Champagne moment for Saamidd
Saeed bin Surror, who unveiled a likely filly for next season’s Classics the previous day, also has a colt who could figure in the major juvenile races this autumn.
Saamidd, who showed plenty of promise when he won on his debut at Newbury last month by seven lengths, delivered on that with an impressive victory in the Group Two Neptune Investment Management Champagne Stakes at Doncaster.
Kieren Fallon grabbed the rail on Waiter’s Dream, the winner of the Acomb Stakes at York last month, with Waltz Darling and Approve tracking, but the eye was drawn to the royal-blue silks of Godolphin once Frankie Dettori drew Saamidd wide for his run. He cruised past the leaders with two furlongs left to pull two-and-a-quarter lengths clear of Approve, who was trying to concede the winner 3lbs, with Waiter's Dream just holding Karam Albaari for third.
The victory for Saamidd, who has been nicked-named Pegasus in the yard, clearly had Dettori flying following on 24 hours from the performance of White Moonstone in the Group Two May Hill Stakes. “From the first day I set my eyes on him, he such a beautiful individual,” Dettori said of Saamidd. “He’s got everything – cruising speed, a kick; he’s a horse I was always looking forward to ride.”
Simon Crisford, Godolphin’s racing manager, was also looking forward to trying out the Street Cry colt in a Group One race. “He won his maiden really impressively and coming here today we felt he was one of our top, top colts. We opted for this race, thinking it was the right move to make even though he was a little short on experience. But he travelled into the race supremely well – Frankie said he wished the pace had been a bit stronger just to take him a little bit further because he had to go a little bit sooner than he wanted. But he put the race to bed very quickly; he’s a professional and he did it very well. He’s a very exciting horse for next year.
“We’d like to hope he’s a Guineas colt, first and foremost. He’ll have his next start in the Dewhurst and then he’ll be running against the very best two-year-olds in Europe. And, depending on how he gets on there, we’ll make a plan over the winter but, right now, the plan would be to start him off in the Guineas.”
It may have been just the second start of Saamidd’s career but Balthazaar’s Gift was starting his 48th race when he flew down the stands-side rail for Philip Robinson to win the Group Two Eddie Stobart Park Stakes.
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