By Tom Frary
Breaking her maiden at the fourth attempt at Windsor last July, Laugh Aloud was runner-up in a mile handicap at Goodwood the following month before making all to dominate the Listed Rosemary S. at Newmarket in September. Fifth under a penalty in the Listed Snowdrop Fillies' S. on Kempton's Polytrack Apr. 15, the chestnut was the comprehensive winner of a strong renewal of the Listed Conqueror S. at Goodwood last time May 6. In front initially before settling in third behind Tisbutadream and Absolute Blast, she came back to that rival strongly approaching the two-furlong pole with James Doyle taking a pull. When she was committed a half furlong later, the homebred opened up to suggest she can take on the best around. “It's nice that she is versatile now, as she used to like to go out in front but she was switched off today and scampered up the hill. It was pretty authoritative,” her rider commented. Trainer John Gosden added, “She's improved with age and likes it in front, but I said to James I think there are a couple of others who want to go there. I like the way she relaxed off them, let them fight it out and then swung off them and kicked the race into touch. It was a good performance, and all being well she will go to the [June 21 G2] Duke of Cambridge S.”
The winner is a half-sister to another former Gosden trainee in Debussy, who went from domestic wins in the G3 Huxley S. and G2 Prix Eugene Adam to glory in the GI Arlington Million. Their dam was third in the G3 C. L. Weld Park S. and also produced the fellow Gosden-trained Entertainment (GB) (Halling), who was runner-up in the Listed Cheshire Oaks. Opera Comique's half-brother Belmez captured the G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond S., G2 Great Voltigeur S. and G3 Chester Vase. Also from the family of the G1 Prix de Diane winner Lypharita (Fr) (Lightning {Fr}) and the G1 Shuka Sho heroine Red Desire (Jpn) (Manhattan Cafe {Jpn}), the dam has a 2-year-old colt by Shamardal named Ski Dubai (GB).
Saturday, Epsom, Britain
PRINCESS ELIZABETH S.-G3, £70,000, EPS, 6-3, 3yo/up, f, 8f 113yT, 1:41.54, gd.
1–@LAUGH ALOUD (GB), 132, f, 4, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Opera Comique (Fr) (GSP-Ire), by Singspiel (Ire)
2nd Dam: Grace Note (Fr), by Top Ville (Ire)
3rd Dam: Val de Grace (Fr), by Val de Loir
O-Godolphin; B-Darley (GB); T-John Gosden; J-James Doyle. £39,697. Lifetime Record: 9-4-3-0, $122,927. *1/2 to Debussy (Ire) (Diesis {GB}), GISW-US, GSW & G1SP-Eng, GSW-Fr, $1,294,560. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Absolute Blast (Ire), 132, m, 5, Kodiac (GB)–Perfect Fun (GB), by Marju (Ire). (€5,000 Ylg '13 GOFFEB; €18,000 Ylg '13 GOFSPT; €2,500 2yo '14 ARJUL; €60,000 3yo '15 ARJUL). O-K Sohi; B-Mrs O M E McKeever (IRE); T-Archie Watson. £15,050.
3–Tisbutadream (Ire), 120, f, 3, Dream Ahead–Choose Me (Ire), by Choisir (Aus). (€100,000 Ylg '15 GOFORB). O-Mrs Anne Coughlan & Ten Green Bottles; B-J F Tuthill (IRE); T-David Elsworth. £7,532.
Margins: 5, NK, HF. Odds: 0.80, 8.00, 12.00.
Also Ran: Silver Meadow (Ire), Crowning Glory (Fr), Silver Step (Fr), Urban Fox (GB), Epsom Icon (GB), Kilmah (GB), Czabo (GB). Scratched: Elbereth (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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