By Tom Frary
Allowed to start at 66-1 for Saturday's G3 Betway Sweet Solera S. at Newmarket, the €3,500 bargain buy Star of Emaraaty (Ire) belied those odds to emerge with the prize and provide her Coolmore-based first-season sire Pride of Dubai (Aus) with a first European black-type winner. Outpaced briefly at halfway having chased the early pace, the chestnut who was fourth in the Listed Star S. over this seven-furlong trip at Sandown July 21 drifted to the centre of the track as she began to enter contention under Kevin Stott. Reeling in the 5-2 co-favourite Dubai Fountain (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) in the final half a furlong, the Ontoawinner syndicate colour-bearer asserted for a 1 1/4-length success, with a neck beck to the 80-1 shot Seattle Rock (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in third. Another of the co-favourites, Fly Miss Helen (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), unfortunately broke down mid-race to add a sad postscript to the race.
Sent to Royal Ascot 13 days after her debut second in a six-furlong Haydock novice contest June 7, Star of Emaraaty was 11th in the five-furlong G2 Queen Mary S. before making all over an extended seven furlongs at Ayr July 13. Tried again following her effort in the Star at Sandown, she was comfortable with the tempo early but needed time to warm up as her peers started to roll approaching the downhill section of the track. Despite her veer away from the pack as she plundered into the “dip”, she was travelling with momentum coming back the other side and there was no hint of fluke at the end of a true test at the distance. “She was 66-1 and I don't think she should have been that price,” Stott said. “She got a bit unbalanced going into the dip, but saw the trip out well once we met the rising ground. Kevin [Ryan] has always been keen on her and she's been doing everything right at home, so fair play to her. She's quite a big filly and has still got a bit of improving to do, so she should be a nice horse for next year.”
Ryan added, “She got very unbalanced at Sandown and there was a risk of it happening again coming to Newmarket, but I thought she would have a fair chance of handling it if he got her down the hill and we knew when she hit the rising ground she would come home well. She is quite a laid-back filly and she will improve with racing.”
Star of Emaraaty, who was offered in the Tattersalls Ascot Online June Sale but was unsold at £115,000, is out of La Grande Elisa (Ad Valorem) who is a half-sister to the recently-deceased triple group 1-winning sire Rip Van Winkle (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), as well as the G3 Premio del Piazzale winner La Vie Infinite (Ire) (La Vie Dei Colori {GB}). Rip Van Winkle's full-sister A Star Is Born (Ire) produced another significant Ballydoyle runner in the listed-winning G1 Middle Park S. runner-up Fleet Review (War Front). Also connected to the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup heroine Danish (Ire) (Danehill) and her full-brother Ace (Ire) who was runner-up in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf, her yearling filly is by Moohaajim (Ire).
Saturday, Newmarket, Britain
BETWAY SWEET SOLERA S.-G3, £25,500, Newmarket, 8-8, 2yo, f, 7fT, 1:23.47, g/f.
1–STAR OF EMARAATY (IRE), 126, f, 2, by Pride of Dubai (Aus)
1st Dam: La Grande Elisa (Ire), by Ad Valorem
2nd Dam: Looking Back (Ire), by Stravinsky
3rd Dam: Mustique Dream (GB), by Don't Forget Me (Ire)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (€6,800 RNA Ylg '19 GOFFEB; €3,500 Ylg '19 GOFSPT; £115,000 RNA 2yo '20 TATASC). O-Ontoawinner & Partner 1; B-Karis Bloodstock Ltd & Rathbarry Stud (IRE); T-Kevin Ryan; J-Kevin Stott. £14,461. Lifetime Record: 5-2-1-0, $27,258. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Dubai Fountain (Ire), 126, f, 2, Teofilo (Ire)–Nafura (GB), by Dubawi (Ire). O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum; B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Mark Johnston. £5,483.
3–Seattle Rock (GB), 126, f, 2, Fastnet Rock (Aus)–Snoqualmie Girl (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire). O-J C Smith; B-Littleton Stud (GB); T-Sylvester Kirk. £2,744.
Margins: 1 1/4, NK, 2 3/4. Odds: 66.00, 2.50, 80.00.
Also Ran: Setarhe (Ire), Coul Queen (Ire), Danilova (GB), Spirit of Bermuda (Ire), Mere Green (Ire). DNF: Fly Miss Helen (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
