By Sean Cronin
Charlie Fellowes trainee Luther (GB) (Frankel {GB}–Give And Take {GB}, by Cityscape {GB}) followed up a debut success at Salisbury with a runner-up finish back there in last month's Listed Stonehenge Stakes and regained the winning thread with a dominant performance in Saturday's Listed Betfair Daily Tips On Betting.Betfair Ascendant Stakes at Haydock.
Steadied to track the leaders in fifth and last off the bridle in the home straight, the 16-5 chance was shaken up to challenge entering the final furlong and lengthened clear in the closing stages to easily outpoint 40-1 outsider Qilin Queen (Ire) (Pinatubo {Ire}) by two lengths.
“He won his maiden nicely and he had a very minor setback between his maiden and his second start,” explained Fellowes. “I'd intended to go to Ascot for a Listed race there, but we missed that and ended up at Salisbury. I just wonder if he needed the run a little bit that day, mentally more than anything. We were impressed with his run and he was more the finished article today. I wasn't worried about the ground, in fact I thought a bit of cut would suit him a little bit better, being by Frankel. I was just hoping that he was good enough to go and put in a performance like that and it's great. He's a horse we've always thought a lot of. His work at home has been very good, he's got a great mind on him and hopefully he's an exciting horse for next year. He's not overly big, but he's a strong and really well-made powerful colt. He's got as good a mind as I've trained and wants it, which is a big factor.”
Looking ahead, the trainer added, “He's in the [G2] Royal Lodge and I guess that's probably the most obvious place to go next. After that we'll see whether we stay here for a [G1] Futurity Trophy or we put him away. The Breeders' Cup is an option as well and it's lovely to talk about these races. He's got a lot of options and hopefully he'll be a [G1 2000] Guineas horse next year.”
🚀 Impressive
Royal Lodge & Dewhurst entrant Luther oozes class in the Listed Ascendant Stakes@FellowesRacing | @haydockraces pic.twitter.com/3SG8xESHzn
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 7, 2024
Luther, who also holds a G1 Dewhurst Stakes entry, is the third foal and scorer produced by G3 Musidora Stakes vixtrix Give And Take (GB) (Cityscape {GB}), herself out of an unraced full-sister to multiple Group 1-winning European champion Fame And Glory (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}). The February-foaled bay, who becomes the 149th stakes winner for his sire, is a half-brother to the dual stakes-placed Good Gracious (GB) (Kingman {GB}), a yearling colt by Too Darn Hot (GB) and a weanling colt by Baaeed (GB). His second dam Grace And Glory (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) is also a full-sister to the dam of multiple Group 1-winning distaffer Legatissimo (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and hails from the family of G1 Deutschland-Preis heroine Gonbarda (Ger) (Lando {Ger}), herself the dam of dual Group 1-winning sire Farhh (GB) (Pivotal {GB}).
Saturday, Haydock, Britain
BETFAIR DAILY TIPS ON BETTING.BETFAIR ASCENDANT STAKES-Listed, £40,500, Haydock, 9-7, 2yo, 8f 37yT, 1:42.11, gd.
1–LUTHER (GB), 130, c, 2, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Give And Take (GB) (GSW-Eng & GSP-Fr, $116,657), by Cityscape (GB)
2nd Dam: Grace And Glory (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire)
3rd Dam: Gryada (GB), by Shirley Heights (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. (250,000gns Ylg '23 TATOCT). O-P Hickman and Nicholas Jones; B-Coln Valley Stud (GB); T-Charlie Fellowes; J-Daniel Tudhope. £22,968. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $47,279. *1/2 to Good Gracious (GB) (Kingman {GB}), SP-Ire & Swe.
2–Qilin Queen (Ire), 125, f, 2, Pinatubo (Ire)–Seagull (Ire), by Sea The Stars (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE. (280,000gns Ylg '23 TATOCT). O-TBT Racing Ltd; B-Mrs T Mahon (IRE); T-Ed Walker. £8,708.
3–Eternal Elixir (Ire), 130, c, 2, Shaman (Ire)–Silver Rose (Ire), by Dark Angel (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE . (60,000gns Ylg '23 TATOCT). O-Salem Rashid Bin Ghadayer; B-Yeomanstown Stud (IRE); T-Archie Watson. £4,358.
Margins: 2, HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 3.20, 40.00, 20.00.
Also Ran: Hawksbill (GB), Linwood (Ire), The Lost King (GB), Age Of Gold (Ire), Stark Warning (GB).
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
