Henry Cecil’s Midday bid for glory
The Darley Yorkshire Oaks, on 19 August, is the next race in the Group One campaign of Henry Cecil’s Nassau Stakes-winning horse Midday. The Glorious Goodwood race on Saturday was the horse’s third Group One victory and her second consecutive Nassau Stakes win, bookending her champion performance at the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
Racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe explained that the Yorkshire Oaks is the natural next step for a horse like the four-year-old Midday, before she returns to defend her title at Churchill Downs for the 2010 Breeders’ Cup.
"What she did in between would depend on what happens at York. I would say the Arc would be doubtful at this stage,” said Grimthorpe. "There is no doubt she is a very good horse. Any filly who wins three Group Ones has got to be useful. I think the really good thing about Saturday was that she quickened not once, but twice, and I always think that is a mark of a really good horse."
Early in the final day at Goodwood, Henry Cecil-trained Midday took the win in his second consecutive Nassau Stakes. Cecil also won the first event of the Glorious Goodwood when his horse, Lord Shanakill, won the Betfair Cup last Tuesday. Midday was ridden by Tom Queally and shot ahead of Stacelita in the final furlong, winning at 15-8 odds.
"I have to be careful with her, but so long as the ground is not quick she will hopefully run in the Yorkshire Oaks next," said Cecil. "Hopefully she will have a good end-of-year campaign and the Breeders' Cup is in the mix. She is getting a bit lazy and prefers to quicken gradually. She likes a strong pace and thought she had done enough, but quickened when the second came to her."
Stacelita was ridden by Christophe Soumillon and finished at 9-2 odds ahead of Antara at 8-1. Soumillon and Queally were both among the first riders to race in the first broadcasted Stewards’ Inquiry – the qualification race for the Stewards’ Cup, which appeared on television for the first time this year.
"It is good for the public to see what happens in an inquiry and how it works, and I have no problem with that," commented Soumillon. "We were in a good position all the way, when we quickened the winner was a bit quicker than me and when Midday took the lead she did so with a lot of easy feeling."
Tom Queally will next be racing another Henry Cecil-trained horse, the Coral Eclipse champion Twice Over. The five-year-old horse will reportedly be taking on the 10-furlong Group One race the Juddmonte International Stakes with Queally as jockey, at 10-1 odds, on August 17th.
The race favourite at Juddmonte is the Flat specialist Harbinger, after a victory in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Askot. Racing manager Harry Herbert admitted that the highly-rated, 11-10 odds horse will need ideal ground conditions to take the win.
"We were keen to lay Harbinger anyway, on the basis that he would face top-class opposition at York, but now connections have issued a warning regarding his participation, we felt it was only fair to ease him to odds-against at this stage," said event organizer David Stevens.
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