Hungerford Glory For Kodiac’s Adaay

After five withdrawals including four of the most interesting contenders in Safety Check (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), Richard Pankhurst (GB) (Raven’s Pass), Limato (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) and Home of the Brave (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), this edition was robbed of much gloss before Adaay stepped up to the plate on his first try over this trip. Having only raced at six furlongs so far, the bay had been third behind the aforementioned Limato in the G3 Pavilion S. at Ascot Apr. 29 but readily took the Listed Carnarvon S. at this circuit May 16 prior to gaining revenge and ending that rival’s unbeaten sequence in the G2 Sandy Lane S. at Haydock May 30. Looking in need of this extra distance when only seventh tackling the pure sprinters of his generation in the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot June 19, he confirmed that impression by relishing this test of stamina enhanced by the tacky underfoot conditions. Slotted in rear early by Paul Hanagan in the group racing up the center, Adaay crept into contention past halfway and delivered a strong run on the far side to grab the lead passing the furlong pole. As Coulsty and last year’s winner Breton Rock tried hard to reel him in, he kept finding for pressure despite drifting right close home. “He gave me a lovely feel there and he relaxed lovely out the back,” commented his rider, who had opted for him over Muhaarar (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) in the Commonwealth Cup. “I took no chances going through horses and that suited him, as he was pricking his ears at the line. This opens up lots of new options for him, as he stayed the trip really well.” Trainer William Haggas’ wife Maureen added, “This was an experiment and at Ascot we thought the ground was too quick for him, so the bit of rain helped. We would not be frightened of going up to a mile if the right race was there, he obviously doesn’t mind cut in the ground and it opens up a lot more doors for him. Hopefully he is with us next year, as he is getting better.” Connections of Coulsty are looking at the upcoming Turkish invitational races, while David Simcock said of Breton Rock, “He could have done with a bit more rain, but that run sets him up for an autumn campaign. He is the G2 Park S. [at Doncaster Sept. 12] and the G2 Celebration Mile [at Goodwood Aug. 29] and we will look at races in France later on for him.”

Saturday, Newbury, Britain
BETFRED HUNGERFORD S.-G2, £150,000, NBY, 8-15, 3yo/up, 7fT, 1:26.76, sf.
1–ADAAY (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Kodiac (GB)
1st Dam: Lady Lucia (Ire), by Royal Applause (GB)
2nd Dam: Inventive (GB), by Sheikh Albadou (GB)
3rd Dam: Ingenuity (GB), by Clever Trick
(€54,000 Wlg ‘12 GOFNOV; 240,000gns 2yo ‘14 TATBRE). O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum; B-L Fox (IRE); T-William Haggas; J-Paul Hanagan. £85,065. Lifetime Record: 9-5-0-2, $312,837. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Coulsty (Ire), 132, c, 4, Kodiac (GB)–Hazium (Ire), by In the Wings (GB). (€37,000 Wlg ‘11 GOFNOV; 57,000gns Ylg ‘12 TAOCT). O-Lord Vestey; B-Peter & Sarah Fortune (IRE); T-Richard Hannon. £32,250.
3–Breton Rock (Ire), 132, g, 5, Bahamian Bounty (GB)–Anna’s Rock (Ire), by Rock of Gibraltar (Ire). (£20,000 Ylg ‘11 DNPRM). O-John Cook; B-George Kent (IRE); T-David Simcock. £16,140.
Margins: HF, HD, 1 1/4. Odds: 7.50, 10.00, 5.00.
Also Ran: Cable Bay (Ire), Heaven’s Guest (Ire), Markaz (Ire), Here Comes When (Ire), Majestic Mount (GB), Windfast (Ire), That is the Spirit (GB), Lincoln (Ire). Scratched: Safety Check (Ire), Home of the Brave (Ire), Limato (Ire), Richard Pankhurst (GB), Tupi (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result, the brisnet.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.