By Tom Frary
Royal Ascot Tuesday got underway with an admirably professional Queen Anne display from Nurlan Bizakov's Charyn (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}–Futoon {Ire}, by Kodiac {GB}) as he finally plundered his Group 1 on the biggest stage. Runner-up in the G1 Lockinge S. at Newbury last month, the grey tracked that race's winner Audience (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}) throughout the early stages but whereas he wasn't able to get to him previously this time he was already rolling by with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining. Out in the clear under Silvestre De Sousa chased by Docklands (GB) (Massaat {Ire}), the 100-30 favourite had 2 1/4 lengths to spare over that rival at the line, with Maljoom (Ire) (Caravaggio) 2 3/4 lengths away in third. The race is a “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Mile in the autumn.
“He seems to have found another level of form this year,” trainer Roger Varian said. “His run in the Lockinge last time was outstanding and you only have to look at him in the paddock to see how physically mature he is–he's a bull of a horse. He's a fine horse, very consistent and seems to be thriving.”
Successful in the 2022 G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte and third in the G1 St James's Palace S. and G1 Sussex S. last term, Charyn had shaped like an improved performer on his winning return in the Listed Doncaster Mile on the Flat turf season's opener and confirmed that in the G2 Sandown Mile in April. This was just another day at the office for the likeable 4-year-old, who kept his head while others around were losing theirs.
The early part of the 2024 Queen Anne was marked by the exploits of Christophe Soumillon and Maxime Guyon, who opted to race well away from the remainder on Big Rock (Fr) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}), respectively. Robert Havlin was going fast on the stand's-side group leader Audience, but Super Soumy was either unable to stop Big Rock or had his fractions completely wrong and Guyon was committed to following his mount's compatriot come what may.
What De Sousa is and has always been is an expert judge of pace, so while the French runners were engaged in their burn-up far side he was content to ease Charyn through the gears among the main pack. As Audience started to flag two out, there was only one who was able to really stretch from behind and that was the uber-honest grey. His pursuit had been in vain at Newbury, but his cast-iron constitution meant that he was ready to go again here and the stiff nature of the course played perfectly into his hands.
Always eager to graft, Charyn might have earned himself a break now. “He started early and his first race was at Doncaster in March, so I don't think we can go bang, bang, bang all summer,” Varian said. “We would love to be back here for Champions Day later in the season, with a couple of races along the way during the summer.”
Bizakov was revelling in the moment. “Now Charyn has booked my box in my stallion yard! I've been dreaming about this, but I never thought it would happen,” he said. “It is a big day. You wouldn't be confident in a Group 1 race, but Charyn would be my shortest-priced runner in Group 1 company and he delivered, so it's amazing.”
Harry Eustace said of Docklands, who had won the Britannia H. at this meeting 12 months ago, “He just keeps turning up for us. He loves this track and dropping in with plenty of runners is what he really needs. He hasn't had that yet this year. The plan was to always work back from Australia at the end of the year.”
Maljoom was coming back to the form of his luckless fourth in the G1 St James's Palace S. two years ago and trainer William Haggas said, “We'll campaign him like a good horse and maybe come back here for the [G2] Summer S. and then possibly the [G1] Prix Jacques le Marois.”
Pedigree Notes
Charyn, whose 2-year-old full-sister Shinara (Ire) was a 850,000gns purchase by his owners at Tattersalls Book 1 in October, is the second foal out of Futoon with the first being his G2 Mill Reef S. and G3 Sirenia S.-winning full-brother Wings Of War (Ire). Futoon, who was listed-placed on three occasions, hails from the family of another Mill Reef winner in Galeota (Ire) (Mujadil) who was second in this meeting's G1 Golden Jubilee S. Also related to the Sirenia-winning half-siblings Burnt Sugar (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and Brown Sugar (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}), her Dark Angel yearling is a filly.
Tuesday, Royal Ascot, Britain
QUEEN ANNE S.-G1, £750,000, Ascot, 6-18, 4yo/up, 8fT, 1:38.04, g/f.
1–CHARYN (IRE), 128, c, 4, by Dark Angel (Ire)
1st Dam: Futoon (Ire) (MSP-Eng), by Kodiac (GB)
2nd Dam: Vermilliann (Ire), by Mujadil
3rd Dam: Refined (Ire), by Statoblest (Ire)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (250,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Nurlan
Bizakov; B-Grangemore Stud (IRE); T-Roger Varian; J-Silvestre
De Sousa. £425,325. Lifetime Record: GSW-Fr, 15-5-3-4,
$1,198,897. *Full to Wings Of War (Ire), GSW-Eng, GSP-Fr,
$532,295. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Docklands (GB), 128, c, 4, Massaat (Ire)–Icky Woo (GB), by
Mark Of Esteem (Ire). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP 1
BLACK TYPE. (18,000gns Wlg '20 TATFOA; £16,000 Ylg '21
TATIRY). O-OTI Racing; B-Mickley Stud (GB); T-Harry Eustace.
£161,250.
3–Maljoom (Ire), 128, h, 5, Caravaggio–Nictate (Ire), by Teofilo
(Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (72,000gns Wlg '19 TATFOA;
160,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum;
B-GCE Farm Ltd (IRE); T-William Haggas. £80,700.
Margins: 2 1/4, 2 3/4, 1. Odds: 3.30, 10.00, 7.50.
Also Ran: Witch Hunter (Fr), Audience (GB), Facteur Cheval (Ire), Dolayli (Fr), Cairo (Ire), Brave Emperor (Ire), Big Rock (Fr), Hi Royal (Ire), Flight Plan (GB). Scratched: Royal Scotsman (Ire).
Charyn takes the Queen Anne Stakes (G1)!
— IFHA's Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings (@worldsbesthorse) June 18, 2024
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