By Tom Frary
There will be a time in the future when Sir Michael Stoute stands as a figure of fond recall in these parts, so his final Cambridgeshire meeting is something for the purists to savour as Newmarket begins its autumn-long farewell symphony in honour of one of its favourite adopted sons. Denied of late the frequency of elite 2-year-olds that was once a given at Freemason Lodge, the Barbadian has at least one more who could fit into that bracket with unerring timing in TDN Rising Star Formal (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Granted him by the yard's longstanding patron Cheveley Park Stud, the fleet-of-foot daughter of Veracious (GB) (Frankel {GB}) is looking the perfect retirement gift ahead of her vital contribution to her handler's closing act in Friday's G2 Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Rockfel Stakes.
It was in the inaugural edition of this race in 1981 that the High Top filly Top Hope (GB) helped him to a first British Trainers' Championship, so there is more than a sense of happy coincidence in her participation in this particular seven-furlong staging post. One more win on top of his tally of three will see him sign off as the joint-record-holder alongside another past legend of his trade in Barry Hills and the manner of the homebred's electric performances at Doncaster and Leicester suggests she has the material to provide the first movement of the final ode to her master's craft.
The Stud's managing director Chris Richardson is someone who has enjoyed a lengthy insight into the workings of Stoute's racing brain and he is hoping that the red-white-and-blue can play a key part in his last few weeks of training. “She came out of her last race well and obviously Sir Michael is happy with her, so we look like we're going to be stepping out again and stepping up hopefully,” he said. “It would be great to win a nice race for Sir Michael before the season is over. Hopefully Formal and Anna Swan, who could run in the Fillies' Mile next month or the Oh So Sharp Stakes on the same day, can progress between them to give him a bit of a swansong.”
Where Stoute was alongside the late fellow Knight Henry Cecil a pioneer of mass-producing winners of Europe's pattern races, Aidan O'Brien has arguably taken that pursuit to a more exalted level and he has two live protagonists to provide Formal with stern opposition here. They are the fellow TDN Rising Stars Ecstatic (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) and Bubbling (Ire) (No Nay Never), with Ryan Moore siding with the former as he did when she fared worse than the stable's January (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) in Doncaster's G2 May Hill Stakes last month.
Only fifth in that mile contest, there was nevertheless something in the way Ecstatic moved through the gears there that suggests she is the top-class prospect she appeared to be when so impressive in her Tipperary maiden. Sean Levey was on the May Hill runner-up January and he is entrusted with the mount on the authoritative Galway maiden winner and Listed Ingabelle Stakes third Bubbling, who did not get the rub of the green on Leopardstown's Irish Champions Day.
Ryan Moore knows where he stands with Formal, having ridden her last time, while O'Brien also has a line into the race's other main contender Duty First (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) having saddled Merrily (No Nay Never) to be a neck behind her as they were second and third in Goodwood's G3 Prestige Stakes last month. “Ecstatic was disappointing at Doncaster, stumbling when coming out of the stalls, but hopefully she can learn from that,” Moore said. “She is probably the form horse in the race, although it does look an open contest. Bubbling ran a nice race at Leopardstown during the Irish Champions Festival, just being bumped when coming out the stalls but stayed on well.”
Irish Juveniles Dominate Cheveley Park And Middle Park Fields…
Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes and G1 Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes boast the usual strong overseas challenge, with the former contest attracting a pair of unbeaten Irish top-level winners in the sponsors' Ger Lyons-trained Babouche (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) and Ballydoyle's Lake Victoria (Ire) (Frankel {GB}). Successful in The Curragh's G1 Phoenix Stakes and G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes respectively, they will face two live French hopes in Gousserie Racing and Sandrine Gavrois's G3 Prix de Cabourg winner and G1 Prix Morny third Daylight (Fr) (Earthlight {Ire}) and The Aga Khan's impressive Chantilly conditions scorer Rayevka (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}). Rockcliffe Stud's G2 Lowther Stakes winner Celandine (GB) (Kingman {GB}) appears the best of the British-trained runners among the eight confirmed for the six-furlong joint-feature.
In the Middle Park, Aidan O'Brien looks to hold the key with the Prix Morny and Phoenix runner-up hero Whistlejacket (Ire) (No Nay Never) set to be joined by the G3 Round Tower Stakes winner Ides Of March (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) who continues the thriving link between the trainer and Sean Levey. Godolphin's G2 Gimcrack Stakes runner-up Shadow Of Light (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Wathnan Racing's unbeaten Defence Minister (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) will line up, having both been withdrawn from last Saturday's G2 Mill Reef Stakes after the rain hit Newbury, while another notable member of the eight-strong cast is Eleanora Kennedy's G2 Richmond Stakes winner Black Forza (Complexity).
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