Disappointing when only 12th in the June 4 G1 Epsom Derby, Ulysses bounced back to where connections have long hoped he would be on this quicker surface to provide trainer Sir Michael Stoute with a ninth renewal. Second to the smart subsequent London Gold Cup winner Imperial Aviator (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}) over 10 furlongs at Leicester on his 3-year-old bow Apr. 23, the son of the 2007 Epsom Oaks heroine Light Shift was 4-11 when breaking his maiden by eight lengths over that trip at Newbury May 13 and earned a tilt at the blue riband as a result. Never entirely happy in that Classic, the homebred was allowed to coast home when his chance had disappeared and became the latest in a line of performers to emerge from a below-par effort at Epsom and show their true wares here.
Wednesday, Goodwood, Britain
BERINGICE GORDON S.-G3, £100,000, GOO, 7-27, 3yo, 12fT, 2:38.37, g/f.
1–#@ULYSSES (IRE), 127, c, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Light Shift (G1SW-Eng & G1SP-Ire, $691,954), by Kingmambo
2nd Dam: Lingerie (GB), by Shirley Heights (GB)
3rd Dam: Northern Trick, by Northern Dancer
O/B-Flaxman Stables Ireland Ltd (IRE); T-Sir Michael Stoute; J-Andrea Atzeni. £56,710. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-0, $85,061. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–The Major General (Ire), 127, c, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Scribonia (Ire), by Danehill. (€1,500,000 Ylg '14 GOFORB). O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Markus Jooste & Bernard Kantor; B-Jim Bolger (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £21,500.
3–Shogun (Ire), 127, c, 3, Fastnet Rock (Aus)–Perihelion (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). (€400,000 Ylg '14 GOFORB). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Mrs A M O'Brien; B-Whisperview Trading Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £10,760.
Margins: HF, 1HF, HD. Odds: 4.50, 11.00, 6.50.
Also Ran: Qatari Hunter (Ire), Prize Money (GB), Steel of Madrid (Ire), Goldmember (GB), Platitude (GB), Harrison (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Keen early with Andrea Atzeni dropping anchor with one behind, the chestnut was coaxed into play down the outer as they straightened for home. Seizing the lead with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining, he was quickly in command and then appeared to idle and allow the positively-ridden The Major General a second chance. Kept up to his work under vigorous hand riding, Ulysses maintained his dominion with the runner-up's stablemate Shogun perhaps providing the most significant Leger prep in third. “He travelled good into the race and is probably still learning,” Atzeni commented. “He obviously has a lot of ability and was entitled to idle in front, as he was there a long way out. He's a good-moving horse and that's maybe why he ran like he did at Epsom, as he didn't enjoy the soft ground. They have always thought a lot of him and he has such a high cruising speed and loves nice ground and he appreciated that today. Before the Derby, he felt like a very balanced horse and I don't think it was the track that beat him that day. He gets a mile and a half well, but I don't think he will get any further. If anything he might come back in trip.”
Sir Michael Stoute, who has won this race with the likes of Conduit (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) and Harbinger (GB) (Dansili {GB}), went on to capture the Leger with the former but sees Ulysses as more of a runner in the mould of the latter and ruled out a tilt at the Sept. 10 Doncaster Classic. “He got badly knocked around at Epsom, which didn't do him a lot of good so we just backed off him and brought him along smoothly for this one,” the trainer of 72 Glorious Goodwood winners explained. “He was badly interfered with twice at Epsom, so it turned into a non-event really. I'm very pleased, as we thought this horse had a lot of potential and he's beginning to show it now. I think he'd have learnt a lot today, as I said to Andrea to bring him with a smooth run on the outer. He was having a look around, so he has a bit to learn still but he has good potential. With that action and acceleration, you don't want bad ground for him–I like him on a surface like this. He's either a 10- or 12-furlong horse, so he won't be going to the Leger. He's in the [G2] Great Voltigeur [S. at York Aug. 17] and the [G2] Prix Guillaume d'Ornano [at Deauville Aug. 15], so we'll take our time.”
Aidan O'Brien said of the second and third, “They both ran well and finished off their races well. They would like the quicker ground–it was too soft for Shogun in the Derby. They could be [Leger horses], but whether they would stay that far I don't know. They seem very happy over a mile and a half.”
Light Shift, who provided such an emotional moment for all concerned at Epsom, is yet another star to emerge from this Niarchos dynasty, being a half-sister to the multiple highweight Shiva (Jpn) (Hector Protector), who beat Daylami (Ire) in the 1999 G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and was also runner-up in that year's G1 Champion S. and third in the 2000 G1 Eclipse S. She is also a half to the MGSW sire Limnos (Jpn) (Hector Protector) and the 2010 GI Charles Whittingham Memorial H. runner-up Hyades (Aldebaran). Another half-sibling is Burning Sunset (GB) (Caerleon), dam of the G2 Prix d'Harcourt winner and G1 Singapore Airlines International Cup runner-up Smoking Sun (Smart Strike) and also Ikat (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), the group-placed dam of the GI Breeders' Cup Turf, GI Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S., GI United Nations S. and GI Sword Dancer Invitational-winning champion Main Sequence (Aldebaran). Another member of her immediate family is this year's G2 Prix Greffulhe winner Cloth of Stars (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), who was also second in the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud and third in the G1 Grand Prix de Paris.
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