By Tom Frary
Despite all the excitement of the past few days, incredibly it ramps up further on Saturday with nine group races across Britain, Ireland and France and the sighting of some of Europe's most exciting 2-year-olds. It begins with the veracious Oscula (Ire) (Galileo Gold {GB}) at Deauville as Nick Bradley Racing's flagbearer appears for the seventh time since the start of July in the G3 Prix Daphnis and switches thereafter between York, Sandown, The Curragh and back to Deauville with the kind of pace that will require video review later on.
All Eyes On The Futurity And Debutante
The Curragh's pair of Group 2 races, the Galileo Irish EBF Futurity S. and Alpha Centauri Debutante S., are the lead-ups to next month's G1 Moyglare Stud S. and G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. and ultimately to the Spring Classics with the July 21 G3 Tyros S. winner Proud And Regal (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) defending his unbeaten record against a pair of Ballydoyle TDN Rising Stars in the Futurity. Ryan Moore has opted to partner the Apr. 23 Navan maiden winner Aesop's Fables (Ire) (No Nay Never) over Hans Andersen (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who beat the subsequent winner Al Riffa (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) over this seven-furlong trip and track July 16. “I would have gladly ridden him or Hans Andersen,” Moore explained on his betfair blog. “He has been pleasing us at home, but it wouldn't surprise me one bit were Hans Andersen to win this.” In the Debutante, Moore is on the June 17 G3 Albany S. winner Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) as the stable's July 21 G3 Silver Flash S. scorer Never Ending Story (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) heads to Deauville for the G2 Prix du Calvados under the yard's go-to jockey Ioritz Mendizabal as Aidan O'Brien looks to split up his elite juveniles. Eric Long's Zoinnocent (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), who was half a length second in the Silver Flash, takes on Meditate in a fascinating mingling of important form lines. Moore has no concerns about Meditate tackling a new trip. “I don't see the move up to seven furlongs being a problem at all,” he stated.
Holding Out For A Hero
What England wouldn't give for a Classic winner for The Queen in 2023? Step forward 'TDN Rising Star' Desert Hero (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) on Saturday as the June 30 Haydock novice scorer heads to Sandown for the G3 Fasig-Tipton Night Of The Stars Solario S. The sire's Reach For The Moon (GB) promised so much as he stole the show here 12 months ago, but the monarch gets a second chance with the William Haggas-trained relative of Dartmouth (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) who has Derby stamped all over him on pedigree. Opposing is Man Bun Lee and Miss Sally Wall's impressive July 9 Ascot novice winner Defence Of Fort (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) who received a form boost after that race's fourth Kyeema (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) took a competitive York nursery on Thursday. Remarkably, Peter Chapple-Hyam has yet to win this prize and said of the £19,000 Tattersalls Ireland September purchase, “He could be a bargain–he was just a touch more than Dutch Art and we have been quite lucky buying horses over the years. When I saw him, it was just the way he walked that struck me. There was something about him. You could not fail to be impressed by the way he won last time, but this is a step up. I got the feeling early on he was a good horse and let's see if he can prove it.”
Thick And Fast
Also at Sandown, the G3 JRL Group Atalanta S. at a mile for fillies and mares plays host to the Gosdens' progressive Grande Dame (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), who had the audacity to beat Oscula by 3 1/4 lengths in the course-and-distance Listed Coral Distaff July 2 and who shapes as a potential Group 1 performer for the autumn. The Clarehaven connection is evident back at York in the G3 Sky Bet And Symphony Group Strensall S., where Saeed Suhail's Mighty Ulysses (GB) (Ulysses {Ire}) looks to continue to head upwards having enjoyed a break since his Listed Sir Henry Cecil S. win at Newmarket July 7. “He's a horse we have always liked and has plenty of talent,” Thady Gosden said. Other notables on show during the frantic afternoon are Sunderland Holding's May 20 Listed Height Of Fashion S. winner and June 16 G2 Ribblesdale S. runner-up Sea Silk Road (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in Deauville's G2 Prix de la Nonette and Kirsten Rausing's July 26 G2 Lennox S. scorer Sandrine (GB) (Bobby's Kitten) in York's seven-furlong G2 Sky Bet City Of York S.
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