By Tom Frary
CLEAR BLUE WATER
Making all to turn Saturday's G1 Al Shaqab Lockinge S. into a procession, Ribchester (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) rewarded William Buick's positive tactics and takers of 7-4 to provide Godolphin with an eighth renewal of Newbury's feature. Last seen finishing third on his first foray beyond this trip in the G1 Dubai Turf over nine furlongs at Meydan Mar. 25, the bay was swinging along happily in front until the two-furlong pole and despite drifting right to the stand's rail soon after was always firmly on top. At the line, last year's G1 Prix Jacques le Marois hero had an authoritative 3 3/4-length margin to spare over Lightning Spear (GB) (Pivotal {GB}). “He's a very good horse, very versatile,” his rider commented. “He's getting mentally better and physically stronger every day. If you are going to compete in these group one races and be successful, you have to be the complete package and the team at home have helped him become that.”
Saturday, Newbury, Britain
AL SHAQAB LOCKINGE S.-G1, £350,000, NBY, 5-20, 4yo/up, 8fT, 1:43.00, sf.
1–RIBCHESTER (IRE), 126, c, 4, by Iffraaj (GB)
1st Dam: Mujarah (Ire), by Marju (Ire)
2nd Dam: Tanaghum (GB), by Darshaan (GB)
3rd Dam: Mehthaaf, by Nureyev
(€78,000 Wlg '13 GOFNOV; €105,000 Ylg '14 GOFORB). O-Godolphin; B-A Thompson & M O'Brien (IRE); T-Richard Fahey; J-William Buick. £198,485. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Eur at 7-9.5f, G1SW-Fr & G1SP-UAE, 11-4-3-3. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Lightning Spear (GB), 126, h, 6, Pivotal (GB)–Atlantic Destiny (Ire), by Royal Academy. (260,000gns Ylg '12 TAOCT). O-Qatar Racing Ltd; B-Newsells Park Stud (GB); T-David Simcock. £75,250.
3–Breton Rock (Ire), 126, g, 7, 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. £37,660.
Margins: 3 3/4, 2HF, 3/4. Odds: 1.75, 4.50, 25.00.
Also Ran: Somehow (Ire), Galileo Gold (GB), Aclaim (Ire), Mitchum Swagger (GB), Toscanini (Ire). Scratched: Dutch Connection (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Ribchester has proven another inspired purchase by his previous owner David Armstrong of Mayson (GB) fame, instantly flaunting his considerable ability when second in York's G2 Gimcrack S. as a maiden in August 2015 before going one better in the G2 Mill Reef S. here the following month. On his three-year-old bow, he was second before being demoted to fifth in the G3 Prix Djebel over seven furlongs at Maisons-Laffitte in early April and proved he stayed this far when third behind Galileo Gold (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}) in the G1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket later that month. Defying a five-pound penalty to take Royal Ascot's G3 Jersey S. back over seven in June, he was a strong-closing third behind The Gurkha (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Galileo Gold in Goodwood's G1 Sussex S. in July prior to beating the subsequent G1 Prix du Moulin winner Vadamos (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}) in the Jacques le Marois at Deauville in August. Rested after his half-length second to Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. at Ascot on Champions Day, he may have needed his reintroduction when third in the Dubai Turf which acted as a scouting mission with regards his trip.
With stablemate and potential pacemaker Toscanini (Ire) (Shamardal) missing the break altogether, it was left to Buick to set his own fractions and Ribchester proved more than content to oblige with Frankie Dettori opting to separate the keen-going Galileo Gold from the field to race alone. By the time he passed the three-furlong pole, it was clear that the Fahey runner had all in trouble in behind and if his errant path soon after gave Lightning Spear a half-chance at closing the gap as soon as he had the rail to guide he again surged away. “I was quite nervous today, as it was a big day and he performed,” his trainer said. “It was plan b after Toscanini missed it, but I always felt he could do something like that. He's mature physically and is getting better, even though he won the Mill Reef as a 2-year-old when he was a bit of a handful. At home, he's just gone a bit lazier but I'm happy with where he is and he's happy in his mind. The Dubai job was to think if he gets a mile and a quarter it gives us more options and I'd love that, but we don't need to go there at the moment. I've always ranted and raved about him, so it's a relief. We just had to nurture and get it out. The [G1] Queen Anne [S. at Royal Ascot June 20] looks every inch where we'll go, but I've got to speak to a big team and it was a fair slog today so we also need to check he's okay.”
Despite his prowess at up to a mile, Ribchester who is the first foal out of the undistinguished John Dunlop-trained Mujarah is bred to go further. His dam, who was tried at a mile and a half by that Arundel maestro, is a half to the G3 Curragh Cup scorer Tactic (GB) (Sadler's Wells) and the G3 Prix Minerve runner-up Yaazy (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), with other evidence of stamina under the first three dams emerging through the G2 Premio Lydia Tesio-winning highweight Najah (Ire) (Nashwan). Mehthaaf had the speed to accomplish victories in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas, G2 Celebration Mile and G3 Nell Gwyn S. and she is a half to the G1 July Cup-winning sire Elnadim. The G1 Prix d'Astarte-winning fourth dam Elle Seule (Exclusive Native) is related to a flurry of high-class individuals emanating from the great broodmare Fall Aspen in Timber Country, Bianconi, Fort Wood and Hamas (Ire), with this also being the family of Dubai Millennium (GB) (Seeking the Gold). It also features the G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest and G1 Prix de la Foret heroine Occupandiste (Ire) (Kaldoun {Fr}), who has produced last year's GI Arlington Million hero Mondialiste (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and the G2 Prix de Sandringham winner and G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches runner-up Impressionnante (GB) (Danehill), in turn the dam of the G1 Prix du Jockey-Club-winning sire Intello (Ger) (Galileo). Mujarah also has a yearling colt by Raven's Pass and a colt foal by Dubawi.
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