Back To Back Ormondes For Hamish

The pre-eminent group 1 horse in Thursday's G3 tote.co.uk Ormonde S., Hamish (GB) (Motivator {GB}) shrugged off the disadvantage of his three-pound penalty to record back-to-back successes in Chester's stamina test for the older middle-distance performers. Having got within 3/4 of a length of Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Irish St Leger at The Curragh in September, the 7-4 second favourite boasted the key piece of form but was usurped at the head of the market as the money flooded in for Ballydoyle's returning G2 King Edward VII S. winner Changingoftheguard (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).

Hamish is a renowned sweet traveller in his races and with connections reporting beforehand that he would need the run, it was a case of anchor down early as Changingoftheguard enjoyed things his own way at the head of affairs much as he had when taking the G3 Chester Vase here 12 months ago. Putting in a notable surge between the three and the two to close down the leaders as the pace was at its hottest, the 7-year-old who is almost another Haggas family member was delivered wide by Tom Marquand in the brief straight. Swooping on the tiring Changingoftheguard and Lone Eagle (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) a furlong out, Hamish was away and gone with Lone Eagle keeping it respectable at the line 1 1/4 lengths behind.

“If the ground is right, he could go to York next week [for the G2 Yorkshire Cup],” the winner's devoted number one fan and exercise rider Maureen Haggas said. “He had a tendon injury as a four-year-old and who knows what he might have achieved, but he's one you get such an attachment to. He won't be asked to race on anything faster than genuine kind good ground and all credit to him today, as it wasn't run to suit.”

Pedigree Notes

Hamish, who also collected last year's G3 Cumberland Lodge S. and the 2021 G3 September S., is the first foal out of Tweed (GB) (Sakhee) who is kin to three black-type performers. They were Beaten Up (GB) (Beat Hollow {GB}), hero of the G1 Doomben Cup, Harris Tweed (GB) (Hernando {Fr}), who was successful in the G3 John Porter S. and third behind St Nicholas Abbey (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) in the 2011 renewal of this race, and the Motivator's Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial winner Vow (GB). Also connected to another mud-lover in the G1 Prix Ganay-winning sire Execute (Fr) (Suave Dancer), Tweed's yearling is a son of Sea The Moon (Ger).

Thursday, Chester, Britain
TOTE.CO.UK ORMONDE S.-G3, £120,000, Chester, 5-11, 4yo/up, 13f 84yT, 3:06.02, sf.
1–HAMISH (GB), 131, g, 7, by Motivator (GB)
     1st Dam: Tweed (GB), by Sakhee
     2nd Dam: Frog (GB), by Akarad (Fr)
     3rd Dam: Best Girl Friend (GB), by Sharrood
O-Mr B Haggas; B-J B Haggas (GB); T-William Haggas; J-Tom Marquand. £67,224. Lifetime Record: G1SP-Ire, 15-7-4-1, $627,854. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Lone Eagle (Ire), 128, h, 5, Galileo (Ire)–Modernstone (GB), by Duke Of Marmalade (Ire). (500,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT). O-Marc Chan & Ballylinch Stud; B-Ballylinch Stud (IRE); T-Ralph Beckett. £25,596.
3–Changingoftheguard (Ire), 128, c, 4, Galileo (Ire)–Lady Lara (Ire), by Excellent Art (GB). O-Westerberg,Mrs J Magnier,M Tabor,D Smith; B-B V Sangster (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £12,816.
Margins: 1 1/4, 2HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 1.75, 10.00, 1.10.
Also Ran: Sunchart (GB), Enemy (GB), Max Vega (Ire). Scratched: Israr (GB), Old Harrovian (GB).

He's done it again! Hamish lands the Group 3 https://t.co/6ht9KB0uC3 Bet 5 Get 20 Ormonde at @ChesterRaces for @TomMarquand and William Haggas… pic.twitter.com/7g8Ea2gK3Y

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 11, 2023