Stormy Atlantic's Stormy Antarctic An Apt Winner Of A Rain-Drenched Craven

Stormy Antarctic | Racing Post

RIDER ON THE STORM
Hit by a raging thunderstorm, the latest renewal of Newmarket's G3 Novae Bloodstock Craven S. took on a freakish air beforehand but there was no arguing with the sheer authority of the winner Stormy Antarctic (GB) (Stormy Atlantic) who made light of the ever-worsening conditions under a supremely confident George Baker. Sent off the 9-2 second favourite, last year's G1 Criterium International runner-up was anchored in rear early despite the relative crawl and as the 4-6 favourite Foundation (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) floundered when asked for his effort he came cruising through to take command with just over a furlong remaining. Only needing to be pushed out with hands and heels from there, the chestnut hit the line with 3 1/2 lengths to spare over that disappointing market-leader in what resembled a strong piece of work for the winner. “That was awesome, I've always thought the world of him but I never thought he'd win a Craven like that and beat Foundation like that,” trainer Ed Walker said. “He's a very exuberant horse who was over-racing and I thought it wasn't happening at halfway, but he's cantered past them and it was staggering. We thought he was a gallop short coming here, as he's not a flashy work horse so it was hard to gauge what we had. I never felt we came here for minor honours and he is by far and away the best three-year-old I've got.”

Thursday, Newmarket, Britain
NOVAE BLOODSTOCK INSURANCE CRAVEN S.-G3, £60,000, NEW, 4-14, 3yo, c/g, 8fT, 1:44.01, g/s.
1–#@STORMY ANTARCTIC (GB), 126, c, 3, by Stormy Atlantic
1st Dam: Bea Remembered (GB) (GSP-Ire, SP-Eng & Swe), by Doyen (Ire)
2nd Dam: Leinster Mills (Ire), by Doyoun (Ire)
3rd Dam: Miss Turnberry (Ire), by Mummy's Pet (GB)
(68,000gns Wlg '13 TATFOA; 200,000gns 2yo '15 TATBRE). O-P K Siu; B-East Bloodstock Ltd (GB); T-Ed Walker; J-George Baker. £34,026. Lifetime Record: G1SP-Fr, 6-3-1-2, $135,612. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Foundation (Ire), 126, c, 3, Zoffany (Ire)–Roystonea (GB), by Polish Precedent. (€55,000 Wlg '13 GOFNOV; €190,000 Ylg '14 GOFORB). O-Highclere Thoroughbred Racing (Wellington); B-Eyrefield Lodge Stud (IRE); T-John Gosden. £12,900.
3–Shogun (Ire), 126, c, 3, Fastnet Rock (Aus)–Perihelion (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). (€400,000 Ylg '14 GOFORB). O-D Smith/Mrs Magnier/M Tabor/Mrs O'Brien; B-Whisperview Trading Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £6,456.
Margins: 3HF, HF, HF. Odds: 4.50, 0.65, 12.00.
Also Ran: Tony Curtis (GB), Steel of Madrid (Ire), Very Talented (Ire).
Introduced over six furlongs at Windsor in June, Stormy Antarctic was an encouraging third from a tardy break behind the eventual G2 Rockfel S. fourth Flying Empress (GB) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) before filling the same position when pulling hard over the same trip at Ascot the next month. Upped a furlong at Sandown in August, he broke his maiden in emphatic fashion before adding Newbury's once-esteemed Haynes, Hanson & Clark Conditions S. to his tally in soft ground over this trip in September. Again showing a tendency to race keenly there, he was delivered with elan by George Baker to join a list of past winners of that contest which features Nayef, King's Theatre (Ire), Unfuwain, Rainbow Quest and Shergar (GB). Trainer Ed Walker had stated that he would “draw stumps” for the year afterwards, but he was tempted by the colt's form to take in the Criterium International and was rewarded with a head second behind Johannes Vermeer (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in that mile Saint-Cloud highlight in November. Totally at home with the wet ground exaggerated by the dramatic turn in the Suffolk weather, Stormy Antarctic was always full of run behind his five rivals led along at a moderate tempo by Tony Curtis (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}). Baker was able to watch the progress of the main players up to the two-furlong pole and would have been encouraged by the laboured effort of the Ballydoyle representative Shogun (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and Frankie Dettori's urging of Foundation (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) which was gaining less response than expected. Sweeping by the latter and Tony Curtis in the space of less than a furlong when given the instruction, he surged away to turn Classic dreams into reality for his relatively small stable. “To pick them up and finish as he did was exciting,” Walker commented. “This was supposed to be our guide to our next race and, god willing, we'll come back in 16 days [for the G1 2000 Guineas] and hope it rains. He has very good form on soft ground, but I've never thought he was a soft-ground horse as he's a very good-moving horse and I'd be intrigued to see how he goes on faster ground. I've never had to prepare a Guineas horse and you only dream of horses like this, these are the reasons you get up at 4.30am, for horses like him.” Foundation's trainer John Gosden was not downcast by the performance of the runner-up and said, “Foundation is a mile-and-a-quarter horse, he did get tired on the ground but the winner won very well. I'm delighted with him and I'd like to think he'll go for the [G2] Dante [S. at York May 12] next.” Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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