream we all dream, with one of the most exciting three-year-old colts in training.

Those were the words of George Waud, just about audible as the owner struggled to keep his emotions in check after the victory at York of Maltese Cross (Sea The Stars) in the G2 Great Voltigeur Stakes.

Winner's enclosures everywhere abound with unbridled joy. Elsewhere on the track, connections of the also-rans rue their bad luck, but the fortunate few who make it into the hallowed arena deserve their moment in the spotlight before a fresh dream begins of what may come.

In the immediate aftermath of the Great Voltigeur, Waud and Maltese Cross's trainer William Haggas were naturally questioned on whether they would opt next for the Betfred St Leger or the Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. In theory, running in both is possible, considering they are three weeks and a day apart, but it is Haggas's contention that Maltese Cross puts so much into his races that he needs them to be spaced by a month at least, and who are we to argue?

So we know now that Maltese Cross, already a Group 1 winner over the course and distance of the Arc, will be seen next at Longchamp on the first Sunday of October.

“I feel strongly that he is quick enough for a mile and a half, whereas I wasn't sure before,” said Haggas on Monday. “I think spacing his racing out is important. And even before the Voltigeur, I was sceptical about the Leger.

“The problem is, in this day and age, he'd probably be worth less even if he wins the Leger. And that's a sad state of affairs. But if he wins effectively a mile-and-seven race, maybe Japan will be interested, but that's about the only one, apart from National Hunt. I have to be relatively commercial too, for George.”

He added, “If he doesn't cut the mustard in a championship race in the Arc, he can go for a two-mile race next year, but he won't win the Arc if he doesn't run in it.”

Indeed there is also the small matter of unfinished business for Haggas when it comes to this particular race, following the narrow Arc defeat of Sea Of Class by Enable eight years ago.

And, yes, there is more prestige attached to the Arc these days, but the St Leger will always be the world's oldest Classic, and one which this year celebrates its 250th birthday. What a shame that a little love or extra incentives to runners are not scattered upon the St Leger by its hosts at Arena Racing Company in the way that other major contests such as the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, Juddmonte International, or indeed the Derby itself, have been boosted in recent years by the teams behind Ascot, York and Epsom.

Juddmonte's important legacy

Despite Britain's swirling backdrop of angst surrounding affordability checks and the reshuffling of the RCA, there have been many moments of positivity at York and elsewhere of late if one can just keep the blinkers on to focus on the action. Two such moments involved Group 1 victories for Juddmonte, and while such occurrences for that operation may feel commonplace, the fact that these wins came on days when the late Prince Khalid Abdullah's son and grandsons were on hand to enjoy them made the results extra important.

Following a weekend when Princess Zahra Aga Khan had presented the trophy for the Aga Khan Studs Prix Jacques Le Marois to her daughter Sara Boyden, accepting on behalf of Rayif, Juddmonte's Prince Ahmad bin Khalid was in a similar position on the opening day of York. Via an important conduit in Queen Camilla, he handed to his sons Prince Salman and Prince Khalid the trophy for their own race, won by Item, who very much ensured that the Juddmonte International Stakes was not the two-horse race it had been billed to be. It was a victory made all the more special by the fact that the progressive Item is a son of Frankel, whose crowning glory had come in the same race 14 years earlier. If Item's victory by a head over Almaqam (Lope De Vega) had been tight, a day later Kalpana (Study Of Man) claimed her second Group 1 of the season in the Legends Global Yorkshire Oaks by a short-head over Sparan Nua (Dawn Approach) to give Andrew Balding a fifth Group 1 victory for Juddmonte this year, including the two won by Blue Bolt (Blue Point).

In an interview on ITV Racing after the Yorkshire Oaks, Prince Ahmad recalled the significant contribution to racing and breeding by his late father when saying, “We are extremely grateful for what he has done for us, for the farm, for everyone. I am extremely proud. All of what you see is the product of the seeds he put in within Juddmonte Farms.”

He added, “We're so grateful to Andrew Balding, his team, and to Colin Keane. We're simply thrilled.”

Balding sounds resigned to the fact that he will once again have to settle for second place behind Aidan O'Brien in Britain's trainers' championship, but he is giving it a good old rattle and both trainers have now cleared the £7 million mark in earnings, with William Haggas next best in third and closing in on £4.5 million. In a sign of things to come, there are now two O'Briens in the British top ten, as Joseph, who has targeted the UK's flagship meetings to great effect, is now in ninth with prize-money just beyond £2 million.

Though he has a stable bursting with big owners from all over the globe, Joseph O'Brien will doubtless have been pleased to have laid down his important first marker for Juddmonte with the victory of Monogram (Kingman), who earned a TDN Rising Star for his last-to-first victory on debut at the Curragh on Saturday. The colt is the second foal of Pocket Square (Night Of Thunder), who picked up a Group/Grade 3 either side of the Atlantic, first with Roger Charlton and later Chad Brown. The newest trainer on the Juddmonte roster, O'Brien also has the unraced Cluster, a son of Frankel out of Midday's full-sister Shoal (Oasis Dream), entered for the G2 Tattersalls Royal Lodge Stakes.

King of the stayers

Some of us on this side of the world set our alarms for 3.30am on the first Tuesday of November and some of us don't. If you love the Melbourne Cup you won't begrudge the rude awakening, but Alan King, who doubtless gets up pretty early every day anyway, is not buying into the hoopla.

“It leaves me cold,” said the trainer on the subject of running his Ebor winner Daiquiri Bay (New Bay) in the Melbourne Cup having earned a 'Golden Ticket' for his efforts on the Knavesmire.

Undeniably, if Daiquiri Bay continues his progression in a similar manner to another Ebor winner, the recently retired Trawlerman (Golden Horn), then there's no real reason to pack one's bags for down under. After all, there are so many decent staying prizes to aim for closer to home at a time when prize-money at the top end keeps improving. Let's hope we see Daiquiri Bay on Champions Day at Ascot in a bid to land the race won three years in a row by his erstwhile stable-mate Trueshan (Planteur).

Alan King and Anthony Bromley | Tattersalls

What these two horses have in common apart from being good stayers trained by Alan King is that they are both graduates of the Tattersalls Guineas Breeze-up Sale, Trueshan having been bought for 31,000gns and Daiquiri Bay at 62,000gns. The man behind both selections is Highflyer Bloodstock's Anthony Bromley – he gets about, doesn't he? – and he was also responsible for buying Saturday's G2 Alpha Centauri Debutante Stakes winner Green Empress (Saxon Warrior) in partnership with her trainer Joseph O'Brien – he also gets about – for €55,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale. Green Empress's first two starts came for the 'double green team' of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, but after finishing second on debut and again in the G2 Airlie Stud Stakes behind Sun Goddess, she changed hands privately to score her first win in the colours of the Thoroughbred Racing Corporation, which are also, handily, predominantly green.

O'Brien doesn't share King's antipathy towards the Antipodes – after all he has already won the Melbourne Cup twice – and he could well be mob-handed this year, with Sunday's G2 Prix Kergorlay winner Defiantly (Kameko) slated to fly south along with last year's runner-up Goodie Two Shoes (Fastnet Rock), the recent winner of the G2 Lillie Langtry Stakes, and Derby third James J Braddock (Zarak).

It has been an admirable summer for Defiantly, who was beaten just a head by his stable-mate Kizlyar (Make Believe) in the Ascot Stakes before winning the Coral Goodwood Handicap. His success on Sunday makes him the fourth Flat black-type performer for his dam, the Tweenhills-based Roheryn (Galileo), whose offspring Buckaroo (Fastnet Rock) and Middle Earth (Roaring Lion) are both Group winners in Australia.

Defiantly is also the third stakes winner in Deauville this summer for his sire Kameko. A week earlier Wimbledon Hawkeye won the G3 Prix Gontaut Biron, while Mirik struck in the Listed Grand Prix de Clairefontaine.

Roll up for the Cheveley Park Stakes 

Since Lady Aurelia won the Prix Morny ten years ago, another four fillies have landed the spoils in the interim – Pretty Pollyanna (2018), Campanelle (2020), Venetian Sun (2025) and now Senorita Bonita (Starspangledbanner). Maybe in the fullness of time we will look back on this year's race and think that it lacked a little strength in depth but, whether we do or don't, what will never be forgotten is the way Senorita Bonita, emerging from the back of the pack, accelerated past the boys as if they were standing still. The Victorious Forever-owned filly now heads Timeform's list of top juveniles for the season.

Senorita Bonita and Libertango could meet again in the Cheveley Park | Racingfotos

It wasn't the only jaw-dropping moment of the week from a juvenile filly, either. There was some debate regarding Coolmore's Sun Goddess (Sioux Nation) lining up for the Harry's Half Million By Goffs sales race 11 days after she had won the G1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes – the latter another juvenile contest gone begging for those monitoring potential stallion prospects. But if the rules allow it then there was no reason for her not to run at York unless her owners were feeling particularly altruistic.

In the event, runner-up Battle Fever (Sands Of Mali), who was bought from the Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale from breeder Ballyhane Stud for £50,000 still collected £117,321, while Speed Of Sound, bringing up a one-three for Sioux Nation fillies in the race, reclaimed a major chunk of her £70,000 purchase price when earning £58,660.

Since being beaten a head on debut by Carry The Flag, Sun Goddess's only other defeat in six starts came in the G3 Albany Stakes in which she was beaten a length when second to Libertango (No Nay Never), who last week augmented her impressive record by winning York's G2 Sky Bet Lowther Stakes for Ibrahim Araci. She in turn has been beaten only once, by Senorita Bonita in the G2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes.

What a lovely bunch of interwoven formlines to bring to the G1 Cheveley Park Stakes in which it appears these three shall meet.  The race is sponsored this year in the name of Tattersalls Sceptre Sessions and, while Sun Goddess was one of the stars of last year's Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale, which starts on Tuesday, the other two both already have an association with the sponsor having hinted at what was to come when selling for 900,000gns (the sale-topping Senorita Bonita) and 400,000gns (Libertango) at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-up Sale just four months ago.