Gold Town Creates A Good Impression
The colt travelled smoothly in behind the leaders under William Buick and found plenty for pressure in the closing stages to beat Headway (Havana Gold) by a neck, with Embour (Acclamation) just a short-head further behind in third.
Gold Town is the first named foal out of the Listed winner Pimpernel (Invincible Spirit) and is from the same family as several top-class performers, including dual Grade One-winning mare Dank (Dansili), Hong Kong Cup (Gr 1, 2000m) winner Eagle Mountain (Rock Of Gibraltar) and Group One winner Sulk (Selkirk).
At Kempton on Monday, Archie Watson-trained Corinthia Knight (2 c Society Rock – Victoria Lodge by Grand Lodge) ran out a wide-margin winner of the Novice Auction Stakes (5f), keeping his unbeaten record intact.
The son of the late first season sire Society Rock (Rock Of Gibraltar) made a winning debut over five furlongs at Lingfield on 11 April and followed up that win in impressive fashion, quickening seven lengths clear of Autumn Lodge (Stimulation) under Oisin Murphy.
The colt could now enter Royal Ascot calculations for second-season trainer Watson, with the Norfolk Stakes (Gr 2, 5f) and the Windsor Castle Stakes (Listed, 5f) potential targets.
Dual Group One-winning sprinter Society Rock died at the age of nine from laminitis last year.
Three-Year-Olds
The Richard Hannon-trained and Godolphin-raced Barney Roy (3 c Excelebration – Alina by Galileo) showcased his 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) credentials with victory in the Greenham Stakes (Gr 3, 7f) at Newbury on Saturday.
The Eliza Park International-bred colt made a winning debut as a juvenile last season, prompting Godolphin to purchase him in a private deal, and he raced in midfield in the early stages under James Doyle.
Fellow Godolphin-owned runner Dream Castle (Frankel) looked to have the race at his mercy when breezing clear at the two furlongs, but he began to tire close to home and Barney Roy stayed on powerfully to win by two lengths, with the pair pulling four lengths clear of Zainhom (Street Cry) in third.
The result provided former Coolmore shuttler Excelebration (Exceed And Excel) with his first stakes winner, and the colt is now vying for second favouritism behind Aidan O’Brien’s Churchill (Galileo) for next month’s 2,000 Guineas.
Dabyah (3 f Sepoy – Samdaniya by Machiavellian) made all the running for a cosy success in the Fred Darling Stakes (Gr 3, 7f) at Newbury on Saturday.
The John Gosden-trained filly won her first two starts as a two-year-old and ran third behind Godolphin’s Wuheida (Dubawi) at her final start of her juvenile season in the Prix Marcel Boussac (Gr 1, 1600m) at Chantilly last October.
Frankie Dettori dictated steady fractions on the front-end aboard Dabyah and she quickened clear inside the final two furlongs under a hand ride to beat Urban Fox (Foxwedge) by a length and a quarter.
Gosden hinted that she is likely to return to France for a tilt at the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (Gr 1, 1600m) next month rather than tackling the 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) at Newmarket on 7 May.
The Henri-Alex Pantall-trained Sistercharlie (3 f ex Starlet’s Sister by Galileo) won the Prix Penelope (Gr 3, 2100m) at Saint-Cloud on Sunday to provide Bowness Stud shuttler Myboycharlie (Danetime) with his 15th stakes winner.
The filly ran on well from off the pace inside the final 200 metres under Maxime Guyon to beat Listen In (Sea The Stars) by a length, with the favourite Rythmique (Casamento) just a nose further behind in third place.
Sistercharlie is the first foal out of a placed sister to the Group Three winner Leo’s Starlet and a half-sister to the stakes-winning and producing mare Anabaa’s Creation (Anabaa) who is the dam of LIsted winner Create A Dream (Oasis Dream).
In Germany on Sunday, Dragon Lips (3 c ex Devilish Lips by Konigstiger) won the Preis der Wohnstatte Krefeld Wohnungs-Aktiengesellschaft Dr Busch-Memorial (Gr 3, 1700m) at Krefeld to provide Footstepsinthesand (Giant’s Causeway) with his 54th stakes winner.
The Andreas Suborics-trained colt was produced to lead approaching the final 300 metres and showed a smart turn of foot to beat Langtang (Campanologist) by three and a quarter lengths, with Savile Row (Ransom O’War) a further half a length behind in third.
At Navan, the Jessica Harrington-trained Khukri (3 c ex Fraulein by Acatenango) ran out a ready winner of the Power Stakes (Listed, 6f) on Sunday and in the process gave Darley shuttler Sepoy (Elusive Quality) his fourth stakes winner.
The three-year-old colt was making his seasonal reappearance having not been seen since he broke his maiden over six furlongs at the Curragh in September, and he beat Gorane (Dream Ahead) by three quarters of a length with another two and three quarter lengths back to the Aidan O’Brien-trained Intelligence Cross (War Front) in third.
The Jim Bolger-trained Vociferous Marina (3 f Vocalised – Marina of Venice by Galileo) caused an upset in the the Salsabil Stakes (Listed, 1m2f) at Navan on Sunday.
The three-year-old filly, who was sent off at odds of 20/1, stayed on strongly inside the final 50 yards to run down Aidan O’Brien’s Pocketfullofdreams (Invincible Spirit) by a length and a half with a further two and a half lengths back to Bengala (Pivotal) in third.
Older Horses
The John Gosden-trained and Shadwell-raced Muntahaa (4 c Dansili – Qertaas by Linamix) returned to winning ways in the John Porter Stakes (Gr 3, 1m4f) at Newbury on Saturday.
The colt ran fourth in the St Leger Stakes (Gr 1, 1m6.5f) at Doncaster in September behind Harbour Law (Lawman) and was a well-beaten third on his return to action at the same venue earlier this month.
He travelled a good deal better into contention on this occasion, though, and found plenty for pressure in the closing stages to get up close home, beating Chemical Charge (Sea The Stars) by a neck with Second Step (Dalakhani) a further length and quarter behind in third.
The colt now looks likely to tackle the Jockey Club Stakes (Gr 2, 1m4f) at Newmarket on 6 May at his next start.
The Te Akau Racing-owned Torcedor (5 g ex Magnolia Lane by Sadler’s Wells) made all the running in the Vintage Crop Stakes (Gr 3, 1m6f) at Navan yesterday to provide Coolmore shuttler Fastnet Rock (Danehill) with this 113th stakes winner.
The Jessica Harrington-trained gelding found plenty in the closing stages under Colm O’Donoghue to beat the Aidan O’Brien-trained Group One winner Order Of St George (Galileo) by a length and a half with a further half a length back to Twilight Payment (Teofilo) in third.
O’Brien was not disheartened following Order Of St George’s defeat and confirmed the five-year-old would be aimed towards a defence of his Gold Cup (Gr 1, 2m4f) title at Royal Ascot in June.