Weekly Wrap With Chris McGrath for Aug. 1

It is still not four months since The Gurkha (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) finished third in a maiden at Leopardstown. Yet he has now won two Group 1 races and arguably looked the classiest horse in two others, just outstayed in deep ground over 10f up the Sandown hill and given the slip while caught in traffic at Royal Ascot. Yet if his blend of quality and toughness somewhat evokes a previous Ballydoyle champion in Giant's Causeway (Storm Cat), then the resemblance is arguably stronger still in his biggest rival.

The more you see of Galileo Gold (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}), the more perplexing it seems that connections are resisting the opportunity at least to experiment over a couple of extra furlongs. They presumably take the view that you don't have to fix things that plainly “ain't broke”. But it would be a pity if their vacillations over the Derby, in the spring, has left even a subconscious reluctance to dilute his chosen profile as a miler. After all, the tactics used at Goodwood last Wednesday once again seemed tacitly to acknowledge a degree of vulnerability to a sharper bayonet in The Gurkha.

If Galileo Gold still had a tendency towards mild exuberance in the spring, he has since become ever more tractable and professional. At the same time, he continues to strengthen physically–albeit he already stood out, in the pre-parade ring before the G1 2000 Guineas, for a build ideally tailored to his pugilistic style. Since being caught flat-footed at The Curragh, he has respectively tracked a pacemaker at Ascot and made the running at Goodwood. Actually his impressive young trainer suspects that he might have done better still, last week, had he not been obliged to set up the race himself. Nonetheless it is remarkable that Galileo Gold has not even been given the option of the G1 Juddmonte International S., a race won by the rallying Giant's Causeway after he beat Dansili (GB) (Danehill) in the G1 Sussex S. of 2000.

Going up and down in trip hardly diminished the allure of “The Iron Horse” at stud, while Galileo Gold's maternal pedigree surely corroborates the case for trying 10f. Yes, his dam's half-sister muddles things as a Group 1 winner at 6f, but their mother is a Highest Honor (Fr) (Kenmare {Fr}) daughter of that storied mare Floripedes (Fr) (Top Ville {Ire}). The dam of Montjeu (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) needs no introduction as a linchpin in the pedigrees of so many 12f champions, though it is worth reminding ourselves that her next-best progeny had to run in that curio, the 14f San Juan Capistrano Invitational H., to make a Grade I impact; that Floripedes herself was second in the G1 Prix Royal Oak; and that her half-sister won another notoriously gruelling race in the G2 Prix Victomtesse Vigier. His outstanding son apart, Paco Boy (Ire) (Desert Style {Ire}) has produced another smart 3-year-old this year in Imperial Aviator (GB) (Paco Boy {GB})–likewise out of a Galileo (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) mare, and hugely improved by the step up to 10f this spring.

Clearly his comfort in soft going will make Galileo Gold one of the few horses usefully served by the postponement of the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. from its traditional slot to the slurry of October. Giant's Causeway was narrowly foiled by Observatory (Distant View) when the race was still staged in September, but the scheduling in those happy days at least allowed him to proceed with his epic challenge for the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic –where his reputation, even in defeat, duly grew again.

That unforgettable day reminded everyone present of the dividends available to those prepared to take a chance. So let's hope that the owners of Galileo Gold–relative newcomers to the sport, lest we forget–can find due inspiration in that example.

Fahey: So Far, So Good…

Perhaps because he threatened to intrude on a story that wrote itself between the first two, Ribchester (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) did not get adequate credit for his performance in the G1 Qatar Sussex S. Having given the other pair a start, he was never quite getting there, but still opened up a three-length gap on the rest in going under by just a neck and a short head.

Considering that he looked a colt palpably at a crossroads, when veering across the track at Maisons-Laffitte in the spring, Ribchester's progress since–brilliant at Royal Ascot, and his numbers growing by the run–amply confirms that the skills of Richard Fahey deserve to be measured as much by quality as quantity. Godolphin only became involved once Ribchester, among countless other middle-market yearlings in his stable, had broken through to finish second in the G2 Gimcrack S. last year. As the royal blue silks continue their proliferation, it would be nice to think that this exemplary “test case” will prompt not just Sheikh Mohammed, but other big operators, to give Fahey due opportunity when distributing yearlings this autumn.

Point Can Still Be Sharpened…

Having said that, Charlie Appleby continues to consolidate his status in Godolphin's in-house operation–and is entitled to view reverses for a couple of his best juveniles at Goodwood as a case of one step backward for two steps forward.

'TDN Rising Star' Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) should certainly learn a good deal from his first defeat in the G2 Qatar Richmond S. Having strolled 11 lengths clear on his previous start at Doncaster, Blue Point remained transparently deficient in streetcraft when tackled by an exceptionally switched-on juvenile in Mehmas (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}). The contrast between the pair–one neat and nimble and earnest, the other big and gawky–was nearly comical and Blue Point's response was pretty auspicious.

The same could not necessarily be said of Boynton (More Than Ready) when his recent Newmarket victim War Decree (War Front) comprehensively reversed the form in the G2 Qatar Vintage S. There was a slightly disconcerting tilt to this colt's head when asked to salvage the cause in what was a messy race, though the way he ultimately saw things out for third suggested that he may yet resume his progress on a more galloping track.

War Decree looks ideal for the G1 Juvenile Turf at the Breeders' Cup, and it would be premature to write off his stablemate by the same sire, Intelligence Cross (War Front), after that tame third behind Mehmas. Some kind of discomfort seemed to be inhibiting this handsome colt and it should not be forgotten how much harder he had pushed Mehmas, even as he betrayed his inexperience, on their previous meeting.

Franklin D Deserves a New Deal…

Of course, there may well come a time when Boynton makes his owner wonder exactly what he was doing running up hill and down dale round Goodwood. Perhaps the colt has issues that make it sensible at least to start him off on turf, but you would like to think that such a self-consciously international operation might give a More Than Ready (Southern Halo) colt out of a Distorted Humor (Forty Niner) mare a chance on dirt sooner rather than later.

Mind you, there are many other cases around that make you wonder quite what arcane considerations must lurk behind otherwise baffling resistance to a horse's most obvious fulfilment. In fairness, Franklin D (Medaglio d'Oro) has evidently had one or two fairly significant physical issues; and, regardless, his owners can doubtless afford to indulge any preference for environments such as Goodwood, where he just landed an eye-watering gamble in a handicap on Friday. After all, they had already retained the G2 Qatar Goodwood Cup with the big-hearted and well-named Big Orange (GB) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}). With their able and personable trainer, they hardly need me to tell them what to do.

But good grief! Franklin D is by the sire of Rachel Alexandra (Medaglio d'Oro) out of half-sister to Hard Spun (Danzig). His action, likewise, inclines you to say, “If he walks like a duck etc.” And that's even before you come to a name that would carry a luminous premium in the American market. Oh well, I guess he can now go for a 40 grand Group 3 at Salisbury–the usual topsy-turvy reward for horses that earn “promotion” out of six-figure handicaps. On the other hand, you could put him on the plane. And when he wins the 2017 G1 Breeders' Cup Classic, I will settle for a modest 10%.