Sir Dragonet a cut above in Tancred
As the well versed saying goes; ‘form is only temporary but class is permanent’ and class was certainly more than enough for the Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) winner Sir Dragonet (Camelot), who returned from a four-race losing streak to easily dispose of his rivals in yesterday’s H E Tancred Stakes (Gr 1, 2400m) at Rosehill.
The Irish import lit up the Moonee Valley track following his high-profile arrival when winning Australia’s premier middle distance weight-for-age feature on October 24 last year, and backed that up with a creditable sixth in the Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) before being put away for the autumn, yet he failed to perform on a Good 3 surface in the CF Orr Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m) on his return, and finished unplaced in two efforts since with a ninth-placed finish in the All-Star Mile (1600m) on March 13 and an improved fourth in the Ranvet Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) a week ago.
Getting the perfect run behind the speed on a track that generally favoured on-pace runners, Sir Dragonet hit the front at the 300-metre mark and burst clear under Glen Boss to win by two and a quarter lengths over She’s Ideel (Dundeel) with the fast-finishing Miami Bound (Reliable Man) a further half-length back in third.
Following the win, co-trainer Ciaron Maher was pleased to see the son of Camelot (Montjeu) return to the winner’s enclosure after showing encouraging signs in the Ranvet Stakes last time out.
“It’s good to get him back to his best form. He put the writing on the wall last week and I think the back-up was the only query,” said Maher.
“Glen (Boss) rode him very confidently and he had him relaxed. You could see in the yard today that he relaxed well.
“He needs those really solidly run races over 2000 metres for him to get into it. It’s a bit like the Cox Plate. They probably didn’t quite go quick enough last week.
Maher remains keen to test his stable star once again against Ranvet Stakes one-two Verry Elleegant (Zed) and English raider Addeybb (Pivotal) in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Gr 1, 2400m) on April 17.
“It will be a good race, put it that way,” Maher said of the Group 1 feature at Randwick.
“On his day, depending on conditions, the more work he does this horse the better he is so the more racing, the deeper into a prep, the better he is.”
The win capped a successful day for various members of his ownership group, led by businessman Ozzie Kheir, who, along with John O’Neill and Brae Sokolski landed Group 1 black type with the third-placed Impecunious (Sacred Falls) in the preceding Vinery Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m), while the latter landed a Group 3 victory with Shared Ambition (Born To Sea) in the Neville Sellwood Stakes (2000m) and Maher was keen to pay tribute to the support of his owners.
“I’d like to thank the owners Ozzie Kheir, John O’Neill, they put so much into racing. Time, money and enthusiasm. To win the big ones is great for them,” he said.
Sir Dragonet is one of six Group 1 winners for his sire Camelot, having won at Group 3 level and finished runner–up in the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Gr 1, 1m 2f) the UK and Ireland prior to his Cox Plate success.
Out of the stakes-placed mare Sparrow (Oasis Dream), Sir Dragonet is out a half-sister to Epsom Oaks (Gr 1, 1m 4f) runner up Wonder of Wonders (Kingmambo), while his third dam is the famed Urban Sea (Miswaki), dam of super-sire Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) and Sea The Stars (Cape Cross).