Exceed and Excel's Threading Prevails in the Lowther

   Threading (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), who registered an impressive six-length score in an Aug. 2 Goodwood maiden in her only prior start, justified a £15,000 supplementary fee and made the required leap to claim a decisive victory in Thursday's G2 Sky Bet Lowther S. at York. Bounding into second to track the trailblazing Happy Like A Fool (Distorted Humor) after the initial exchanges of this black-type bow, the 9-2 chance was stoked up to close soon after halfway and kept on strongly once ridden by that rival–whose saddle had slipped under Frankie Dettori–at the eighth pole to account for Madeline (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) by 1 3/4 lengths, with Mamba Noire (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) 3/4 of a length back in third. “It's a bit early to tell if she is a [1000] Guineas filly,” admitted rider James Doyle. “She is showing all the right signs and was very impressive in deep ground at Goodwood. I rode one yesterday that was an impressive winner there and he flopped so it is hard to tell how much it takes out of them. She seems to have come on nicely from that run and I was always comfortable here. I didn't want to give Frankie [Dettori] too much rope [on Happy Like A Fool] and I got there a touch early, but she is a typical one of Mark Johnston's and toughed it out well. She rides like an older horse and is very push-button. She jumped well, sat a couple of lengths off the pace, eased into it and knuckled down well late on. She is very professional.”

   For trainer Mark Johnston, it was a first Lowther success and improved his cold-list sequence of just one winner from 85 previous runners at the Knavesmire track. “We came here not knowing a lot about her, but, at the same time, we wouldn't have supplemented her if we thought she wasn't good enough,” he said. “It was only six days ago we decided to take the plunge and thank goodness we did. I could see all the way she was travelling well and I could see she was the only one who really had the leader in her sights. She's a lovely, straightforward horse and has done nothing but please us from day one. She pulled away at the finish and that bodes well for the future. You'd start thinking about the [Sept. 30 G1] Cheveley Park [S. at Newmarket] after that, but nothing has been discussed and there's no plan. She won on soft at Goodwood and she's won on soft again, but it'd be wrong to pigeon-hole her and it would be very interesting to see her run on better ground. I'd love to see what difference it makes to her. She stayed the trip very well and the [1000] Guineas would be in our minds. That's the dream for the moment.”

   Roger Varian, trainer of the runner-up Madeline, indicated his charge's outside draw in nine may have compromised her winning chance and said, “She ran very well, but didn't have an ideal draw and Andrea [Atzeni] wasn't able to get any cover. Because of that she raced enthusiastically and Andrea said that if he had been able to get some cover it might have made a difference, but we're not saying she'd definitely have won. It was a solid run and she went through the ground, but she's better on a quicker surface.” The Newmarket conditioner also indicated a rematch with Threading is on the cards at his local track and added, “I think the Cheveley Park will suit her as that will be a stiff six furlongs and this is more of a speed test. The uphill finish [at Newmarket] should play to her strengths.”

   Threading, kin to a yearling filly by Slade Power (Ire), is the first stakes scorer out of an unraced full-sister to UAE Horse of the Year, European highweight and MG1SW sire Dubai Millennium (GB) (Seeking the Gold). Her MGSW granddam Colorado Dancer (Ire) (Shareef Dancer), a daughter of GI Matron S.-winning Broodmare of the Year Fall Aspen (Pretense), is herself kin to the sires Hamas (Ire) (Danzig), Bianconi (Danzig), Timber Country (Woodman) and Fort Wood (Sadler's Wells). She is also a sibling of GI Gamely H. heroine Northern Aspen (Northern Dancer), GI Kentucky Derby third Prince of Thieves (Hansel), GSW G1 Ascot Gold Cup runner-up Mazzacano (Alleged) and G2 Prix d'Astarte victress Elle Seule (Exclusive Native), whose own descendants include G1 July Cup-winning sire Elnadim (Danzig), G1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Mehthaaf (Nureyev) and MG1SW European highweight Occupandiste (Ire) (Kjaldoun {Fr}). Occupandiste is herself dam of four stakes winners including GI Arlington Million and GI Woodbine Mile hero Mondialiste (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and MG1SP G2 Prix de Sandringham victress Impressionnante (GB) (Danehill).

Thursday, York, Britain

SKY BET LOWTHER S.-G2, £250,500, YOR, 8-24, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:12.48, g/s.

1–THREADING (IRE), 126, f, 2, by Exceed and Excel (Aus)

1st Dam: Chaquiras, by Seeking the Gold

2nd Dam: Colorado Dancer (Ire), by Shareef Dancer

3rd Dam: Fall Aspen, by Pretense

*1st stakes win. O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum; B-Darley (IRE); T-Mark Johnston; J-James Doyle. £142,059. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $203,177. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.

2–Madeline (Ire), 126, f, 2, Kodiac (GB)–Madhulika (Fr), by Marchand de Sable. (140,000gns Ylg '16 TAOCT). O-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum; B-Manfred Wurtenberger (IRE); T-Roger Varian. £53,858.

3–Mamba Noire (Fr), 126, f, 2, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Baileys Applause (GB), by Royal Applause (GB). (€60,000 Ylg '16 ARAU2). O-Whitehead Family Partnership; B-Pierre Jabot, SARL de Chambure & Haras d'Etreham (FR); T-Ken Condon. £26,954.

Margins: 1 3/4, 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 4.50, 3.50, 25.00.

Also Ran: So Hi Society (Ire), Special Purpose (Ire), Happy Like A Fool, Natural (Ire), Neola (GB), Actress (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.