By Tom Frary
Saturday's star-studded G1 Juddmonte Middle Park S. at Newmarket was robbed of one of its star turns as Siskin (First Defence) was withdrawn after being upset in the stalls, but Godolphin's Earthlight (Ire) (Shamardal) stepped up to save the day and maintain his unbeaten record. Buried early by Mickael Barzalona as the pace was forced up ahead, the G1 Prix Morny hero delivered his customary strong surge to overwhelm Golden Horde (Ire) (Lethal Force {Ire}) approaching the final half-furlong and assert for a neck success. Outsider Summer Sands (GB) (Coach House {Ire}) was just 1 3/4 lengths away in third, putting a surprise spin on the outcome but the time recorded by the 11-4 favourite beat that of the preceding Cheveley Park and the winner was emerging with great credit once more. “I was very confident all the way, as he was travelling easily,” Andre Fabre said. “We just felt it was a bit sharp for him, but he has a lot of class.”
Earthlight had the look of something special as he stepped up from conditions wins at Maisons-Laffitte June 19 and Deauville July 2 to dominate the G3 Prix de Cabourg back at the latter venue July 28. Allowed to take his chance in the Morny despite the heavy rain, he was able to produce what was required in the conditions to prevail by a neck from Raffle Prize (Ire) (Slade Power {Ire}) in that Aug. 18 highlight and is now a rare winner of two top-level contests on widely-contrasting ground conditions.
With Siskin taken out of the equation at the last minute, the Hannon pair of Mums Tipple (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) and Threat (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) and the Ballydoyle duo of Monarch of Egypt (American Pharoah) and Lope Y Fernandez (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) failing to make a serious impact, it could be argued that this much-vaunted renewal failed by a long way to live up to expectations. That the 100-1 shot Summer Sands, who was fifth behind Threat in the G2 Gimcrack S. when last seen, was so close at the finish will also heap doubt on the form, but the G2 Richmond S. winner and Morny third Golden Horde is a tough and classy customer and Earthlight needed that sharp turn of acceleration to subdue him on the rise to the line.
Earthlight is a surprising Middle Park winner on pedigree, even if his racing style is that of a sprinter pure and simple. Usually, it is wise to bow to Andre Fabre's greater judgement and he is convinced he has a miler or even a middle-distance performer on his hands for 2020. “For sure he will get a mile, he could even go a bit further with his pedigree,” he commented. “We'll prepare for the Guineas and see what happens–he is the right type, but he will go further and will get a mile and a quarter. He will go back home, idle, eat well and sleep as he usually does. He is done for the season.”
Whether Fabre will tackle Pinatubo (Ire) in the Newmarket Classic next May remains to be seen, but the prospect of the two Shamardal colts in the line-up is one to savour. Fabre was not ruling it out afterwards. “It will have to be discussed, obviously. Sheikh Mohammed is a sportsman and he wouldn't mind one running one against another, but we will see,” he added. “He is well-bred and is good-looking with a good temperament and he showed early that he is good like all the good two-year-olds. He has won on all sorts of ground, so that doesn't seem to affect him. He would have a prep race for the Guineas, as he is stocky heavy horse that needs some work. It would probably be in France, ground-depending.”
Golden Horde's trainer Clive Cox said of the runner-up, “It was great performance, obviously we would have liked to have won, though we have closed the gap on the winner from the Morny. He appreciated the slightly drier ground. He has been group one-placed twice this year and we have got an awful lot to look forward to next year. I think the Morny was the best two-year-old race at that stage, but this was far and above that and I'm delighted he has equipped himself well. We will look towards next year. I think we will be more in the sprinting division next season.”
Connections of Siskin were surprised that the normally bombproof homebred was so fractious in the gates and Khalid Abdullah's racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe could offer no explanation in the immediate aftermath. “He went into the stalls fine. All we have said about him is that he has the most laid-back attitude of any horse we have,” he said. “For that suddenly to happen is bizarre really and we are as shocked as most people. I don't know if it was the wind, but there was no obvious trigger. It wasn't like something got kicked or rattled the stalls. He just flipped, so we will have to get him back. He seems fine at the moment. He has got a few cuts and scrapes, but they seem only superficial. We are at a loss really to describe it. The jockey is fine.”
Whichever Guineas Earthlight turns up in next May, it will be a surprise if he proves a non-stayer being out of the G1 Fillies' Mile third Winters Moon (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) who stayed 10 furlongs at three. Her dam Summertime Legacy (GB) (Darshaan {GB}) captured the G3 Prix des Reservoirs and was third in the G1 Prix Saint-Alary before producing four black-type performers in total. They are headed by this stable's G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud hero Mandaean (GB) (Manduro {Ger}) and Saint-Alary heroine Wavering (Ire) (Refuse To Bend {Ire}). Her daughter Lavender and Lace (GB) (Barathea {Ire}) is the dam of Maxi Boy (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) who was third in this year's G2 Superlative S.
Summertime Legacy is out of Zawaahy (El Gran Senor), a half to the G1 Epsom Derby hero Golden Fleece (Nijinsky) and the stakes-producing Office Wife (Secretariat). This is the family of the leading sire Be My Guest (Northern Dancer) and the GI Belmont S.-winning sire Jaipur (Nasrullah). Winters Moon also has a yearling filly by Dubawi (Ire) and a 2019 full-sister to Earthlight.
Saturday, Newmarket, Britain
JUDDMONTE MIDDLE PARK S.-G1, £275,000, Newmarket, 9-28, 2yo, c, 6fT, 1:09.31 (NTR), gd.
1–EARTHLIGHT (IRE), 126, c, 2, by Shamardal
1st Dam: Winters Moon (Ire) (G1SP-Eng), by New Approach (Ire)
2nd Dam: Summertime Legacy (GB), by Darshaan (GB)
3rd Dam: Zawaahy, by El Gran Senor
O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Andre Fabre; J-Mickael Barzalona. £155,953. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Fr, 5-5-0-0, $492,282. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Golden Horde (Ire), 126, c, 2, Lethal Force (Ire)–Entreat (GB), by Pivotal (GB). (£65,000 Ylg '18 GOUKPR). O-AlMohamediya Racing; B-CN Farm Ltd (IRE); T-Clive Cox. £59,125.
3–Summer Sands (GB), 126, c, 2, Coach House (Ire)–Koharu (GB), by Ishiguru. (£2,000 Ylg '18 TASAYG; £85,000 2yo '19 TATABR). O-The Cool Silk Partnership; B-Koharu Partnership (GB); T-Richard Fahey. £29,590.
Margins: NK, 1 3/4, HF. Odds: 2.75, 16.00, 100.00.
Also Ran: King Neptune, Threat (Ire), Lope Y Fernandez (Ire), Mums Tipple (Ire), Monarch of Egypt. Scratched: Siskin. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
