By Tom Frary
It proved too difficult to keep Thursday's child Frankie Dettori out of Royal Ascot winner's enclosure and it was Phoenix Thoroughbreds' Advertise (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) who received the treatment in Friday's G1 Commonwealth Cup. Reportedly out of sorts along with the rest of the Martyn Meade stable when well beaten trying a mile in the G1 2000 Guineas, the bay sported first-time blinkers reverting to the trip over which he had captured the G1 Phoenix S. and G2 July S. as a juvenile. Dropped out but well in touch early, the 8-1 shot was delivered wide from halfway to strip the advantage from the filly Forever In Dreams (Ire) (Dream Ahead) 1 1/2 furlongs out and assert for a 1 1/2-length success. “Clearly that is his distance,” commented Meade, who had opted to shut his stable after the Guineas. “It was just lucky that Frankie was able to ride him, as that made a huge difference.”
Second to Calyx (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in what must be considered a vintage renewal of the G2 Coventry S. here 12 months ago, Advertise had been sent up to try seven furlongs in the G1 Dewhurst S. after collecting the July and the Phoenix over six. Splitting Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) with Sangarius (GB) (Kingman {GB}) soundly beaten in Newmarket's 2-year-old showcase, he finished too far adrift when 15th in the venue's May 4 mile Classic for the cause to have been only a lack of stamina.
Freshened up and livened up for a return to sprinting, he cut the same professional figure here that he had last summer and it was his turn of foot that made the decisive difference as he swamped the even-money favourite Ten Sovereigns (Ire) (No Nay Never) and G2 Sandy Lane S. winner Hello Youmzain (Fr) (Kodiac {GB}). Forever In Dreams, who was bought by the Phoenix Ladies Syndicate at Monday's Goffs sale for £430,000, excelled herself for the Aidan Fogarty yard and there was no fluke in her spirited effort.
Meade was ready to draw a line under the early part of the season. “I think we have to put the Guineas behind us,” he said. “He wasn't quite right on that day, clearly, and we wanted to see if he got the mile but we never found out as he never ran any sort of race. I had trained him for a mile, getting him switched off, and then I suddenly thought 'how do I jazz him up again?' so we put the blinds on and luckily that did the job today. If we can step him up a little bit, we will but sprinting is his area. I would maybe like to go to France for the six-and-a-half-furlong race there [the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville Aug. 4] and maybe he ought to go for the [G1 Prix de la] Foret [at ParisLongchamp Oct. 6] later on. You can't write off the mile, but I don't think it is for him.”
Dettori was equalling his best Royal Ascot in terms of winners in a week with seven and said, “I'm so pleased for Martyn, as he has been having a tough time. He ran a stinker in the Guineas and he decided to close his stable for a month, as he knew his horses weren't right and it paid dividends. We were hoping and we weren't so sure if we were out of the woods, but he put in a tremendous performance and I was always in control. He's back to his best.”
Fogarty said of Forever In Dreams, “It's a great result for Phoenix with the first and second. Con [Marnane] bred her and she won twice in France for Matthieu Palussiere and came over here to be beaten less than two lengths in the Queen Mary. I don't know if she'll stay with me–it's up to the ladies, but I'd love to keep her.”
Amer Abdulaziz Salman, chief executive of Phoenix Thoroughbreds, added, “To finish first and second in a group one at Ascot is amazing. I'm more excited about the ladies finishing second, I think–the filly has given the boys a fright. We know the horse wasn't himself in the Guineas and he had a bit of an issue. We were not sure whether to run him or not, but we took the risk–we are gamblers as well. Coming here, we were sure the horse was fit and ready to run. The trainer was happy and in his last piece of work he breezed well. He is a champion and a group one winner in the past. He is a stallion in the making and is by a good stallion as well. If you look at him and his confirmation, he is a very beautiful horse in the ring. He will definitely be a future stallion for Phoenix.”
Bruce Raymond, racing manager for Jaber Abdullah, said of Hello Youmzain, “He's a good horse. We feel he's going to mature again. We won't over-race him this year. I think it's possible he'll go for group one races like the [Sept. 7] Haydock Sprint and maybe something in France. He's better on soft ground. He just wants taking care of. Next year I think he'll be mature and be a very good horse.” Aidan O'Brien was not disheartened with the effort of Ten Sovereigns and commented. “We're delighted with his run first time back at six since running in the 2000 Guineas. I think we'll keep him at this trip and see how he is. The [G1] July Cup [at Newmarket July 13] is one of the races we'll be thinking of.”
Advertise's dam Furbelow (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), who was a winner on Kempton's Polytrack, is also responsible for the useful upwardly-mobile sprint handicapper Flavius Titus (GB) (Lethal Force {Ire}). She is a full-sister to the stakes-winning Red Diadem (GB) and a close relative of the dam of two smart sprinters in the G2 Richmond S. scorer Saayerr (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) and Ornate (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}) who was runner-up in the G2 Flying Childers S. A granddaughter of the four-times group and graded-stakes winner Heart of Joy (Lypheor {GB}) who was runner-up in the G1 English and Irish 1000 Guineas, Furbelow has the unraced 2-year-old filly Publicise (GB) (Dream Ahead), a yearling full-brother to Flavius Titus and a filly foal by Ulysses (Ire).
Friday, Royal Ascot, Britain
COMMONWEALTH CUP-G1, £500,000, Royal Ascot, 6-21, 3yo, 6fT, 1:11.88, g/s.
1–ADVERTISE (GB), 129, c, 3, by Showcasing (GB)
1st Dam: Furbelow (GB), by Pivotal (GB)
2nd Dam: Red Tiara, by Mr. Prospector
3rd Dam: Heart of Joy, by Lypheor (GB)
(£60,000 Ylg '17 GOUKPR). O-Phoenix Thoroughbred Ltd 1; B-Cheveley Park Stud Ltd (GB); T-Martyn Meade; J-Lanfranco Dettori. £283,550. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Ire, 7-4-2-0, $775,430. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Forever In Dreams (Ire), 126, f, 3, Dream Ahead–Dora de Green (Ire), by Green Tune. (€10,000 RNA Wlg '16 GOFNOV). O-Phoenix Ladies Syndicate; B-Con Marnane (IRE); T-Aidan Fogarty. £107,500.
3–Hello Youmzain (Fr), 129, c, 3, Kodiac (GB)–Spasha (GB), by Shamardal. O-Jaber Abdullah; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd (FR); T-Kevin Ryan. £53,800.
Margins: 1HF, HD, 3/4. Odds: 8.00, 20.00, 6.00.
Also Ran: Ten Sovereigns (Ire), Royal Intervention (Ire), Jash (Ire), Khaadem (Ire), Konchek (GB), Rumble Inthejungle (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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