By Sean Cronin
With only five runners, Wednesday's G2 Great Voltigeur Stakes could have been short on entertainment but the opposite was the case as three runners created a stirring finish which saw Los Angeles (Ire) (Camelot {GB}–Frequential {GB}, by Dansili {GB}) prevail. Handed a five-pound penalty due to his G1 Irish Derby exploits, Ballydoyle's Derby third was looking to do something out of the ordinary here and he had to work to get it over the line but luckily he is a grafter as well as a class act and proved well up to the task.
Essentially flawless so far in his career, with his Blue Riband effort just as commendable as his wins which include last year's G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud given how hard he had to race throughout the early stages at Epsom, the 5-4 favourite was kept back initially behind stablemates Euphoric (GB) (Frankel {GB}) and Illinois (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was also racing under a three-pound group 2 penalty. Moving to them approaching two out, he was met with the most resistance from chief market rival King's Gambit (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) and for a brief period looked likely to succumb but dug in gamely to hit the line a neck to the good over Illinois, who rallied to get back into the runner's-up spot by the same margin as King's Gambit's stamina ran out.
This renewal lost the Derby fourth Deira Mile (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), but it looked as strong as any in recent times and with Los Angeles becoming the first since Belmez (El Gran Senor) in 1990 to successfully carry a group 1 penalty, the future looks bright for the winner who is a substantial understudy to City Of Troy. “He was very tough and we were delighted with him,” Aidan O'Brien said. “He's just a lazy horse that gets a mile and a half well.”
Immediate targets are fluid for the winner, with the trainer holding such a strong hand in the St Leger. “Obviously the lads will make that decision, but the second horse stays very well and a mile and six is probably where he is going to be seen at his best,” he added. Ryan's horse can do either–he can go up in trip, but he has plenty of class so he could go back for an Irish Champion Stakes and finish in the first four and go on to an Arc, or he can go to the Leger with the others.”
“The horse that won in Goodwood [Jan Brueghel] would probably get the Leger trip very well, Illinois would probably get the trip very well and Los Angeles could get it as well, but would have an option of going shorter trips as well. He's a massive, handsome, powerful horse and he has the options and he's very versatile ground-wise.”
Tough cookie 💪
Irish Derby winner Los Angeles lasts out in an exciting finish to the @SkyBet Great Voltigeur for Ryan Moore, Aidan O'Brien and @Ballydoyle.
The first horse to carry a Group One penalty to victory in this race since 1990! @yorkracecourse pic.twitter.com/VXucYIV1Mh
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 21, 2024
Harry Charlton said of King's Gambit, “He ran a lovely race. William [Buick] just thought he stays a mile and a half but that felt more like a mile and six on him the way they rode it. He came there to win his race but he was slightly on empty, but he's run great. He made a lot of ground from three out to close up, but then he just emptied. He's a 10- or 12-furlong horse, but 12 in less extreme circumstances. We've nothing in mind, I'll talk to Mohammed Jaber and see what he wants to do.”
Pedigree Notes
Los Angeles's unraced dam Frequential was a 48,000gns purchase by BBA Ireland from the Godolphin draft at the 2017 Tattersalls February Sale whose previous two runners are the stable's G3 Prix Penelope third Be Happy (Ire) and the G3 Ballyroan Stakes third Hector De Maris (Ire) both also by Camelot. A half-sister to the G3 Prix Messidor winner Impulsif (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) and the G3 Pride Stakes runner-up Veil Of Shadows (GB) (Frankel {GB}), she is a granddaughter of the well-connected G3 Prix de Flore winner Allez Les Trois (Riverman).
As well as producing the G1 Prix du Jockey Club-winning sire Anabaa Blue (GB) (Anabaa), Allez Les Trois is kin to the brilliant G1 2,000 Guineas-winning sire King's Best and the legendary Urban Sea (Miswaki), linking the winner with the great Sea The Stars (Ire) and Galileo (Ire) et al. If he lines up at Doncaster, Los Angeles may be joined by his stablemate and relative Grosvenor Square (Ire) by Galileo himself who dazzled so intensely in Saturday's G3 Irish St Leger Trial. Frequential's unraced 2-year-old is a gelding by No Nay Never named Front And Centre (Ire).
Wednesday, York, Britain
SKY BET GREAT VOLTIGEUR STAKES-G2, £267,500, York, 8-21, 3yo, c/g, 11f 188yT, 2:27.80, g/f.
1–LOS ANGELES (IRE), 133, c, 3, by Camelot (GB)
1st Dam: Frequential (GB), by Dansili (GB)
2nd Dam: Violante, by Kingmambo
3rd Dam: Allez Les Trois, by Riverman
O-Westerberg, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Lynch Bages Ltd & Longfield Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £151,699. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Fr & Ire, G1SP-Eng, 6-5-0-1, $1,382,839. *Full to Be Happy (Ire), GSP-Fr & SP-Eng; and Hector De Maris (Ire), GSP-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Illinois (Ire), 131, c, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Danedrop (Ire), by Danehill. O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £57,513.
3–King's Gambit (Ire), 128, c, 3, Saxon Warrior (Jpn)–Pure Symmetry, by Storm Cat. (125,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Mohammed Jaber; B-Roundhill Stud (IRE); T-Harry Charlton. £28,783.
Margins: NK, NK, 1. Odds: 1.25, 3.50, 2.25.
Also Ran: Space Legend (Ire), Euphoric (GB). Scratched: Deira Mile (Ire).
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