Memorable win for Soraaya in Princess Margaret Stakes
Winners often provoke memories and Soraaya certainly did. Mick Channon’s filly came from last to first for Ryan Moore to win the Group Three Princess Margaret Abu Dhabi Stakes at Ascot.
She came through horses to beat Margot Did by a half-length and the two fillies paid a mighty compliment to Richard Hannon’s Memory, who beat Margot Did over course and distance in the Albany Stakes at the royal meeting and then went on to beat Soraaya in the Cherry Hinton Stakes at Newmarket’s July meeting.
Soraaya (pictured right) seemed to need every yard of the six furlongs but a step up in trip will probably wait for next season with Channon thinking in terms of the Lowther Stakes at York next month and the Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket as an autumn target.
Channon is never a man to duck a challenge and was already relishing the chance of a rematch with Memory, who is due to run next in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh. “There was never a problem with her getting more than six furlongs but six was as far as I wanted to go with her this year. We’d only had one run at Newmarket and we might have another go at Memory – you never know.
“I wouldn’t be frightened at all of Memory. The normal route I would take would be the Lowther and then the Cheveley Park, but Ryan thinks my filly wants another furlong - this is a stiff track here and she was doing all her best work at the finish. If Ryan thinks she's better at seven furlongs, then you have got to think about having a go in Ireland.”
Toolain looked many things, including far from the finished article, but he also clearly gave the appearance of a horse with a future when he won the Listed Jaguar XK Winkfield Stakes for Michael Jarvis.
The colt had shown plenty of greenness first time out at Sandown Park, when he unseated Frankie Dettori with the race at his mercy and then won comfortably at Wolverhampton last month.
There were a few uncomfortable moments for Philip Robinson who reported that he had to refrain from using the whip because it unbalanced his horses. But Toolain, despite drifting left in the closing stages, looked the part as he beat Galtymore Lad by three-quarters of a length.
With Jarvis not present, Roger Varien, assistant trainer to Jarvis, said: “He was squealing in the paddock and he pulled up and looked everywhere. He’s a big horse and probably no need to overdo it this year. He’s getting better with racing. He was a green horse at Sandown, when he unshipped Frankie, and Frankie was able to win without really letting his head go at Sandown. But that wasn’t going to be the case today – we had to ask him a question today.”
That question was answered well enough to make a step up in class to a race like the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster in September a possibility. “I think with experience and racing he’ll get better,” Varien said. “He’s won his listed race and he’s obviously got ability and we’ll have to see how we compete at that level and how we come out of it.”
Both Soraaya and Toolain run in the colurs of Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum and the victory of Yashrid in the last race on the card, the Canisbay Bloodstock Handicap, rounded off a good day for owner and landed a double for Jarvis and Robinson.
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