Solow Best In QEII Challenge

SO LONG!
All talk of a major showdown between Solow (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) and Gleneagles (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in Saturday’s G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. proved wide of the mark, as the Wertheimers’ increasingly popular grey never saw that rival en route to another straightforward top-flight success in Ascot’s QIPCO-sponsored contest. Up near the pace throughout, the 11-10 favorite rolled to the front with a furlong remaining and without showing electric acceleration was able to draw the sting from his opponents as he registered a 3/4-of-a-length success from the surprise package Belardo (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). Gleneagles never threatened but stayed on to be sixth after being given the green light on ground that was probably too soft for the long-absent dual Classic hero to show his best. “To be able to keep his form like that all year with all those journeys he has made on all those racecourses, he is very special,” winning trainer Freddy Head commented. “He’s very sound, easy to train and does whatever you want him to.”

Saturday, Ascot, Britain
QUEEN ELIZABETH II S. (SPONSORED BY QIPCO)-G1, £1,100,000, ASC, 10-17, 3yo/up, 8fT, 1:41.92, g/s.
1–SOLOW (GB), 130, g, 5, by Singspiel (Ire)
1st Dam: High Maintenance (Fr) (GSP-Fr, $115,823), by Highest Honor (Fr)
2nd Dam: Fabulous Hostess, by Fabulous Dancer
3rd Dam: Young Hostess (Fr), by Arctic Tern
O/B-Wertheimer & Frere (GB); T-Freddy Head; J-Maxime Guyon. £623,810. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Fr & UAE, 17-12-2-1, $6,260,824. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Belardo (Ire), 127, c, 3, Lope de Vega (Ire)–Danaskaya (Ire), by Danehill. (€100,000 Ylg ‘13 ARAUG). O-Godolphin & Prince A A Faisal; B-Ballylinch Stud (IRE); T-Roger Varian. £236,500.
3–Gabrial (Ire), 130, g, 6, Dark Angel (Ire)–Guajira (Fr), by Mtoto (GB). (25,000gns Wlg ‘09 TATFOA; £48,300 Ylg ‘10 DONPRE). O-Dr Marwan Koukash; B-B Kennedy (IRE); T-Richard Fahey. £118,360.
Margins: 3/4, 1HF, HD. Odds: 1.10, 33.00, 66.00.
Also Ran: Integral (GB), Elm Park (GB), Gleneagles (Ire), Territories (Ire), Kodi Bear (Ire), Top Notch Tonto (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result, the brisnet.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

At this time last year, Solow had yet to sample Group 1 company but he had shown the class to make it a distinct possibility while also prompting Freddy Head to conclude that he was best at or around a mile after some earlier experimentation with trips at up to almost two miles. Heading to Dubai with wins in Deauville’s G3 Prix Quincey and Longchamp’s G2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein under his belt, he served notice that he was up with the major players in that sphere when readily upstaging The Grey Gatsby (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) in the nine-furlong G1 Dubai Turf Mar. 28. On his next two starts, the homebred carried on his winning momentum without being overly impressive but defeats of Gailo Chop (Fr) (Deportivo {GB}) in the May 24 G1 Prix d’Ispahan at Longchamp and of Esoterique (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) in the June 16 G1 Queen Anne S. here have since been given extra weight by the exploits of the runner’s-up. With Gleneagles missing from Glorious Goodwood’s feature G1 Sussex S. July 29, Solow had little more than a piece of exercise to undertake to extend his sequence to eight consecutive successes against the backdrop of disappointment that his Ballydoyle nemesis had not been there to truly test his merit. The dual Guineas winner was here this time, by dint of a last-minute decision by Coolmore connections to take a chance on the ground, but it may be that the real Gleneagles failed to show up as he clearly labored on the surface off such a lengthy absence. Where he was inconvenienced by the rain-deadened going, Solow had his turf of choice and was always traveling easily for Maxime Guyon behind the pace-setting Elm Park (GB) (Phoenix Reach {Ire}) and refused to be lit up by an early bump from the free-running Kodi Bear (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}). Moving up through his gears as most struggled in behind, Solow’s diesel engine carried him to the line for another highlight as last year’s G1 Dewhurst S. winner Belardo finished with a flourish. That colt’s trainer Roger Varian was delighted to see a return to form from the runner-up. “It was a great run and we’re pleased with that, he ran very well in the Challenge Stakes at Newmarket from where he had to come from, but he needs riding like that. Being ‘cold’ early on–that’s how he won a Dewhurst,” he explained. “We would have preferred to have won, but we are pleased that he put up a high-level performance and I think he has made a case for staying in training next year. I don’t think there is anything else this season for him, but James Doyle thinks he will get further. It was a shame they went slow early on, but we are delighted with the horse as it reminds people of what a talent he was last year.” Aidan O’Brien is pondering a tilt at the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic with Gleneagles and said, “He had been trained for four races and had not had a break all summer. We knew it was going to be tough to come here and especially in the ground. If I had the choice again I would probably say not run him, like we did the other times. We had our eye on the Breeders’ Cup Classic and if he was going there he had to run. We took a chance and the race was a little messy. He’s a fast-ground horse. About the Classic, we’ll have to see how he is. Everyone will talk about it and decide what’s best. There were a lot of pros in running him, but it didn’t work for us on the day. He seems to be fine after it and we’ll see what he’s like in the next few days.”