Royal Ascot 2011- Albany Stakes won by Samitar, favourite Teolane disappoints
Run over a distance of 6 furlongs, the Albany Stakes was the first race of Day Four of the Royal Ascot 2011.
It was a Group 3 race open to two-year old thoroughbred fillies. This year’s run for £34,000 saw a field of sixteen horses. These included, Jim Bolger’s, 11/8 favourite Teolane, 9/1 Sajwah owned by Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, 15/2 Illaunglass, 15/2 Switcher,
9/1 Inetrobil, 10/1 Bar and Lily’s Angel.
The race kicked off at 2:30 pm (GMT), with Love U Forever leading the field. Teolane was lagging behind, while Inetrobil caught up with Love U Forever and both led the pack at the first furlong.
At the final furlong Samitar under Gold Cup-winner Jamie Spencer quickened pace, took over and won by ¾ of a length.
She was followed by Inetrobil ridden by jockey Phillip Makin in second place and Illaunglass ridden by Ryan Moore in third place. Switcher under R Kingscote finished fourth. Lily’s Angel finished fifth followed by pace-setter Love U Forever.
Samitar, who runs for Mick Channon stable, is a half-sister to Nijoom Dubai, winner of the 2007 Albany Stakes. She has won Mick Channon’s first Royal Ascot race this year and he said:
“I believed in this filly, and this was the plan… She's a nice filly but she's just a shell of a horse at the moment. She can do no more than win. She's a rangy filly and I'm sure she can only improve as the year goes on. Who knows if she'll get a mile
- hopefully she will".
Channon further stated that the filly would be allowed to rest for a month or two until she takes place in another race, probably in September. After bad luck at Coventry and a few other races it looked like Channon deserved to win.
Kevin Ryan’s runner-up, Inetrobil, did not fail to please her racing manager, Harry Herbert, who said his team was over the moon at her performance. He said that they would take her to the Cherry Hinton at Newmarket because she looks good after overcoming
the difficult ground at the Albany Stakes.
For Illaunglass it was just a matter of bad luck as the conditions were difficult, according to Jeremy Noseda, who thinks she will perform better, at the Cherry Hinton.
The race was a major disappointment for 11/8 favourite Teolane, who never really looked to win, probably because of the rain-softened ground. She ended up finishing in twelfth place despite her good form, and, prior performances.
This race was a perfect example of the unexpected results that horseracing sometimes leads too. While one racing star flew high, another star fell to the ground. Here’s hoping that Teolane gains back her form, while winner, Samitar, continues to soar.
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