King Torus crowned in Superlative Stakes
Richard Hannon completed a sweep of the major two-year-old races at this year’s July meeting at Newmarket when King Torus won the Group Two Superlative Stakes.
The race developed into a battle between King Torus and Ecliptic, the Goldophin horse trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni.
Ecliptic, who pulled hard from the start and gave Ahmed Ajtebi a hard time of it when it appeared that the saddle slipped forward, giving the jockey far less control of the horse’s steering. Ecliptic pulled his way to the front but looked to have given away what could have been a winning position by veering right entering the final furlong.
It was manoeuvre that prompted King Torus to edge across the track as well and then Ecliptic rallied to get to a neck of King Torus at the line.
Richard Hughes, who had been in the saddle when Memory won the Cherry Hinton Stakes on the first day of the meeting but was suspended when Libranno won the July Stakes on the second, felt that the wayward runner-up may have actually worked against his horse.
“As soon as he went away my lad started to idle. So when my lad swerved a little bit right to follow him I didn’t mind because he had company again,” Hughes said.
King Torus had been well fancied when he ran in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot last month but had finished only fourth to Zaidan, but Hughes said: “I was stuck wide at Ascot and it just didn’t work out on the day but today it did.”
The trainer was not present, but his assistant and son Richard Jnr said: “King Torus won his maiden well but then everything just went wrong at Royal Ascot. He was drawn wide and just wandered around a bit. We fitted him with a Chifney bridle today to stop that happening. He did it well - that was only his third run, so he has not had a lot of racing and I think he was just getting a bit lonely out in front.
“We actually bought him off of Aidan O’Brien, who bred him. I would think Aidan is very happy as he still has the mare. This horse is on the upgrade and has a super temperament. He will be given Group One entries now. Races like the Dewhurst and the Gran Criterium at San Siro in Italy will come into consideration, and there is also a race at Deauville to consider.”
When reminded that this was the stable’s fifth winner of the Festival, Hannon thought of all the days when it does not go according to plan. “Don’t worry,” he said “we don’t get embarrassed.”
The disappointment of the race was the favourite, Formosina, who had won the Group Two Railway Stakes at the Curragh on Irish Derby day but faded in the closing stages this time to finish last of the six runners.
The Hannon juvenile juggernaut shows no signs of slowing and the trainer saddled his 50th winner of the season in the first race at Newbury’s evening card.
Date With Destiny, http://www.senore.com/George-Washington-filly-has-date-with-destiny-a15662, won the Christal Management EBF Maiden Fillies' Stakes. She was slightly slowly away from the stalls but travelled like the winner for Hughes and won by an easy length-and-a-half.
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