By Tom Frary
Cruelly denied in a photo that was almost indeterminable in York's G1 Nunthorpe S. last time Aug. 24, David Armstrong's Mabs Cross (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) made amends as she came out on top in a blanket finish to Sunday's G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines. Hard at work a long way out as Gerald Mosse sought to keep her within hailing distance of the livewires Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Soldier's Call (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) up ahead, the filly responded with tenacity down the outside to collar the outsider Gold Vibe (Ire) (Dream Ahead) in the shade of the post and register a head success at 11-1, with the 2-year-old Soldier's Call only a short-head away in third and a half length in front of the 13-10 favorite Battaash. “They went furious early on and I didn't want to rush her too much, as I felt she was needing time to get into her stride,” jockey Gerald Mosse said. “Once she was ready for her effort she did it very nicely and she's a very good filly with a very good record. This was not a surprise.”
Since 1979, a staggering 36 of the 40 editions of this sprint have gone overseas, with 30 of the winners emanating from British stables. Mabs Cross was just continuing that run, five months on from her breakthrough success in Newmarket's G3 Palace House S. Behind Battaash when fourth in the G2 Temple S. at Haydock May 26 and when third in Royal Ascot's G1 King's Stand S. June 19, the bay was again third in the G2 Sapphire S. at The Curragh July 22 prior to her agonising reversal by pixels against Alpha Delphini (GB) (Captain Gerrard {Ire}) in the Nunthorpe. Mosse is one of the finest go-to jockeys in the trade and his judgement of this over-strong pace as Soldier's Call took the edge off a Battaash who was probably way past his peak was on the money. As the hard-grafting filly built towards a crescendo from the draw which had initially concerned trainer Michael Dods, Shadwell's luminary was backing off with Soldier's Call putting in another major effort for a juvenile in a race which has long favoured them. For a brief period, it looked as though the longshot Gold Vibe could pull off a rare French victory as he regained the form that had seen him finish second in the May 13 G3 Prix de Saint-Georges over this course and distance, but Mabs Cross was on his case and she steamrollered him into a last-gasp submission.
Michael Dods revealed a late change of plan with the winner. “We thought about stepping her up to six furlongs on Champions Day and also going for the Flying Five at the Curragh a few weeks ago because we thought that was the easier option, but there is only one Abbaye,” he explained. “That will be it now for this year and I'm looking forward to her coming back and going for all the top sprints next season.” Pascal Bary said of Gold Vibe, “He's a very good sprinter and was unlucky last time out. Today, he ran a blinder. He finished second yet again–and that's the eighth time that he has been runner-up. He's a real 1,000metre horse and loves ParisLongchamp. The race panned out well for him. Sometimes he is well within himself and on other occasions that isn't the case, but he was on a going day today. He may race abroad at the end of the year.”
Archie Watson was delighted with the performance of the possibly Breeders' Cup-bound G2 Flying Childers S. winner Soldier's Call, “One can only be proud of the colt. He's only a two-year-old and only got beaten in the final strides, having raced upsides a champion sprinter in Battaash. I may give the impression of being disappointed as we were beaten by small margins, but it's a great performance. He's a well-made colt with a lot of pace and is one who will be campaigned over five furlongs next year. It's not impossible that he will contest the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint which could be his last race of the season. We will see how he recovers.” Charlie Hills said of Battaash, “He finished close up, but I don't know why he didn't get home. We will take him home and check him out with a view to roughing him off for the rest of the season. He didn't give the impression of being able to dominate.”
Mabs Cross, who shows what £3,000 spent at the Doncaster November Yearlings Sale can get you, is out of the similarly speedy Listed Hilary Needler Trophy winner Miss Meggy (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), who also produced the GIII Senorita S. scorer Charlie Em (GB) (Kheleyf). She also has a yearling colt by Iffraaj (GB) and a filly foal by Oasis Dream (GB).
Sunday, ParisLongchamp, France
PRIX DE L'ABBAYE DE LONGCHAMP LONGINES-G1, €350,000, ParisLongchamp, 10-7, 2yo/up, 5fT, :57.11, gd.
1–MABS CROSS (GB), 133, f, 4, by Dutch Art (GB)
1st Dam: Miss Meggy (GB) (SW-Eng), by Pivotal (GB)
2nd Dam: Selkirk Rose (Ire), by Pips Pride (GB)
3rd Dam: Red Note (Ire), by Rusticaro (Fr)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (£3,000 Ylg '15 DONNOV). O-David W Armstrong; B-Highfield Farm LLP (GB); T-Michael Dods; J-Gerald Mosse. €199,990. Lifetime Record: GSW & MG1SP-Eng, GSP-Ire, 13-6-2-3, €452,401. *1/2 to Charlie Em (GB) (Kheleyf), GSW-US & SP-Ger, $180,932. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Gold Vibe (Ire), 137, g, 5, Dream Ahead–Whisper Dance, by Diktat (GB). (€58,000 Wlg '13 GOFNOV; 300,000gns Ylg '14 TAOCT). O-Pan Sutong Racing Bloodstock; B-Stonecross Stud (IRE); T-Pascal Bary. €80,010.
3–Soldier's Call (GB), 119, c, 2, Showcasing (GB)–Dijarvo (GB), by Iceman (GB). (85,000gns Ylg '17 TAOCT). O-Clipper Logistics; B-Llety Farms (GB); T-Archie Watson. €40,005.
Margins: HD, SHD, HF. Odds: 11.00, 43.00, 6.80. [bullet ad=”schumer-dam-purchased”]Also Ran: Battaash (Ire), Lost Treasure (Ire), Different League (Fr), Tantheem (GB), Havana Grey (GB), Finsbury Square (Ire), City Light (Fr), Alpha Delphini (GB), Cox Bazar (Fr), Sioux Nation, Hit The Bid (GB), Declarationofpeace, Antonella (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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