By Tom Frary
Fourth in the G1 Coolmore Nunthorpe S. last year, Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) was only fourth again on Friday as he had to give best to a relative minnow in pedigree terms in the veteran Alpha Delphini (GB) (Captain Gerrard {Ire}). From the more-than-able Bryan Smart stable, the journeyman sprinter edged out the filly Mabs Cross (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) by the kind of margin that took the judge several minutes to identify. Always up with the furious pace under Graham Lee, the 7-year-old forged ahead inside the final furlong as Shadwell's 4-5 favourite backed out of it as he had in 2017 and it was the fellow Northern-trained Mabs Cross who emerged as the danger. She headed him near the line, but the 40-1 shot whose half-brother Tangerine Trees (GB) (Mind Games {GB}) captured the 2011 G1 Prix de l'Abbaye for his stable had a fraction of nostril down on the line first. Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) was 2 1/4 lengths back in third as he mastered Battaash late on in a repeat of their Royal meeting encounter. “I used to come here as a kid with my mum and dad and to have any winner here is great, but to win a group one at it is the pinnacle of my career,” an emotional Smart said. “I bought him and put the partnership together which includes the breeder and he's been a slow-burner who has got faster and faster. He's also by the sire I trained, so he has a lot about him for me and he's a superstar who we love to bits.”
When Tangerine Trees was sent by breeder Marie Matthews to Bryan Smart's Hambleton stable in North Yorkshire, very little expectation went with him and for a while his racing career followed a mediocre path. Smart, who had caused an upset in the 1996 G1 Prix de Diane Hermes with Sil Sila (Ire) (Marju {Ire}), somehow transformed him from a 70-rated 4-year-old into a group 1 winner in the space of two years but Alpha Delphini was sold a year later at the Tattersalls October Book 2 Sale for just 20,000gns. His trainer stepped in for the bay and rated him from the outset. “Tangerine Trees never showed me he was a group one horse, but this horse always has,” he explained as he basked in a red-letter day for his yard. Two runs after his handicap win tackling this track and trip for the first time in July 2016, Alpha Delphini was tried in cheekpieces and when successful in the Listed Beverley Bullet Sprint was subsequently kept in either that headgear or a visor.
Third in the G2 Temple S. at Haydock last May and eighth in this, Alpha Delphini had run third to Mabs Cross in Newmarket's G3 Palace House S. May 5 and runner-up to Muthmir (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in the Listed Achilles S. back at Haydock June 9 before losing out by a head to Mr Lupton (Ire) (Elnadim) in the Listed City Walls S. again over this course and distance last time July 14. In the firing line from the break along with four of the fastest horses in training in Take Cover (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}), Battaash, Caspian Prince (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}) and Havana Grey (GB) (Havana Gold {Ire}) who raced alone on the far side, Alpha Delphini was behind Battaash from the two to the one. A true blue-collar sprinter, he kept rolling as the market-leader caved in and was able to grasp one of the most slender victories in history from Mabs Cross. There was a long wait for the announcement of the outcome, leading most to forecast a repeat of the dead-heat between the Nunthorpe heroes Ya Malak (GB) (Fairy King) and Coastal Bluff (GB) (Standaan {Fr}) in 1999, but technology was able to separate them.
Graham Lee was also making his own history as the first jockey to win the 4 1/2-mile Grand National over jumps and this at the extremes of distance in British racing. Smart paid tribute to the rider, whose influence over the result goes further than just his ride. “Graham kept saying to me to take the cheekpieces off him and he didn't want them today as he felt he wasn't able to see horses coming past until too late,” the trainer explained. “That was a brave call, but he's very good at assessing horses and I learn from him. He gives the horses lovely educational runs and it makes my job easier. All week, it's been building up and he's done it on the best track in the world to me. The staff at home have been fantastic. What's gone into this horse is unbelievable, my wife treats this horse like a king at home. He has back problems and gets treated like he owns the place. I knew I had him the best he'd ever been, I'd trained him for this race as it was one I'd always wanted to win. There was a difference today, he was so relaxed, he wasn't sweating or anything and he wasn't going to let anything past today. He is in the [G1 Prix de l'] Abbaye [at ParisLongchamp Oct. 7], so we'll make a plan.”
David Armstrong's Mabs Cross was so close to proving the Michael Dods stable with a third renewal after the exploits of fellow distaffer Mecca's Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in 2015 and 2016 and her trainer was taking defeat with humility. “She's run a cracking race and I'm very proud,” he said. “It was tough and there is massive disappointment, as it would have been history for us. I think as she gets more racing she is travelling better and that was the problem [when third last time in the G2 Sapphire S.] in Ireland as she travelled too well there. She has upped her performance big time here and is a group one filly. She'll be back and hopefully one day she'll win one. I'd be tempted to wait and go for the Abbaye now and she'll go there with a big chance.”
Charlie Appleby said of Blue Point, “I'm pleased. We beat the horse that everyone thought was the one to beat. They're proper speedballs there today and as William [Buick] said, he's definitely a five-furlong horse. We just got a bit outpaced at halfway, but he was coming back at the end. The most logical step would be to head for the Curragh for the [Sept. 16 G1] Flying Five. The stiffer finish there will suit him.” While there was no repeat of the frantic behaviour in last year's preliminaries, Battaash again failed to produce his best at this track and connections were understandably deflated. “He obviously doesn't like it up here. I'm gutted,” jockey Jim Crowley said. “He didn't get upset in any way and travelled away nicely. He travelled within himself for the first half of the race and just didn't have any kick. I was upsides the winner and he just had no kick today.” Trainer Charlie Hills added, “He pretty much ran exactly the same as last year. The only difference was he didn't get worked up beforehand. He was probably the last horse off the bridle and never really picked up. He's as good as gold after the race. It's just one of those things.”
Aside from the two group 1-winning sprinters, Alpha Delphini's dam Easy to Imagine (Cozzene) is also responsible for two potentially smart types in this stable's 3-year-old filly Fairy Falcon (GB) (Sepoy {Aus}), a 190,000gns TATOCT graduate who was a recent winner at Thirsk in the Clipper Logistics colours, and the Henry Candy-trained juvenile filly Kurious (GB) (Kuroshio {Aus}). Racing for the Hot To Trot syndicate, she beat the subsequently listed-placed Heartwarming (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) on debut at Sandown before finishing under three lengths ninth in the G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot. The second dam Zarani Sidi Anna (Danzig) was placed in the G1 Coronation S. and GI Milady H. and produced the GSP sire Base Commander (Officer). This is the family of Bates Motel, Super Asset and Hatim which features the recent Listed Glasgow S. winner and G3 Geoffrey Freer S. runner-up Raymond Tusk (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) who is ironically St Leger-bound.
Friday, York, Britain
COOLMORE NUNTHORPE S.-G1, £350,000, York, 8-24, 2yo/up, 5fT, :57.18, g/f.
1–ALPHA DELPHINI (GB), 137, g, 7, by Captain Gerrard (Ire)
1st Dam: Easy to Imagine, by Cozzene
2nd Dam: Zarani Sidi Anna, by Danzig
3rd Dam: Emmaline, by Affirmed
1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (20,000gns Ylg '12 TAOCT). O-The Alpha Delphini Partnership; B-Mrs B A Matthews (GB); T-Bryan Smart; J-Graham Lee. £198,485. Lifetime Record: 26-8-6-3, $478,355. *1/2 to Tangerine Trees (GB) (Mind Games {GB}), Hwt. Older Horse-Fr at 5-7f, G1SW-Fr & GSW-Eng, $482,864. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Mabs Cross (GB), 134, f, 4, Dutch Art (GB)–Miss Meggy (GB), by Pivotal (GB). (£3,000 Ylg '15 DONNOV). O-David W Armstrong; B-Highfield Farm LLP (GB); T-Michael Dods. £75,250.
3–Blue Point (Ire), 137, c, 4, Shamardal–Scarlett Rose (GB), by Royal Applause (GB). (110,000gns Wlg '14 TATFOA; 200,000gns Ylg '15 TATOCT). O-Godolphin; B-Oak Lodge Bloodstock (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby. £37,660.
Margins: NO, 2 1/4, NK. Odds: 40.00, 14.00, 3.50.
Also Ran: Battaash (Ire), Havana Grey (GB), Take Cover (GB), Heartache (GB), Sioux Nation, Mr Lupton (Ire), Battle of Jericho, Caspian Prince (Ire), Washington DC (Ire), Judicial (Ire), Abel Handy (Ire), Declarationofpeace. Scratched: Muthmir (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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