Mill Reef Glory For Iffraaj’s Ribchester

Runner-up at 25-1 when still a maiden in the G2 Gimcrack S. at York Aug. 22, Godolphin’s recent purchase Ribchester stepped forward to justify that acquisition and 13-8 favoritism by breaking his maiden in style in this often-important staging post. Prior to his taking performance when runner-up to Ajaya (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in that 2-year-old highlight of the Ebor meeting, the bay had been 8-1 when second over this trip in a July 9 Doncaster maiden behind the William Haggas trainee Melabi (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) who has since been unplaced in a brace of nurseries. Settled last early by James Doyle with the same operation’s Log Out Island setting a genuine pace up ahead, Ribchester was produced with a decisive surge to take over from that rival passing the quarter pole and was always comfortably holding him on the run to the line. As a measure of the winner’s persistent progress, the Gimcrack third Raucous–who had been two lengths behind him last time–was again in that spot but much further behind this time. “There is pressure when you put your faith in a horse like this and he’s on the way to being a nice horse,” trainer Richard Fahey commented. “You can imagine how shocked I was when he got beaten [in his maiden] at Doncaster and it was a brave shout to run in the Gimcrack next time, but he verified where we thought he was there. He’s a big baby with a big frame and is not a horse that will have a lot more racing this year, but I’ll speak to John [Ferguson] and all the lads and see where we go. He’s a quality horse that will get better with time and anything he is doing this year is a bonus–if I have a 2000 Guineas horse, it’s him.”

Saturday, Newbury, Britain
DUBAI DUTY FREE MILL REEF S.-G2, £75,000, NBY, 9-19, 2yo, 6f 8yT, 1:14.39, sf.
1–#@RIBCHESTER (IRE), 127, c, 2, 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-James Doyle. £42,532. Lifetime Record: 3-1-2-0, $141,762. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Log Out Island (Ire), 127, c, 2, Dark Angel (Ire)–White Daffodil (Ire), by Footstepsinthesand (GB). (£95,000 Ylg ‘14 DNPRM). O-Godolphin; B-Yeomanstown Stud (IRE); T-Richard Hannon. £16,125.
3–Raucous (GB), 127, c, 2, Dream Ahead–Shyrl (GB), by Acclamation (GB). (100,000gns Ylg ‘14 TAOCT). O-Highclere Thoroughbred Racing (Melbourne); B-Saleh Al Homaizi & Imad Al Sagar (GB); T-William Haggas. £8,070.
Margins: 1 1/4, 4HF, 2HF. Odds: 1.60, 4.50, 2.75.
Also Ran: King Robert (GB), Whitman (GB), Salt Lake Sooty (GB). Click for the Racing Post result, the brisnet.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.