By Sean Cronin
Royal Ascot heroine Venetian Sun (Starman) had history on her side entering Friday's G2 bet365 Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes, with four of the last 10 winners backing up a G3 Albany Stakes triumph, and she added her name to that roll of honour with a narrow victory in the six-furlong dash at Newmarket.
“The race panned out perfectly and she lengthened correctly on the rising ground,” said winning rider Clifford Lee. “But she hit the front too soon, she thought he race was finished and started to cruise,” he added. Trainer Karl Burke listed the G1 Prix Morny and G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes as possible targets.
Racing in a handy fifth until gliding forward on the bridle once past halfway, the 2-5 favourite powered to the fore approaching the final furlong and idled once in front as Royal Fixation (Palace Pier) flashed home fast and late to reduce the winning margin to a neck.
“This race wasn't part of the plan originally, we just made a decision last week to enter,” explained Burke. “There's been no issues with the filly, but we haven't trained her for this race. We've been fairly easy on her since Ascot, as you would expect, with the thought that we'd go for the [G2] Lowther at York or maybe the [G1] Prix Morny. Now she's won a Group 2 that brings the Morny into it more than the Lowther. We won't say we're definitely going to the Morny, but if the ground is a bit easier and it's a race we think we can be very competitive in we could go there and still have time to get her ready for the Moyglare. If we're not happy with her for the Morny, we'll go straight to the Moyglare. She's a very straightforward filly with a fantastic mind.”
Reflecting on the performance of runner-up Royal Fixation, Ed Walker commented, “I'm very proud of her. You come in here off the back of a Thirsk maiden and you don't really know how good you are, but she's very good. It would have been disappointing if she had run badly as we rate her very highly among our two-year-olds, but to run that filly [Venetian Sun] as close as we did is pretty exciting because I think she's a very special filly. Briefly, I thought we might get there. I think she was a bit green, she never came off the bridle at Thirsk, so today is the first time she's had a proper race. There's lots more to come, I'd say. I don't know where we'll go next, I'll have a cold beer and worry about that later. The Lowther has got to be a potential target.”
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Venetian Sun remains unbeaten pic.twitter.com/8UFXlby4BO
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 11, 2025
Pedigree Notes
Venetian Sun is the third of five foals and one of three scorers for the dual stakes-placed Johara (Iffraaj), herself the leading performer out of a full-sister to Listed Winter Derby Trial third Mister Green (Green Desert). The February-foaled bay's third dam, Group 3-winning G1 Prix Saint-Alary third Summertime Legacy (Darshaan), also produced G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud hero Mandaean (Manduro), G1 Prix Saint-Alary victrix Wavering (Montjeu) and G1 Fillies' Mile placegetter Winters Moon (New Approach). The latter is the dam of dual Group 1-winning sire Earthlight (Shamardal) and dual Group 1-winning 2000 Guineas third Shadow Of Light (Lope De Vega). Wavering is the dam of three black-type performers headed by multiple stakes-winning G1 Prix Rothschild runner-up Life In Motion (Sea The Stars). Venetian Sun is a half-sister to Listed Roses Stakes third Sir Yoshi (Mehmas) while her dam has a yearling filly by Kodiac and a weanling filly by Cotai Glory to come.
Friday, Newmarket, Britain
DUCHESS OF CAMBRIDGE STAKES-G2, £100,000, Newmarket, 7-11, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:11.58, g/f.
1–VENETIAN SUN (IRE), 128, f, 2, by Starman (GB)
1st Dam: Johara (Ire) (MSP-Fr), by Iffraaj (GB)
2nd Dam: Hurricane Irene (Ire), by Green Desert
3rd Dam: Summertime Legacy (GB), by Darshaan (GB)
(240,000gns Ylg '24 TATOCT). O-Tony Bloom & Ian McAleavy; B-Tally-Ho Stud; T-Karl Burke; J-Clifford Lee. £56,710. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $201,161. *1/2 to Sir Yoshi (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}), SP-Eng. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Royal Fixation (GB), 128, f, 2, Palace Pier (GB)–Fixette (Ire), by Kodiac (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (180,000gns Ylg '24 TATOCT). O-Opulence Thoroughbreds; B-D J Weston; T-Ed Walker. £21,500.
3–Argentine Tango (GB), 128, f, 2, Mattmu (GB)–Showdanse (GB), by Showcasing (GB). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Bearstone Stud Ltd; T-Tim Easterby. £10,760.
Margins: NK, 3HF, 3/4. Odds: 0.40, 14.00, 9.00.
Also Ran: Shine On Me (GB), Spicy Marg (GB), Mood Queen (Ire).
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