By Tom Frary
To do everything wrong and still win the G1 Commonwealth Cup comfortably, Shaquille (GB) (Charm Spirit {Ire}–Magic {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) must be among an elite brigade of sprinters to have come to Royal Ascot down the years. Although the pride of the Julie Camacho and Steve Brown stable had obvious credentials entering Friday's six-furlong feature, after blowing the start and losing several lengths all appeared lost. That was factoring against the abundance of talent Martin Hughes's homebred possesses and the calm of Oisin Murphy after he had asked for a 11.28 second-furlong split to get him onto the tail of the field.
Conjuring an incredible effort down the outer, the 9-1 shot threw in sectionals of 11.43, 11.24 and 11.63 to give the front-running Swingalong (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) and Little Big Bear (Ire) (No Nay Never) something to think about. As that duo started to pay for their efforts in the closing 50 yards, the Listed Carnarvon S. scorer overhauled them and continued his surge to the line to beat Little Big Bear by 1 1/4 lengths. Last year's G2 Lowther S. winner Swingalong stuck on for third, 3/4 of a length away.
Camacho admitted that she had given up hope instantly after the winner's disastrous start. “I thought, 'well that's it' but then I thought, 'he's going to be placed' and then 'oh my God, he's going to win', so I am a bit speechless,” she said. “He was good, wasn't he? We never thought we would train a group one winner, not at Royal Ascot anyway, and for Martin who bred him. We've got his mother at home, his siblings, and dad looks after the stud, so I'm sure he was screaming at home. It's massive.”
EXTRAORDINARY! Shaquille rears as the stalls open and comes from NOWHERE to win the Commonwealth Cup for @oismurphy and @JCamachoRacing! pic.twitter.com/Ypu6bjeBf0
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) June 23, 2023
Suffering just the one reversal when last of 11 tried over seven furlongs behind Chaldean (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in York's G3 Acomb S. in August, Shaquille's biggest problem all along has been his stalls behaviour which led to his withdrawal from Newcastle's All-Weather 3 Year Old Championships Conditions S. on Good Friday. Again tricky at the start of a Newmarket handicap at the Guineas meeting, he was still able to dominate and earn a second tilt at black-type company in Newbury's Carnarvon where he was better from the stalls and dominated from the front.
Had he broken on terms here, it is probable that he would have been an impressive wide-margin winner and Oisin Murphy had a far less stressful ordeal. “As the stalls opened, he went up into the air and took his time coming back down to the ground,” he explained. “It's very hard to do that in a 1200 metre race and win. I thought the race was almost over and you just have to hope they've gone too fast and will slow down at the end and I got to the back of Ryan quite easily without having to go for him.”
“I had to sustain an effort from quite a long way out. It really was a tremendous task that he managed to overcome,” Murphy added. “He's a tough, top-class animal. It's an astounding performance. I've had a fantastic comeback and brilliant support from so many people. To get on the scoresheet today in a group one is a brilliant feeling, but I feel for James Doyle. If Noble Style had not run, Shaquille was going to be his ride so thank you to the connections for letting me ride him.”
Aidan O'Brien said of Little Big Bear, “He ran very well. I think he is a sprinter and we will be looking forward to the July Cup.” Swingalong's trainer Karl Burke commented, “It was a fantastic run and Clifford [Lee] gave her a great ride. I knew the run in the French 1000 Guineas was wrong–she did not stay the mile, but equally she would not have won over six furlongs that day. She will stay another half furlong, so we are thinking of the [G1] Prix Maurice de Gheest.”
Pedigree Notes
The unraced dam Magic (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has genuine sprinting gold in her blood, being a daughter of Cheveley Park Stud's supercharged G2 Flying Five scorer and G1 Golden Jubilee S. and G1 July Cup-placed Danehurst (GB) (Danehill). This is the family of the G1 Cheveley Park S., G2 Lowther S. and G3 Sirenia S.-winning European champion 2-year-old filly Hooray (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and the G2 Cherry Hinton S. winner and G1 1000 Guineas third Dazzle (GB) (Gone West) who was making her debut when winning the Windsor Castle here in 1996. Also related to the meeting's G2 Hardwicke S.-placed Mighty (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), her yearling colt is by Cable Bay (Ire).
Friday, Royal Ascot, Britain
COMMONWEALTH CUP-G1, £600,000, Ascot, 6-23, 3yo, 6fT, 1:13.15, g/f.
1–SHAQUILLE (GB), 128, c, 3, by Charm Spirit (Ire)
1st Dam: Magic (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Danehurst (GB), by Danehill
3rd Dam: Miswaki Belle, by Miswaki
1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Hughes, Rawlings & O'Shaughnessy; B-Martin Hughes & Michael Kerr-Dineen (GB); T-Julie Camacho; J-Oisin Murphy. £340,260. Lifetime Record: 7-6-0-0, $539,370. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Little Big Bear (Ire), 128, c, 3, No Nay Never–Adventure Seeker (Fr), by Bering (GB). (€320,000 Ylg '21 ARAUG). O-D Smith, Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor & Westerberg; B-Camas Park Stud & Summerhill (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £129,000.
3–Swingalong (Ire), 125, f, 3, Showcasing (GB)–Pilates (Ire), by Shamardal. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (120,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Sheikh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum; B-Mount Armstrong Stud. (IRE); T-Karl Burke. £64,560.
Margins: 1 1/4, 3/4, HD. Odds: 9.00, 0.91, 66.00.
Also Ran: Ocean Quest (Ire), Rumstar (GB), Queen Me (Ire), Shouldvebeenaring (GB), Mischief Magic (Ire), Noble Style (GB), Lezoo (GB), The X O (Ire), Marbaan (GB), Sakheer (Ire). Scratched: Cold Case (GB).
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