By Tom Frary
After a rare three-way head-bob at the culmination of Saturday's G3 Solario Stakes at Sandown, Paul and Clare Rooney were celebrating as the 2-1 favourite A Bit Of Spirit (Palace Pier) prevailed by the smallest of margins. Locked in a tussle to the line with Oceans Four (Zoustar) and Humidity (Ulysses), the son of Darley's red-hot first-crop sire who had been second in the Listed Pat Eddery Stakes and Listed Stonehenge Stakes was ultimately inches in front where it counts. Two nose margins told the tale, with Godolphin's Pacific Avenue (Dubawi) only worried out of it very late and ending up just a neck behind Humidity in fourth.
“He's got remarkable courage and really digs deep,” the winning trainer Clive Cox said of the 75,000gns Tattersalls Somerville graduate, who had led from the outset, had looked beaten as Pacific Avenue passed him in the final furlong and who could only be called the winner when the photo was shared. “We had no idea if he would cope with conditions this easy and certainly we haven't seen any ground like this all summer, but he's all heart and so tough and I'm very pleased.”
“Now we know he handles the ground, we can plot accordingly and he's got all the options wide-open,” he added. “He's well entered and he's in the Royal Lodge, but I'm not sure if we would prefer to stay at seven furlongs and he's in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere in France and all those races. I'm delighted for the owners, who have been big supporters and it's nice for them to have a horse like this for the big stage.”
🤌 Brilliant finish to the Solario
It's A Bit Of Spirit captures the G3 @BetMGMUK Solario Stakes @Sandownpark pic.twitter.com/ocsjRhKzsb
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 30, 2025
Pedigree Notes
A Bit Of Spirit, who becomes the second Group and third black-type winner for Palace Pier, is the first foal out of Tanaaghom (Dubawi) who is a daughter of the Listed scorer and Group 3-placed Adool (Teofilo). The third dam is the G3 Nell Gwyn Stakes scorer Khulood (Storm Cat), a half to the July Cup-winning sire Elnadim and the Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Mehthaaf (Nureyev) whose descendants include Iffraaj's heavyweight Ribchester, Occupandiste (Kaldoun) and Intello (Galileo). Tanaaghom's yearling colt by St Mark's Basilica is due to sell at the Tattersalls October Book 3, while she also has a colt foal by Baaeed.
Saturday, Sandown, Britain
BETMGM SOLARIO STAKES-G3, £65,000, Sandown, 8-30, 2yo, 7fT, 1:31.12, sf.
1–A BIT OF SPIRIT (IRE), 129, c, 2, by Palace Pier (GB)
1st Dam: Tanaaghom (Ire), by Dubawi (Ire)
2nd Dam: Adool (Ire), by Teofilo (Ire)
3rd Dam: Khulood, by Storm Cat
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (75,000gns Ylg '24 TATSOM). O-Paul & Clare Rooney; B-J Hanly, A Stroud & Ed's Stud; T-Clive Cox; J-Rossa Ryan. £36,862. Lifetime Record: 5-3-2-0, $95,621. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Humidity (GB), 129, c, 2, Ulysses (Ire)–Sultry (GB), by Pivotal (GB). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (120,000gns RNA Ylg '24 TATOCT). O-Wathnan Racing; B-Cheveley Park Stud Ltd; T-Andrew Balding. £6,994.
*3–Oceans Four (GB), 129, g, 2, Zoustar (Aus)–Savanne Sauvage (Ire), by Lope De Vega (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (£82,000 Ylg '24 GOFFUK). O-Family Amusements Ltd & DBS Partners; B-Paul Frampton & Widden Stud; T-Brian Meehan. £13,975.
Margins: (NO, NK, NO). Odds: 2.00, 2.75, 25.00.
Also Ran: Pacific Avenue (Ire), Looka, He's Waliim (GB). Scratched: Publish (GB).
*Demoted from 2nd.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
