By Heather Anderson
It was a stirring game of jockeyship, as Mickael Barzalona and SILVER LADY (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}–Lumiere {GB}, by Shamardal) fended off the finishing rush of William Buick and English Rose (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) to win by a measured neck in the AED850,000 G2 Cape Verdi Presented by DP World CGG at Meydan on Friday. The Godolphin runners are both trained by Charlie Appleby. The duo had closed on stablemate Shining Jewel (GB) (Siyouni {Fr}) who had set the pace for much of the race until midstretch.
Just off the leaders and tossing her head leaving the stalls, the bay eventually relaxed as Shining Jewel showed the way. Well covered up heading into the turn, positions were largely unchanged on the bend, and Mickael Barzalona cued his charge just before the quarter-pole. She promptly collared Shining Jewel to take the advantage. Meanwhile, the formerly undefeated English Rose was winding up with her run to the subsequent winner's outside, and gave every appearance of edging past, but her greenness told late, as Silver Lady proved game to the line.
“She's got a mind of her own, a bit of temperament,” said Barzalona of Silver Lady. “I took her down steady and she settled well during the race–it was rough the first part–but then she took a big breath and picked up well.”
A winner of a Newmarket maiden when unveiled last April, Silver Lady was promptly third in the Listed Michael Seely Memorial Fillies' S. in May. Given some time off, she returned to take sixth in another listed race at HQ in September and failed to menace when unplaced in the G3 Pride S. there in October, her final appearance prior to Friday's triumph.
Pedigree Notes
The 4-year-old is the 116th stakes winner and 70th Pattern winner for her sire, who stands at Gilltown Stud in Ireland under the banner of The Aga Khan Studs. The much-missed Shamardal now has 102 stakes winners and 52 group winners as a broodmare sire. The cross is also responsible for three other stakes winners led by four-time Group 3 winner Al Aasy (Ire).
Lumiere (GB) claimed the G1 Cheveley Park S. and was also placed in the G2 Lowther S., G2 Challenge S. and G3 Sceptre S. throughout her career. She hit black-type pay dirt with her first foal, the G3 Darley S. winner Highland Avenue (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), and Silver Lady is her second group winner. She has a full-sister to Highland Avenue named Dazzling Jewel who just turned three, a juvenile filly by Siyouni (Fr) and a yearling colt by Dubawi still to come.
Lumiere is a full-sister to GI E. P. Taylor S. heroine Sheikha Reika (Fr) (Shamardal), herself the dam of the stakes-placed Arabic Legend (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}).
Friday, Meydan, Middle East
CAPE VERDI (PRESENTED BY DP WORLD GCC)-G2, AED850,000, Meydan, 1-19, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, f/m, 1600mT, 1:34.57, gd.
1–SILVER LADY (GB), 126, f, 4, by Sea The Stars (Ire)
1st Dam: Lumiere (GB) (G1SW-Eng, $329,674),
by Shamardal
2nd Dam: Screen Star (Ire), by Tobougg (Ire)
3rd Dam: Actoris, by Diesis (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-Godolphin (GB);
T-Charlie Appleby; J-Mickael Barzalona. AED510,000. Lifetime
Record: SP-Eng, 5-2-0-1, AED1,476,000. *1/2 to Highland
Avenue (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), GSW-Eng, $185,405. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Werk Nick
Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–English Rose (Ire), 126, f, 4, Frankel (GB)–Sobetsu (GB), by
Dubawi (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE.
O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby. AED170,000.
3–Stenton Glider (Ire), 126, f, 4, Dandy Man (Ire)–Crystal Malt
(Ire), by Intikhab. (£35,000 Ylg '21 TATSEP). O-Mrs J Mairs & T
S Mairs; B-Laurence Kennedy (IRE); T-Hugo Palmer.
AED85,000.
Margins: NK, 4, NO.
Also Ran: Nibras Angel (GB), Shining Jewel (GB), Mystic Pearl (Fr), Hunting Lady, Shymay (GB). Click for the ERA chart & video.
Silver Lady strikes gold in the Group Two Cape Verdi Presented by DP World GCC!@godolphin stablemate English Rose gave it everything, but Charlie Appleby's filly was just too good 🙌
Appleby was winning this for a FIFTH time in the last six years … #DubaiCarnival pic.twitter.com/odwzyjINaj
— Dubai Racing Club (@RacingDubai) January 19, 2024
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