By Tom Frary
Saturday's G1 Darley Dewhurst S. proved the latest in a line of O'Brien family benefits, with Aidan stamping his authority with a one-two courtesy of St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Wembley (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Joseph's Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) rounding out the placings. Behind that pair when third in The Curragh's G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. over this seven-furlong trip Sept. 13, St Mark's Basilica was under cover early with Frankie Dettori playing a waiting game with the pace strong up ahead. Threaded through a gap to take the advantage approaching the final furlong, the 10-1 shot who is a half-brother to Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) ultimately had more stamina on the ground than the National hero Thunder Moon and held his stablemate Wembley by 3/4 of a length, with the 11-4 favourite fading to be 1 3/4 lengths away. “You know with Aidan O'Brien, even the number two horse is a strong one,” Dettori said after steering a seventh Dewhurst winner for the master of Ballydoyle. “In fairness, he didn't put a foot wrong and did everything I asked him to. He's neat, nimble, handled the dip and a mile will be no problem in the Guineas.”
St Mark's Basilica's first three starts took place over six furlongs at The Curragh, with a debut second in a maiden July 26 followed by a fifth placing when the subject of a gamble as the 7-2 favourite for the Aug. 9 G1 Phoenix S. Off the mark next time at the expense of the impressive subsequent scorers Loch Lein (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and Duke of Mantua (Ire) (No Nay Never) and the G3 Round Tower S. third Coulthard (Ire) (Coulsty {Ire}) on soft ground Aug. 22, he was run out of third late by Wembley after Thunder Moon had flown in the National but despite two defeats at the highest level as a member of Team Ballydoyle was impossible to rule out here. Like Friday's G1 Fillies' Mile winner Pretty Gorgeous (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}) withdrawn from Sunday's action at ParisLongchamp due to the feed contamination, the bay was able to find abundant cover in this field packed with talent and reserve his kick for the business end.
While the Richard Hannon pair Chindit (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and Etonian (Ire) (Olympic Glory {Ire}) were never a factor and the supplemented Alkumait (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) ran too free along with his G2 Mill Reef S. combatant Fivethousandtoone (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), the race was an Irish affair from before the furlong pole. Even the G2 Champions Juvenile winner Cadillac (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) was in the pursuit, while the Jim Bolger runner Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) was close enough to the premises to confirm the already-existing impression that the Irish hold sway with the juveniles in 2020. It was left to the 100-1 shot Devilwala (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) to deny a one-two-three-four for the visitors, but the Ralph Beckett trainee had the stand's rail and there is a strong theory that a bias exists there on this track.
“We're delighted with both of them,” the Ballydoyle handler said. “The plan was that St Mark's Basilica would run in France and then Wembley would run in the Dewhurst, that's the way we were going. We've always liked St Mark's Basilica a lot and we've always thought they were very smart colts. The first three were were the same three as in the National Stakes. Every year it's a great race and the form always stands up. The Breeders' Cup is possible for the winner, but we're thinking Battleground will go to the Breeders' Cup, so he doesn't have to go.”
As mentioned, St Mark's Basilica is the second winner of a prestige Newmarket contest for the G3 Silver Flash S.-winning dam Cabaret (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) alongside last year's G1 2000 Guineas hero Magna Grecia, who also captured the G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy at two and was runner-up in this card's G3 Autumn S. She is a half to the G3 Solario S. scorer Drumfire (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and the stakes winner Ho Choi (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), who was also runner-up in the G2 Gimcrack S. The listed-placed third dam Fife (Ire) (Lomond) is also the second dam of the G3 Park S. winner and G1 Moyglare S. runner-up Ugo Fire (Ire) (Bluebird), while this is also the family of the GI Hollywood Turf Cup hero Frenchpark (GB) and the G1 Prix Vermeille heroine Pearly Shells (GB) (Efisio {GB}). The latter is the second dam of the recent G3 Fairy Bridge S. runner-up Pearls Galore (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Cabaret's full-brother to St Mark's Basilica was led out unsold at 650,000gns during Tuesday's session of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1.
Saturday, Newmarket, Britain
DARLEY DEWHURST S.-G1, £427,000, Newmarket, 10-10, 2yo, 7fT, 1:25.24, sf.
1–ST MARK'S BASILICA (FR), 127, c, 2, by Siyouni (Fr)
1st Dam: Cabaret (Ire) (GSW-Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Witch of Fife, by Lear Fan
3rd Dam: Fife (Ire), by Lomond
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (1,300,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Robert Scarborough (FR); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Lanfranco Dettori. £242,152. Lifetime Record: G1SP-Ire, 5-2-1-1, $362,416. *1/2 to Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), Hwt. 3yo-Ire at 7-9.5f & MG1SW-Eng, $597,769. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Wembley (Ire), 127, c, 2, Galileo (Ire)–Inca Princess (Ire), by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire). O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £91,805.
3–Thunder Moon (Ire), 127, c, 2, Zoffany (Ire)–Small Sacrifice (Ire), by Sadler's Wells. O-Mrs C C Regalado-Gonzalez; B-Whisperview Trading Ltd (IRE); T-Joseph O'Brien. £45,945.
Margins: 3/4, 1 3/4, NK. Odds: 10.00, 7.50, 2.75.
Also Ran: Devilwala (Ire), Cadillac (Ire), Albasheer (Ire), Fivethousandtoone (Ire), Devious Company (Ire), Chindit (Ire), Poetic Flare (Ire), Tactical (GB), Etonian (Ire), Decisive Edge (Ire), Alkumait (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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