By Tom Frary
Saturday's G2 Armstrong Aggregates Sandy Lane S. at Haydock featured the finest of the British 3-year-old sprinters with formlines that suggested very little would separate them, but ultimately it all came down to raw front-running speed with Sands of Mali (Fr) (Panis) denying Invincible Army (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in a pulsating head-bobber. Facing contrasting ground conditions to the testing surface he encountered when winning the G3 Prix Sigy at Chantilly Apr. 13, the 10-3 second favourite kept finding on the front end as the typically tenacious Invincible Army bore down on him with every stride. The first two had filled the same places in York's G2 Gimcrack S. in August, when 2 3/4 lengths separated them, and it was only the 5-2 favourite who could make a fist of it as well this time but at the line there were just a few pixels between them. “He's so tough and genuine–all he wants to do is please,” jockey Paul Hanagan said. “It is a lot quicker ground than in France and he just struggled to get into a rhythm as he's a big horse who hits it quite hard. To win the Gimcrack like he did, he had to be something special and he just grinds it out and does it the hard way.”
Sands of Mali had beaten the subsequent pattern-race performer Eirene (GB) (Declaration of War) comprehensively on debut at Nottingham in August, just over three weeks before he surprised many when 14-1 for the Gimcrack. He was below that standard when last of the dozen contesting the G1 Middle Park S. at Newmarket the following month and when one of a clutch of high-class also-rans trying a mile in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar in November. Flavien Prat had tried to adopt the same front-running tactics there, but the trip was well beyond him and in hindsight his ninth placing–beaten just over three lengths–was a reasonable effort. Back in his comfort zone in the Prix Sigy, he had given six pounds to the subsequent G3 Prix Texanita scorer Alistair (Fr) (Panis) and arrived here with that vital experience on board in a race that saw the three seasonal debutantes fill the last three places.
Before the start there was drama as the G2 Richmond S. scorer Barraquero (Ire) (Zebedee {GB}) bolted on his way to post and it was no surprise to see him virtually pulled up after the first two furlongs. Invincible Army stuck closer to Sands of Mali this time and that was the right ploy as the eventual fourth James Garfield (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) struggled to land a blow on the runner-up having been considered unlucky when they last met in the G2 Mill Reef S. The front pair's scrap drew the reserves from everything else in the line-up bar the promising and unexposed third Emblazoned (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in what amounts to a serious trial for Royal Ascot's G1 Commonwealth Cup June 22. “He's a very fast horse and we'd love to get a lead with him but nothing was quick enough today,” Sands of Mali's trainer Richard Fahey said. “Ascot and the Commonwealth Cup was always the plan and that is the obvious race. It's a mystery what happened to him in the Middle Park last year, he came back from it fine, then he just failed to stay a mile at the Breeders' Cup. He looked like he was going to win comfortably today, but Paul said he pricked his ears.” The thought of going further again obviously still appeals to Fahey, who added, “It took Paul ages to pull him up, I wouldn't mind trying him over further eventually as he doesn't look like a sprinter. He's a typical breezer in that last year he had two speeds, but he's much more relaxed this year.”
Sands of Mali's dam is the unraced Kadiania (Fr) (Indian Rocket {GB}), a daughter of Kapi Creek (Fr) (Sicyos) who won 12 races and was runner-up in the Listed Criterium de Bordeaux and third in the Listed Prix La Sorellina. From the family of the Mexican G1SP Ladakh (Fr) (Sir Gaylord), she has also produced the as-yet unraced 2-year-old filly Kherizzia (Fr) (Kheleyf), bought for 95,000gns by the Cool Silk Partnership and Stroud Coleman Bloodstock at the Tattersalls Breeze-Up last month, as well as a yearling colt also by Kheleyf named Kherizzi (Fr).
Saturday, Haydock, Britain
ARMSTRONG AGGREGATES SANDY LANE S.-G2, £90,000, Haydock, 5-26, 3yo, 6fT, 1:09.53, gd.
1–SANDS OF MALI (FR), 126, c, 3, by Panis
1st Dam: Kadiania (Fr), by Indian Rocket (GB)
2nd Dam: Kapi Creek (Fr), by Sicyos
3rd Dam: Kirigane (Fr), by Vitiges (Fr)
(€20,000 Ylg '16 OSLATE; £75,000 2yo '17 TATABR). O-The Cool Silk Partnership; B-Simon Urizzi (FR); T-Richard Fahey; J-Paul Hanagan. £51,039. Lifetime Record: GSW-Fr, 7-4-0-0, $285,837. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Invincible Army (Ire), 126, c, 3, Invincible Spirit (Ire)–Rajeem (GB), by Diktat (GB). (95,000gns Ylg '16 TATOCT; 290,000gns RNA 2yo '17 TATBRE). O-Saeed Manana; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-James Tate. £19,350.
3–Emblazoned (Ire), 126, c, 3, Invincible Spirit (Ire)–Sendmylovetorose (GB), by Bahamian Bounty (GB). (€340,000 Ylg '16 GOFORB). O-HRH Princess Haya of Jordan; B-M Enright (IRE); T-John Gosden. £9,684.
Margins: NO, 2 1/4, HF. Odds: 3.30, 2.50, 8.00.
Also Ran: James Garfield (Ire), Actress (Ire), Heartache (GB), Unfortunately (Ire), Barraquero (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
