By Tom Frary
Sir Michael Stoute's time-honoured role as a leading trainer of improving older horses has been done to death in the racing columns, but it serves as a continuous tale down the decades with the grandly-named Ulysses the latest to benefit from his particular craft. It is no surprise that he was extending his record in this race which serves as a re-entry point for upwardly-mobile types, a description that perfectly fits four of Freemason Lodge's seven prior winners in Singspiel (Ire), Ask (GB) (Sadler's Wells), Tartan Bearer (Ire) (Spectrum {Ire}) and Glass Harmonium (Ire) (Verglas {Ire}) all of whom went on to prove themselves group 1 horses. Ulysses, who was a leading Epsom Derby prospect following his eight-length success in a 10-furlong Newbury maiden last May, found the blue riband itself all too much at that stage of his career and trailed in a parish behind Harzand (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in 12th but admirably came out the other side enhanced rather than intimidated by the experience.
Like the stable's former illustrious G3 Gordon S. winner Harbinger (GB) (Dansili {GB}), the highlight of the Niarchos homebred's three-year-old season was a win in that 12-furlong Glorious Goodwood staging post which offered a glimpse of what was to follow. Surprisingly beaten at 8-11 when a short-head second to Chain of Daisies (GB) (Rail Link {GB}) in Windsor's G3 Winter Hill S. at this trip in August, it is a measure of his trainer's regard for him that he was tried in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf at Santa Anita in November. Not helped by a slow break when fourth there, he was put away for the winter break which promised to turn him from boy to man and he served early notice here that he was ready to make his mark in the best company this season.
Switched off with two behind by Andrea Atzeni throughout the early stages, the son of the G1 Epsom Oaks heroine Light Shift sported the sheepskin noseband which his trainer Sir Michael Stoute has called for on very few occasions in the past but notably with his free-going 2000 Guineas hero King's Best. Despite the less-than-exacting pace set by Deauville, the chestnut was always comfortable and travelled notably strongly into contention in midstraight. Delivered wide to reel in Ballydoyle's rail-running long-time leader approaching the furlong pole, Ulysses stayed on powerfully to assert for a convincing success, with last year's winner My Dream Boat providing a benchmark for the form in third. “The pace was quite slow but he settled, which is the most important thing,” his rider said. “He's a different horse this year–much bigger and stronger and more mature, so he's a horse with a bright future. He's got a high cruising speed, but picks up well and hit the line quite strongly there. The ground is definitely good-to-soft and was not ideal for him, but he did everything right.”
This family is steeped in Niarchos tradition and is much-discussed with reason, with its branches persisting in bearing fruit. In the last few weeks, Cloth of Stars (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) has added the G2 Prix d'Harcourt and G3 Prix Exbury to his group-race tally and That Which Is Not (Elusive Quality) has broken her black-type duck in the Listed Prix Zarkava. Light Shift's legacy is assured as the filly who returned Classic glory to a soon-to-be-resurgent Warren Place in the Epsom Oaks of 2007, doing what her arguably more talented but later-maturing half-sister Shiva (Jpn) (Hector Protector) was unable to do. That former Sir Henry Cecil trainee still managed to beat Daylami (Ire) in the 1999 G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and finish runner-up in that year's G1 Champion S. and third in the 2000 G1 Eclipse S., but she was later outshone by the family's multiple grade I-winning champion Main Sequence (Aldebaran).
Friday, Sandown, Britain
BET365 GORDON RICHARDS S.-G3, £65,000, SAN, 4-28, 4yo/up, 10f 7yT, 2:14.16, gd.
1–ULYSSES (IRE), 126, c, 4, 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. £36,862. Lifetime Record: 8-3-2-0, $349,576. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Deauville (Ire), 126, c, 4, Galileo (Ire)–Walklikeanegyptian (Ire), by Danehill. O-Fitri Hay, Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier & Derrick Smith; B-Mrs Fitri Hay (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £13,975.
3–My Dream Boat (Ire), 126, h, 5, Lord Shanakill–Betty Burke (GB), by Choisir (Aus). (€4,000 Ylg '13 GOFFEB; €16,000 Ylg '13 GOFSPT; £40,000 2yo '14 DONBRE). O-Paul & Clare Rooney; B-Patrick Monahan (IRE); T-Clive Cox. £6,994.
Margins: 1, 3, 1 3/4. Odds: 3.00, 4.50, 2.75.
Also Ran: Royal Artillery, Muntazah (GB), Arthenus (GB), First Sitting (GB), Restorer (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
