By Heather Anderson
Godolphin's Ispolini (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) landed the biggest win of his career in the 2810-metre G3 Nad Al Sheba Trophy at Meydan on Thursday. The lightly raced 4-year-old proved an able deputy to heavily favoured Charlie Appleby stablemate MGSW Brundtland (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who went amiss on the back straight to win by 10 1/2 lengths. Fellow Godolphin silksbearer Red Galileo (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) was 11 1/2 lengths clear of another Saeed bin Suroor-trained horse in Bin Battuta (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}).
Red Galileo led the way through the stretch the first time while closely shadowed by Brundtland just off his right flank. Ispolini was nestled against the fence last bar one and positions were largely unchanged as the first mile was covered in 1:41.90. William Buick asked Brundtland for his bid as noses pointed toward home, but the favourite took a bad step 1000 metres out and was pulled up. Red Galileo subsequently scampered a length clear, but Bin Battuta appeared to have dead aim at the 400-metre mark and Ispolini was winding up on the outside. In the end, the later bounded away to an easy win, with the field well spaced.
“He ran well last time and he showed a good turn-of-foot,” said rider Mickael Barzalona. “Today I had instructions to make him settle well in the first part of the race and then to see how it goes. He did it very well and he has been very impressive today. I could wait for ages, but he was going so much better than the others. Last time he showed he could travel strongly and today the plan was just to make him relax, but he has got some speed as well.”
Added Appleby “I always knew that stepping up in trip was going to open new doors for him and he showed that in his last start, his first one over this trip. We thought he was going the right way going into this evening. He was a horse we felt was going to be very competitive. Going forward, he could be a potential horse for the [G2] Dubai Gold Cup on World Cup night. There are plans for him to potentially go to Australia, as well. We'll make a decision over the next 24 hours on what we're going to do.”
Brundtland, fourth in the G1 Prix Royal-Oak, was later euthanised. “Unfortunately, Brundtland broke down after sustaining a leg injury and had to be put down by the vets,” Appleby said on www.godolphin.com. “It is a big loss for the whole team, as we felt that he was an exciting horse for the future.
A winner at second asking over the Kempton all-weather at two, Ispolini missed by only a nose in Sandown's G3 Bet365 Classic Trial last April. He rolled a pair of fours in Chester's G3 Chester Vase S. on May 9 and in the G3 Prix du Lys at ParisLongchamp later that month before being put away for the year. Resuming off a seven-month break, the gelding ran second to Bin Battuta in a 2400-metre handicap locally on Jan. 3, and was back in the winner's circle over this course and distance in another handicap last out on Jan. 17, defeating Suspicious Mind (Den) (Appel Au Maitre {Fr}) and Red Galileo.
Pedigree Notes…
Ispolini is the 164th black-type winner and 107th group winner for his Darley sire. A half-brother to SP Playful Sound (GB) (Street Cry {Ire}), Ispolini has a juvenile full-sister and a yearling half-brother by Frankel (GB). Giants Play's best win was in the GII New York S., and she is out of $10.5-million KEENOV 2007 purchase Playful Act (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), an English highweight juvenile filly and winner of the G1 Meon Valley Stud Mile. In addition to Giants Play, she has also produced GIII Orchid S. heroine Anjaz (Street Cry {Ire}) and English SW Tearless (GB) (Street Cry {Ire}). Ispolini's third dam is the influential blue hen Magnificient Style (Silver Hawk), dam of highweights Nathaniel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a MG1SW, and G1 Darley Irish Oaks heroine Great Heavens (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), as well as MGSWs Percussionist (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), GI Flower Bowl Invitational S. runner-up Changing Skies (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), and Echoes in Eternity (Ire) (Spinning World). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
Thursday, Meydan, Dubai
NAD AL SHEBA TROPHY SPONSORED BY MOHAMMED BIN RASHID AL MAKTOUM CITY DISTRICT ONE-G3, $300,000, Meydan, 2-28, NH4yo/up & SH3yo/up, 2810mT, 2:55.96, gd.
1–ISPOLINI (GB), 121, g, 4, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Giants Play (GSW-US, $159,449),
by Giant's Causeway
2nd Dam: Playful Act (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
3rd Dam: Magnificient Style, by Silver Hawk
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. (1,200,000gns Ylg '16
TAOCT). O-Godolphin; B-Newsells Park Stud (GB); T-Charlie
Appleby; J-Mickael Barzalona. $180,000. Lifetime Record:
SP-Eng, 8-3-2-0, $362,473. *1/2 to Playful Sound (GB) (Street
Cry {Ire}), SP-Eng. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Red Galileo (GB), 126, g, 8, Dubawi (Ire)–Ivory Gala (Fr), by
Galileo (Ire). (41,000gns Ylg '12 TAOC2; 180,000gns 2yo '13
TATBRE; 155,000gns HRA '15 TATAUT). O-Godolphin; B-T R G
Vestey (GB); T-Saeed bin Suroor. $60,000.
3–Bin Battuta (GB), 126, h, 5, Dubawi (Ire)–Land of Dreams
(GB), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB). O-Godolphin; B-Darley (GB);
T-Saeed bin Suroor. $30,000.
Margins: 10HF, 11HF, SHD.
Also Ran: Suspicious Mind (Den), Zamaam (GB), Pinzolo (GB). DNF: Brundtland (Ire).
Click for the Meydan chart, the AM Wager PPs or the Meydan Video.
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