White Moonstone shines in May Hill Stakes
Even after 13 Classic winners Frankie Dettori will admit to nerves as he prepares to ride Rewilding in the Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster.
The Italian is one of the great confidence riders who, when his confidence is at his highest, can produce rides of mesmerising skill and daring. He needed none of that when he rode White Moonstone to win the Group Two Keepmoat May Hill Stakes - Dettori's 800th winner for Godolphin - but he will have taken the boost to his confidence of a filly who could be a strong contender for next season’s Classics.
White Moonstone was unbeaten in three starts, which included the Group Three Sweet Solera Stakes at Newmarket in July, but she took her form to new levels this time. Lily Again and Musharakaat tried to make a race of it but were only contesting the places once Dettori put his filly into the race.
White Moonstone, racing on the stands’ side of the field, loomed ominously into contention in the penultimate furlong. Plenty of juveniles with fancy reputations do that – only to flatter to deceive - but the Dynaformer filly had everything to back up the look as she cruised five lengths clear of Al Madina with Dettori doing nothing more than thinking about how to pull her up.
The initial thoughts of Saeed bin Suroor were about which major race he will aim for prior to a winter break and an attack on the glittering prizes next year. "Her last piece of work before today’s race was very good and she had gained weight since her last run," he said. “She has plenty of speed but stays well. I think that maybe 10 furlongs could be her best trip in time.
“Even when she ran the first time, she was calm and relaxed. She is the best filly in the yard and I was delighted to see her win so well today. She shows so much class all the time. We now have several options open to us. She could go for the Fillies Mile at Ascot in two week’s time if she shows us she is sound and happy, as I think she has earned the right to go for a Group One.”
Dettori, who eschewed the crowd-pleasing flying dismount on a filly who is still learning the job, said: “She’s like a super-model – very tall and thin and gorgeous. She’s still got to mature physically but, if she can do that at this stage of her career, she’s definitely got a good future.”
More immediately Dettori will be hoping to be in the same winner’s enclosure with Rewilding, who has been market leader for the St Leger since winning the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York last month. “I haven’t seen the horse since York, but they tell me he’s well and I’m nervous but we hope he goes well.”
Dettori’s nerves were done little good when Farhh was being loaded into the starting stalls for the Frank Whittle Partnership Conditions Stakes. The colt became upset in the stalls, rearing up and Dettori bailed out, and was withdrawn. This left three runners for what turned out to be a well-paid exercise canter for the Henry Cecil-trained Frankel on whom Tom Queally eased past Diamond Geezah to win by 13 lengths. Quiet what beating the second horse, Rainbow Springs, by 13 lengths proved – beyond the fact that Frankel has four legs, one at each corner, and that they all go in the right direction, is open to debate. However, Diamond Geezah, beaten a total of 17 lengths, is rated 90 so the performance puts Frankel at a high level for this season’s two-year-olds.
Giving a horse a certain name has never made one run any faster but this colt must have shown something early on as he has been named after Bobby Frankel, the American trainer who died last year. Frankel trained for many years for the horse’s owner, Prince Khalid Abdullah, and Cecil is clearly hoping that the name will be back in the winner’s enclosure in the future. “It’s a shame that the other horse wasn’t in it, because we’d have learned a bit more, but he’s definitely promising. He couldn’t have done anymore – he was never out of a canter really," Cecil said.
“He’s in the Royal Lodge and he’s in the Racing Post Trophy – he’s not in the Dewhurst. We’ll just feel our way and see how he is. He’s got a long way to go but at home he gives me the feeling of being better than average. In fact, looking back, it’s a long time since I’ve had a two-year-old as promising as he is.”
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http://www.senore.com/Zebedee-springs-up-in-Flying-Childers-a26507
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