The clash of the three unbeaten colts in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket didn’t quite materialise after the Ger Lyons-trained Siskin was withdrawn after an incident in the stalls.
In his absence, the Andre Fabre-trained Earthlight maintained his perfect race record – and broke the course record for six furlongs – under Mickael Barzalona, defeating Golden Horde by a neck, with 100-1 chance Summer Sands filling third position. Mums Tipple, winner of both his starts coming into the contest, came home in seventh.
With Pinatubo also in its juvenile ranks, Godolphin now has two unbeaten sons of Shamardal to look forward to next year, with a possible clash in the 2,000 Guineas to ponder, though in likelihood the two colts will be kept apart in 2020.
Godolphin’s Earthlight and Mickael Barzalona get the better of Golden Horde in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes – Photo George Selwyn
There is no more potent partnership in racing than John Gosden and Frankie Dettori and for the second year running they captured the Cambridgeshire with a three-year-old, Lord North following Wissahickon’s victory 12 months ago.
Lord North, racing for Sheikh Zayed bin Mohammed Racing, was eased down to record a comfortable three quarters of a length success over the game Beringer and looks every inch a Group horse in the making.
There were upsets in both the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes and Group 1 Cheveley Parks Stakes as 16-1 chances Royal Dornoch (a third stakes winner for first-crop sire Gleneages) and Millisle triumphed for the Aidan O’Brien and Jessica Harrington stables respectively.
Another US disqualification
Code Of Honor ran in the Kentucky Derby that saw first-past-the-post Maximum Security thrown out for causing interference, being promoted to second from third, and the son of Noble Mission was again the beneficiary of a disqualification in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on Saturday.
A stretch battle between Code Of Honor and Vino Rosso saw Vino Rosso cross the line in front but after a stewards’ enquiry, the places were reversed after Code Of Honor looked to be marginally impeded. It was certainly not clear-cut and the connections of the demoted horse may now appeal the decision.
Today’s racing
The Curragh stages the Group action today with the Beresford Stakes (1m) for two-year-olds the highlight of an eight-race card.
Aidan O’Brien, looking for his ninth straight victory in the Group 2 contest, fields three of the seven runners and Innisfree, successful at Galway on his previous outing, looks the first string under his son Donnacha.
The Group 3 Weld Park Stakes (7f) for juveniles has attracted nine runners. Shehreen and Tasalka give the Aga Khan and Dermot Weld a strong hand in the fillies’ event.
Hughie Morrison sends two fillies to Dusseldorf in Germany today. Two-year-old Romsey contests an extended seven-furlong Listed prize and four-year-old Bella Regazza takes in the Group 3 Grosser Preis der Landeshauptstadt Dusseldorf over an extended mile.
Today’s domestic action comes from Epsom, which stages the Apprentices’ Derby (1m4f), and Musselburgh, where the feature event is a mile handicap for fillies worth £15,563 to the winner.
