Returning to his native Ireland following two defeats in the G1 St James's Palace S. at Royal Ascot June 14 and G1 Sussex S. at Glorious Goodwood July 27, the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas hero Awtaad cast aside doubts about his current state by stamping his authority on this competitive affair. Such a force to be reckoned with in the spring, the dark bay bounded from an impressive win in the seven-furlong Listed Tetrarch S. at The Curragh May 2 to upstage the 2000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}) in the main event back there 19 days later before the wheels came off. Third behind that rival and The Gurkha (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the St James's Palace, the homebred dropped to eighth in the Sussex when more prominently ridden and had reportedly returned sick and in need of nursing back to his prime. Keeping it simple placing him in a prominent third early, Chris Hayes asked him to open up passing the quarter pole and his surge took him past the long-time leader Custom Cut at the furlong marker and on to glory as Hit It A Bomb (War Front) stayed on to make the frame without threatening.
Trainer Kevin Prendergast is looking at a return visit to Ascot now. “He's come back to himself. The ground was bottomless at Ascot and he ran well, finished third to two very good horses,” he explained. “At Goodwood things just didn't go right. The ground was probably a bit firm and he didn't travel well–why I don't know. The plan now is to go to Ascot for the [Oct. 15 G1] Queen Elizabeth II S. I think he likes good ground. He's a very good horse on his day. His blip was Goodwood and you'll always give them one excuse. We took the noseband off him, because we put a tongue-tie on him. He was trying to hold his breath, which he did at Goodwood and that's probably why he choked up a bit.” His rider added, “I wasn't trying to make excuses for him, but we had valid reasons and I was proved right. He's not a real heavy-ground horse and that is his ideal ground on the slow side of good. He was sick at Goodwood and has had an easy time since, so he was a little bit under-cooked and there is more improvement in him. The main thing today was to get him settled and breathing properly, as we changed tactics last time and he remembered it because when he came out of the gates he was vicious. It took me a long time to get him settled and I got there too soon, but you know if something is coming at you he'll dig in and fight for you. I'm delighted the pressure is off and I'm sure he'll be a force to be reckoned with.”
Asheerah, whose 2-year-old filly Aneen (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) managed a promising fourth on debut on the first race on this card, also has a yearling filly by Tamayuz (GB) and a foal full-brother to Awtaad. She was runner-up in the Listed Salsabil S. and is a half to three other black-type performers in Aaraas (GB) (Haafhd {GB}), Daymooma (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and Alshahbaa (Ire) (Alhaarth {Ire}). The fourth dam is a full-sister to the G2 Gallinule S.-winning sire Seattle Dancer and also a half to the 1977 US Triple Crown hero and multiple champion sire Seattle Slew and the G1 2000 Guineas hero and prolific sire Lomond.
Saturday, Leopardstown, Ireland
CLIPPER LOGISTICS BOOMERANG S.-G2, €200,000, LEO, 9-10, 3yo/up, 8fT, 1:43.86, yl.
1–AWTAAD (IRE), 132, c, 3, by Cape Cross (Ire)
1st Dam: Asheerah (GB) (SP-Ire), by Shamardal
2nd Dam: Adaala, by Sahm
3rd Dam: Alshoowg, by Riverman
O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum; B-Shadwell Estate Company Ltd (IRE); T-Kevin Prendergast; J-Chris Hayes. €118,000. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Ire & G1SP-Eng, 8-5-0-2, $458,620. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Custom Cut (Ire), 134, g, 7, Notnowcato (GB)–Polished Gem (Ire), by Danehill. (€5,800 2yo '11 GO11; 100,000gns RNA 3yo '12 TA12; 95,000gns 4yo '13 TA13). O-Frank Gillespie & Pat Breslin; B-Moyglare Stud Farm Ltd. (IRE); T-David O'Meara. €40,000.
[bullet ad=”voute-graduate”]3–Hit It a Bomb, 129, c, 3, War Front">War Front–Liscanna (Ire), by Sadler's Wells. O/B-Mrs E M Stockwell (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien. €20,000.
Margins: 1HF, HF, 2. Odds: 2.00, 7.50, 1.85.
[bullet ad=”irt-shell”][bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred”]Also Ran: Sruthan (Ire), Flight Risk (Ire), Gordon Lord Byron (Ire), Tribal Beat (Ire). Scratched: Dream Walker (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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