By Tom Frary
Persistent rain in the lead-up to Saturday's G1 Qipco 2000 Guineas turned the ground to soft at Newmarket and while several of the race's big names floundered, Juddmonte's ultra-professional Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}–Suelita {GB}, by Dutch Art {GB}) stayed straight and true to win with authority. Providing Frankie Dettori with the ultimate final ride in the mile Classic, the Andrew Balding-trained 7-2 second favourite tracked TDN Rising Star Hi Royal (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) up the centre and as that 125-1 shot began to veer left heading into the dip and duly took control.
Forging clear up the rising ground, the G3 Acomb S., G2 Champagne S. and G1 Dewhurst S. hero who had dramatically unseated Dettori at the start of the G3 Greenham S. a fortnight earlier, hit the line strong with 1 3/4 lengths to spare over the Kevin Ryan-trained outsider. Royal Scotsman (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) was half a length away in third as the 13-8 favourite Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) beat only two rivals home and one of those was the last-placed Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never).
“I can't believe it's happened really–it's mad and I have mixed emotions, I don't know whether to laugh or cry,” Dettori said. “My last Guineas, to win it in front of my home crowd, it's amazing and beyond my wildest dreams.”
Other than when he was beaten on his debut at two and when finishing riderless on this year's introduction, Chaldean has proven as reliable as he is classy and with the benefit of hindsight it is difficult to believe that he started as only the second favourite in a three-runner Champagne in September. Even in the Dewhurst, the chestnut was only joint-favourite alongside the operation's other runner Nostrum (GB) (Kingman {GB}) so being under-rated is a thing that has come with the territory.
With the four preceding races on the straight course giving no indication of any bias, there were no excuses on that score for any of the beaten runners and it was more likely ground conditions that contributed to the downfall of the other favourites. The free-running Little Big Bear did little for his prospects with understandable freshness and while Hi Royal and Oisin Murphy and Chaldean enjoyed the run of the race up front Auguste Rodin, Royal Scotsman and Sakheer (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) were probably too far adrift by halfway.
From the two pole, each time Frankie got alongside Hi Royal the imposing Ryan runner ducked left and that left Chaldean in the clear and home free. As he stayed on strongly to the line, the race's dubious stayers were only treading water in behind with Auguste Rodin disappointingly disappearing out of sight. In the final analysis, it may be that the winner was the only true top-class miler to act in the ground and so it was a surprise to hear that Andrew Balding had stamina doubts.
“I was a bit worried about the mile in this ground, but what a brilliant ride from Frankie,” the master of Kingsclere said after greeting his second 2000 Guineas winner in four years. “What can't you say about Frankie? Since I've been involved in the sport he's been an omnipresent superstar of the sport and what a fitting way to ride his last 2000 Guineas. He always looked to be travelling comfortably, I was just a bit worried about getting past Oisin because he can get extra lengths out of a horse. It's a mixture of relief and elation, it's a big deal. He might stay 10 furlongs in time, but no further.”
Hi Royal, who was the least-exposed and most under-the-radar TDN Rising Star in the line-up, would have made more of a fight of it had he stayed straight as he channelled the positive energy of his dam Majestic Roi (Street Cry {Ire}) who sprang a 16-1 upset in the 2007 G1 Sun Chariot S. over this course and distance. Jaber Abdullah's racing manager Bruce Raymond said, “That was no surprise, as Kevin Ryan told us in the paddock that he thought the horse could run a big race and that he thought he would handle the ground. Kevin wants to get him home and see where we go next but he could be a Royal Ascot type.”
Oliver Cole is also keen to go to the G1 St James's Palace S. and take on the winner and runner-up with Royal Scotsman. “He's run a massive race to be third, but he was a bit too keen in the early stages,” he said. “He had no problem with the ground, as he goes on anything. It was always the idea to come straight here and hopefully he can improve from this and we can have another crack at the winner at Royal Ascot.”
Aidan O'Brien said of his pair, “It was a non-event for Ryan's horse and then Wayne's horse got badly bumped and just got lit up. The whole thing was a bit of a non-event really. The travelling over is what it is.”
Lordan added of Little Big Bear, “He jumped smart and felt like he wanted to show me his pace. We didn't go mad for the first two furlongs, something caught my heel and it wasn't ideal.”
Pedigree Notes
Providing Frankel's inevitable first 2000 Guineas success, Chaldean is the sixth winner and fifth black-type performer out of Suelita alongside the G2 Mill Reef S. scorer Alkumait (GB) (Showcasing {GB}). Suelita is kin to the G3 Cornwallis S. runner-up Outer Space (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) and to the dam of Living In The Past (Fr) (Bungle Inthejungle {GB}), who continues the trend of sprinters in the first two generations with success in the G2 Lowther S.
The third dam is the GII Matchmaker S. winner Horatia (Ire) (Machiavellian), whose leading progeny is the G3 Pinnacle S. scorer and GI E.P. Taylor S.-placed Moment In Time (Ire) (Tiger Hill {Ire}) and whose daughter Awohaam (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) produced the G3 Marble Hill S. scorer and G1 Middle Park S. runner-up Castle Star (Ire) (Staspangledbanner {Aus}). In contrast, Horatia is a half to the five-times group-winning stayer Opinion Poll (Ire) (Halling) who Frankie knew well along with another of the family's stars, Markofdistinction (GB) (Known Fact) who provided him with his first Group 1 win in the 1990 Queen Elizabeth II S. Suelita's yearling filly by Kingman (GB) was the 1 million gns Tattersalls December Foal Sale topper after Juddmonte refused to let her go.
Saturday, Newmarket, Britain
QIPCO 2000 GUINEAS S.-G1, £500,000, Newmarket, 5-6, 3yo, 8fT, 1:41.64, sf.
1–CHALDEAN (GB), 128, c, 3, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Suelita (GB), by Dutch Art (GB)
2nd Dam: Venoge (Ire), by Green Desert
3rd Dam: Horatia (Ire), by Machiavellian
(550,000gns Wlg '20 TATFOA). O-Juddmonte; B-Whitsbury Manor Stud (GB); T-Andrew Balding; J-Frankie Dettori. £283,550. Lifetime Record: 7-5-0-0, $892,361. *1/2 to Alkumait (GB) (Showcasing {GB}), GSW-Eng; 1/2 to The Broghie Man (GB) (Cityscape {GB}), SW-Ire, SP-Fr, $100,140. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Hi Royal (Ire), 128, c, 3, Kodiac (GB)–Majestic Roi, by Street Cry (Ire).
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. TDN Rising Star. O-Jaber Abdullah; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Limited (IRE); T-Kevin Ryan. £107,500.
3–Royal Scotsman (GB), 128, c, 3, Gleneagles (Ire)–Enrol (GB), by Pivotal (GB). (125,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Mrs Fitri Hay; B-Rabbah Bloodstock Limited (IRE); T-Paul & Oliver Cole. £53,800.
Margins: 1 3/4, HF, 2 3/4. Odds: 3.50, 125.00, 11.00.
Also Ran: Galeron (Ire), Dubai Mile (Ire), Noble Style (GB), Sakheer (Ire), Charyn (Ire), Holloway Boy (GB), Indestructible (Ire), Silver Knott (GB), Auguste Rodin (Ire), Flight Plan (GB), Little Big Bear (Ire).
Chaldean wins the Qipco 2000 Guineas! @FrankieDettori lands the opening Classic of the year in his final season in the saddle in big-race victory for trainer @AndrewBalding2 and @JuddmonteFarms at @NewmarketRace pic.twitter.com/7WXOehKKG7
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 6, 2023
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