By Chris McGrath
Success in the first big race of the new turf season in Britain lent a sense of earnestness to all the talk of a fresh start for Godolphin, but nobody will be getting carried away just yet. Too many previous lines in the sand have been effaced by the desert wind–whether through poor luck or judgement–for any meaningful flag to have been planted in the slurry navigated by Secret Brief (Ire) (Shamardal) in the Lincoln H.
That said, enough eggs remain in the twin, in-house baskets for Appleby's success with Secret Brief to be reckoned a legitimate tonic. An internal appointment, after the Mahmood Al Zarooni scandal, seemed a stubborn rejoinder to protests that priceless bloodstock could only be sensibly entrusted to trainers with “runs on the board.” And few in the industry felt comfortable with Appleby seeking an initial comfort zone on the all-weather during the winter of 2014-15. But he was sensibly restrained this time round, perhaps a sign of growing confidence, and there are encouraging vibes that 'TDN Rising Star' Emotionless (Ire) (Shamardal) can bounce back after chipping a bone in his knee in the Dewhurst S. That would certainly be consistent with a physique that always promised fulfilment with maturity–and would also suggest a parallel, sustainable renewal in the broader fortunes of Godolphin.
Lost and Found: Ballydoyle Hitting Its Stride…
Whatever the substance of Godolphin's regeneration, the Maktoums will have perceived an ominous familiarity to the first skirmishes of the season in Ireland–where a couple of striking 3-year-old winners on the synthetic circuit at Dundalk Friday showed that Aidan O'Brien demonstrably has his horses where he needs them.
That would not have been so evident in years past, when people might have looked at the odds-on defeat of 'TDN Rising Star' Found (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) at The Curragh yesterday and concluded that the Ballydoyle horses were behind schedule. As it is, we are able to keep the defeat of the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf winner, eight lengths third of five in a mere listed race, in due perspective. O'Brien was obviously happy to treat Found's first public appearance since her defeat of Golden Horn (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) as little more than a piece of work to get her mind and body tighter for a long season ahead. She received a very pragmatic ride in appalling conditions, understandably a little too eager on her return and largely just held together once it was clear she was struggling to pull her limbs out of the gloop in the closing stages.
It was all very different in the less demanding environment of Dundalk, Long Island Sound (War Front) palpably learning as he went through a mile maiden before getting it all together in the straight and Washington DC (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) opening up Classic options by seeing out a seventh furlong really well in a listed race. It was his first sighting since chasing home his champion stablemate, Air Force Blue (War Front) in the G1 Keeneland Phoenix S. last summer, and he had previously shown enough speed to win over the bare five at Royal Ascot.
Perhaps the most significant Ballydoyle performance to date, however, was the debut of US Army Ranger (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the last race at The Curragh. With an arrow blaze like his sire, and under another admirably restrained ride from Ryan Moore, he ran down a heavily backed colt from the Dermot Weld yard with an inexorable surge through ground that could not have been less flattering. Three years ago Ruler Of The World (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) started his career in the same maiden en route to winning the Derby and O'Brien may well elect to take this one to Chester, as well, as the ideal track for a horse required to compress his education before Epsom.
A Name to Watch…
The dreadful conditions at Doncaster prompted Wesley Ward to abandon his exotic challenge for the Brocklesby S., leaving the field clear for Mark Johnston to produce a fourth explosive winner in five juvenile races to date in The Last Lion (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}). Even his solitary failure, a colt who finished fourth at Kempton Saturday, contrived to fortify Johnston's position: the winner had been trounced nine lengths by his Sutter County (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in the first 2-year-old race of the season, at Wolverhampton eight days previously.
As mentioned last week, nobody feels more disenfranchised by the bewildering tempo of these early races than David Evans–but he could yet be consoled by the amplification of his singular talents through Dougan (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}). Discarded by Shadwell for just 3,500 guineas last September, this 4-year-old gelding was seriously impressive dropped back to six furlongs in a handicap at Kempton Saturday. Few have registered his name as yet, but if he proves as effective on turf–he is now four for six on synthetic surfaces–it would be no surprise to see Dougan break into elite company as a sprinter.
No Man's Land…
For the aficionados, the British turf season really begins at the Craven meeting next week. In the meantime, however, few can see any intelligible reason for the perversion of some of the calendar's most venerable traditions. The Lincoln meeting was rudely displaced from its historic role, in opening the new campaign, by a numbingly mediocre fixture at Redcar on Monday. In fairness, the Musselburgh card abandoned two days previously would have offered prizemoney consistent with the excellent endeavours of several Scottish tracks in recent years. But there is absolutely no excuse for persevering with the preposterous innovation, last year, of a jockeys' championship contested only during a core season that exists only in the fantasies of industry novices who have somehow been permitted to break out of the marketing department and impose their glib prescriptions on everyone else. As a result, the four winners ridden by Andrea Atzeni at Kempton Saturday will be joined in a weightless void by any he might add in various historic races still to be staged before the Guineas meeting. It's unpardonably stupid, and it's got to be put right as soon as possible–if not before.
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