By Sean Cronin
George Strawbridge's homebred 'TDN Rising Star' Epictetus (Ire) (Kingman {GB}–Thistle Bird {GB}, by Selkirk) had finished of the board in his three latest starts and returned to form with a bang to deny fellow Rising Star Nostrum (GB) (Kingman {GB}) in Friday's G3 Bonhams Thoroughbred S. at Goodwood.
Last term's G1 Futurity Trophy second, who annexed Epsom's Listed Blue Riband Trial on sophomore return, was swiftly into stride from the inside gate and raced under a firm hold in third through the early fractions as Nostrum set the tone up front. Nudged along soon after passing halfway, the 6-1 chance was ridden to go second approaching the final furlong and swept by that rival inside the final 100 yards to prevail by a length from the odds-on favourite in ultimately snug fashion. Charles Hills trainee and G1 2000 Guineas fourth and G1 Irish 2000 Guineas fifth Galeron (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) was best of the remainder and finished 1 1/2 lengths further adrift in third.
“Epictetus showed plenty of speed over a mile at two and we thought he was a horse who would progress to 10 furlongs this year, but that did not pan out,” explained Thady Gosden. “He has run good races, but not what we thought that he was capable of. It was a perfect ride from Frankie. He broke well, sat him on the fence and followed Ryan [Moore]. Nostrum is a very smart horse, but Frankie gave our horse a brilliant ride. Epictetus ran a very good race last year [in the Futurity Trophy] at Doncaster when second to a future Derby winner on soft ground. He rolls his knee a little bit and is bred to like a little bit of give in the ground. It is slightly less tacky today and a bit more good to soft.” Looking ahead, Gosden continued, “There is a mile race back here, the [G2] Celebration Mile, which fits in well.”
Dettori, who extended his winningmost record in the race to seven, added, “We tried Epictetus three times over 10 furlongs and we always had an excuse. John and Thady found this race over a mile and the favourite looked very hard to beat. I had a good passage and, once I got the gap [inside the final quarter-mile], it was up to me to do the rest. Ryan wasn't stopping and my horse showed a turn of foot. Now we've got the distance right, we can concentrate on mile races. He is ready to go up in grade and the Celebration Mile in three weeks springs to mind. There are lots of races in the autumn at Newmarket, and maybe over Arc weekend. He has beat a decent field today in style and we can make big plans.”
Reflecting on the performance of Nostrum, Sir Michael Stoute's assistant James Savage commented, “Ryan thought that he had the race in the perfect place four out, picked up the pace to the two and he thought the race was for us. He said that the last 100 yards felt like he had a puncture and the horse didn't get home. We have always thought that he would handle ease in the ground, but I think maybe that dead ground has just probably caught him out in the last stages. It is very different ground to the [Newmarket] July meeting. We just felt he didn't hit the line today, so we will give him a good check over and re-group. He is a very, very good horse and we are not going to lose any faith in him. He will have all the best entries and we will just have to get it right next time. He will be an even better horse next year.”
Pedigree Notes
Epictetus, the fifth foal of seven foals, is one of five winners produced by G1 Pretty Polly S. heroine Thistle Bird (GB) (Selkirk), herself a half-sister to dual Group 3-winning G1 Cantala S. second McCreery (GB) (Big Bad Bob {Ire}) out of the dual stakes-winning G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest third Dolma (Fr) (Marchand De Sable). Thistle Bird was a 750,000gns purchase, carrying Epictetus, at Tattersalls' 2019 December Mares fixture and has also produced last term's G3 Valiant S. victrix Jumbly (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}), the hitherto unraced 2-year-old colt Burrito (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) and a weanling colt by Frankel (GB). The May-foaled bay's stakes-placed third dam Young Manila (Manila) is kin to a trio of stakes performers headed by MGSW G2 Prix de Royallieu victrix Fabulous Hostess (Fabulous Dancer).
Epictetus returns to winning ways in the Group 3 @bonhams1793 Thoroughbred Stakes, with Kingman colt scooting past Nostrum inside the final furlong to score under a cool ride from @FrankieDettori for the Gosden team. pic.twitter.com/ayjhtbWyae
— Goodwood Racecourse (@Goodwood_Races) August 4, 2023
Friday, Goodwood, Britain
BONHAMS THOROUGHBRED S.-G3, £100,000, Goodwood, 8-4, 3yo, 8fT, 1:41.04, sf.
1–EPICTETUS (IRE), 129, c, 3, by Kingman (GB)
1st Dam: Thistle Bird (GB) (G1SW-Ire, MGSW & G1SP-Eng, G1SP-Fr, $577,634), by Selkirk
2nd Dam: Dolma (Fr), by Marchand De Sable
3rd Dam: Young Manila, by Manila
1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-George Strawbridge (IRE); T-John & Thady Gosden; J-Lanfranco Dettori. £56,710. Lifetime Record: G1SP-Eng, 8-3-2-0, $234,588. *1/2 to Jumbly (GB) (Gleneagles {Ire}), GSW-Eng & GSP-Ire, $164,451; and Bullfinch (GB) (Kodiac {GB}), SP-Aus, $214,235. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Nostrum (GB), 129, c, 3, Kingman (GB)–Mirror Lake (GB), by Dubai Destination. O-Juddmonte; B-Juddmonte Farms (East) Ltd (GB); T-Sir Michael Stoute. £21,500.
3–Galeron (Ire), 129, c, 3, Camacho (GB)–Society Gal (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€45,000 Ylg '21 GOFOR). O-Teme Valley & Aura Racing; B-Gigginstown House Stud (IRE); T-Charles Hills. £10,760.
Margins: 1, 1HF, NK. Odds: 6.00, 0.67, 14.00.
Also Ran: Knight (Ire), Bold Discovery, Docklands (GB), Montesilvano (Ire).
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