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Smooth Rose Bowl Win For Godolphin's Millionaire Wise Approach

Updated: July 18, 2025 at 4:05 pm

By Tom Frary

Wise Approach gains his black-type win
Wise Approach ridden by William Buick (centre) on their way to winning the Ire-Incentive - It Pays To Buy Irish Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury Racecourse. Picture date: Friday July 18, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Use subject to restrictions. Editorial use only, no commercial use without prior consent from rights holder.

William Buick will have fewer easier rides than he enjoyed on Godolphin's Wise Approach (Mehmas) as the TDN Rising Star dispatched his rivals in Friday's Listed Rose Bowl Stakes at Newbury. Off the mark in April's Royal Ascot Two-Year-Old Trial EBF Conditions Stakes before disappointing at York and rebounding to be second in the Norfolk last month, the half-brother to Perfect Power cruised from behind to seize control a furlong out and inflict a four-length beating on Rock On Thunder (Night Of Thunder).

“He ran a good race at Ascot, when he was on a different side of the track to the winner, but was more comfortable back at six,” Buick said of the 1m gns purchase, whose odds of 11-10 looked big after this command performance. “I like what he did there, it was a nice smooth performance and he looked a good deal better than the opposition there. I think he will develop–he's a scopey horse and he was very natural from early on, but I do think he'll keep getting better.”

Wise Approach is the fourth foal out of Sagely (Frozen Power), whose first was the aforementioned Perfect Power who captured the Middle Park, Prix Morny and Royal Ascot's Commonwealth Cup and Norfolk. Also responsible for the Chesham third Golden Mind (Galileo Gold), she is kin to the Listed-placed Sagaciously whose son Epic Poet (Lope De Vega) was a Listed scorer who placed four times at Group level including when runner-up in the G2 Red Sea Turf Handicap.

Sagely is also a granddaughter of Saga D'Ouilly (Linamix), the full-sister to the Arc hero Sagamix and half to the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud-winning sire Sagacity (Highest Honor) and to the formidable broodmare Shastye (Danehill). Under the latter are the high-class Galileo trio of Japan, Mogul and Secret Gesture. Sagely's yearling is a full-sister to the winner.

IRE-INCENTIVE – IT PAYS TO BUY IRISH ROSE BOWL STAKES-Listed, £45,000, Newbury, 7-18, 2yo, 6fT, 1:11.93, g/f.
1–WISE APPROACH (IRE), 128, c, 2, by Mehmas (Ire)
1st Dam: Sagely (Ire), by Frozen Power (Ire)
2nd Dam: Saga Celebre (Fr), by Peintre Celebre
3rd Dam: Saga D'Ouilly (Fr), by Linamix (Fr)
TDN Rising Star. 1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. (1,000,000gns Ylg '24 TATOCT). O-Godolphin; B-Tally Ho Stud; T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. £25,520. Lifetime Record: GSP-Eng, 4-2-1-0, $94,410. *1/2 to Perfect Power (Ire) (Ardad {Ire}), MG1SW-Eng, G1SW-Fr, $928,832.
2–Rock On Thunder (Ire), 128, c, 2, Night Of Thunder (Ire)–Boston Rocker (Ire), by Acclamation (GB).
1ST BLACK TYPE. (380,000gns Ylg '24 TATOCT). O-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum; B-J Hanly, A Stroud & Skymarc Farm; T-Kevin Ryan. £9,675.
3–Amorim (GB), 128, c, 2, Havana Grey (GB)–Stellarta (GB), by Sakhee's Secret (GB).
1ST BLACK TYPE. (250,000gns Wlg '23 TADEWE; 500,000gns Ylg '24 TATOCT). O-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum; B-Whitsbury Manor Stud; T-George Boughey. £4,842.
Margins: 4, 2, 2 1/4. Odds: 1.10, 3.00, 4.00.
Also Ran: Do Bronxs (Ire), Kolkata Knight (Ire). Scratched: First Legion (Ire), Nuevo Slovo (Ire).