By Tom Frary
Godolphin's Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) had proven capable of scintillating performances at times during his 2019 campaign and he pulled out another tour de force at Newmarket on Friday when dominating the G1 Hurworth Bloodstock Coronation Cup. Left in no man's land after his imperious 8 1/2-length success in the Feb. 20 G3 Dubai Millennium at Meydan, the 5-year-old who had spreadeagled his opposition in the G1 Grosser Preis von Baden made up for a missed opportunity on World Cup night in some fashion here. Quickly to the head of affairs and typically full of zest under William Buick, the strongly-supported 11-10 favourite was out on his own with the dual G1 Ascot Gold Cup hero Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in trouble with more than half a mile remaining. Maintaining the killer gallop down the “dip” and up the famed hillclimb, the bay hit the line with a new track record to boast of and 2 1/2 lengths to spare over the returning G1 Epsom Derby hero Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Stradivarius was the same margin back in third, with all of Ghaiyyath's six rivals spread out down the Rowley Mile back to the dual GI Canadian International hero Desert Encounter (Ire) (Halling) who was a scarcely-believable 38 lengths behind.
Trainer Charlie Appleby, who was receiving the ultimate nerve-settler ahead of Saturday's G1 2000 Guineas, has a serious older horse on his hands to go to war with in 2020. “You couldn't be confident coming up against that calibre of horse, but we felt that we had Ghaiyyath in great order,” he said. “He is very similar to Blue Point last year–going into his five-year-old season, we felt that we had the finished article. When he won the Dubai Millennium earlier this year, we were more impressed with how he took it mentally and he was maintaining that weight whereas in the past he always had to have that gap between his races. He had always put so much into it, he had to have time off to fill that tank again. When he is alone on the lead like that, he's very dangerous.”
There were no secrets about Ghaiyyath from the very beginning, with the son of the runaway G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Nightime (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) attracting keen attention for obvious reasons at the Weld family's Springbank Way Stud. It was no surprise that when he got to the 2015 Goffs November Foals Sale he became the highest-priced colt of that age ever sold in Ireland at that time as John Ferguson secured him for €1.1 million. Impressive in two juvenile successes here culminating in the G3 Autumn S., the bay was making his first and only 3-year-old outing when scoring by three lengths in the G3 Prix du Prince d'Orange over 10 furlongs at ParisLongchamp in September 2018.
Getting a clear run at last, connections unleashed the 4-year-old in the G2 Prix d'Harcourt back at France's premier venue early last April and he proved in a league of his own from the front. Unable to replicate when third to Waldgeist (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Prix Ganay over an extra half furlong back there three weeks later, he emerged four months later with that notorious 14-length destruction at Baden-Baden. Subsequently overpowered when attempting to repeat the same forcing tactics in the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in October, a further winter's strengthening looked to have worked the oracle as he fired an early warning in the Dubai Millennium only to lose the chance of shining at the abandoned Meydan climax.
Emerging from the worldwide lockdown with all the pent-up enthusiasm of his human counterparts, Ghaiyyath provided exactly the kind of visual spectacle needed to remind all why racing needed to come back. This proved an entirely different test to that which would have taken place around the contours and camber of Epsom and was always going to benefit a vigorous front-runner who could maintain a high cruising speed. Taking the place of the G2 Jockey Club S., it was staged on quick ground with a tail-wind which may have helped Ghaiyyath to some degree, but this was an outstanding performance whichever way it is measured.
William Buick was impressed. “He is a very explosive horse who can also sustain a gallop,” he commented. “It was a deep field today–Stradivarius was coming back in trip, but he is still a very, very, good stayer with a turn of foot and Anthony Van Dyck is a Derby winner. He has phenomenal mid-race pace and a fantastic cruising speed, which I think is very rare to see in a horse that stays as well as he does. I don't think I have ridden many horses that have as high a cruising speed as he has. Coming back to a mile and a quarter wouldn't pose any problem for him at all. Ghaiyyath is one of our flagship horses in the stable. He had a bit of an up-and-down season last year and is a horse that we have been looking forward to for a long time.”
Appleby is looking at shortening the winner up again ahead of a possible return to ParisLongchamp for the autumn showcase. “His victory in Germany last year was emphatic, which threw us into the Arc but conditions and the style of racing didn't suit him at Longchamp that day,” he added. “It was a tough race on the front end, but I would like to think that we could work back from the Arc again. We have always felt as though coming back to 10 furlongs is never going to worry us when you have that natural pace, so potentially we might look at the 10-furlong options during the summer first. I thought in the past that he would be a horse who would love a bit of ease, but we clearly know now that his best performances have come on fast ground. The concern will be what the ground could be like in the Arc at that time of year, because he is clearly a better horse when it is riding fast.”
Frankie Dettori said of Stradivarius, “For a minute going to the two I thought I'd close the gap, but he hasn't got the legs over a mile and a half. It's nothing to be ashamed about and it was great that Bjorn and John decided to give him this prep. It will put him right for two weeks' time and we have to take this as a positive. I was very pleased with him and am looking forward to the Gold Cup.”
The aforementioned Nightime, who was providing her breeder the Late Gita Weld with a memorable red-letter day when scoring by six lengths on testing ground in that Curragh Classic 14 years ago, has also produced the high-class Zhukova (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) who captured the GI Man o'War S., G3 Kilternan S. and G3 Blue Wind S. Also responsible for the listed-placed Sleeping Beauty (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}), who is in turn the dam of the GIII With Anticipation S. runner-up Irish Territory (Ire) (Declaration of War), she is out of the Listed Platinum S. winner Caumshinaun (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) who is related to the GI Sword Dancer Invitational hero King's Drama (Ire) (King's Theatre {Ire}).
Zhukova was secured by Sheikh Mohammed for 3.7million gns at the 2017 Tattersalls December Mares Sale, while the following year's auction saw Stroud Coleman Bloodstock pay 700,000gns for the Foal Sale's top-priced colt who like Ghaiyyath is also by Dubawi. Back at Goffs last November, the bar was raised again as another of Nightime's sons of Dubawi eclipsed Ghaiyyath's tag and record when bought by Godolphin for €1.2million.
Friday, Newmarket, Britain
HURWORTH BLOODSTOCK CORONATION CUP S.-G1, £110,000, Newmarket, 6-5, 4yo/up, 12fT, 2:25.89, g/f.
1–GHAIYYATH (IRE), 126, h, 5, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Nightime (Ire) (G1SW-Ire, $299,507), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Caumshinaun (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire)
3rd Dam: Ridge Pool (Ire), by Bluebird
(€1,100,000 Wlg '15 GOFNOV). O-Godolphin; B-Springbank Way Stud (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. £62,381. Lifetime Record: Hwt. Older Horse-Ger at 11-14f, G1SW-Ger, MGSW & G1SP-Fr, GSW-UAE, 10-7-0-2, $585,854. *1/2 to Zhukova (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), Hwt. Older Mare-Eur at 9.5-11f, GISW-US & MGSW-Ire, $499,594; and Sleeping Beauty (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}), SP-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Anthony Van Dyck (Ire), 126, c, 4, Galileo (Ire)–Believe'n'succeed (Aus), by Exceed and Excel (Aus). O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £23,650.
3–Stradivarius (Ire), 126, h, 6, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Private Life (Fr), by Bering (GB). (330,000gns RNA Ylg '15 TATOCT). O/B-Bjorn Nielsen (IRE); T-John Gosden. £11,836.
Margins: 2HF, 2HF, 4 1/4. Odds: 1.10, 5.50, 4.00.
Also Ran: Broome (Ire), Defoe (Ire), Alounak (Fr), Desert Encounter (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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