By Sean Cronin
It's been the best part of three decades since Culture Vulture (Timeless Moment) strutted her stuff at the top table in Chris Wright's blue-and-yellow silks and the music supremo has found a jewel to match that luminary's achievements after David Menuisier incumbent Wonderful Tonight (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}) backed up a career best in ParisLongchamp's G1 Prix de Royallieu earlier this month with a game victory in Saturday's G1 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares S. at Ascot. The bay sophomore was in receipt of a six-pound pull from her elders and made that weight-for-age allowance tell from the outset, occupying a forward berth after a slick departure in the 12-furlong contest. Easing to the front with three furlongs remaining, the 4-1 favourite was committed when stoked up by William Buick at the top of the straight and stayed on relentlessly under a drive inside the final quarter mile to deny the hattrick-seeking Hollie Doyle, aboard G1 Preis von Europa and G1 Prix Vermeille third Dame Malliot (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}), by 2 1/2 lengths. Coolmore's G1 Irish Oaks placegetter Passion (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) stayed on well from mid division to finish a length back in third.
“I am so tired as I think I pushed harder than William [Buick] riding the filly and I am speechless, absolutely speechless,” admitted David Menuisier after registering a first premium-level tally on British soil. “She is a champion, I feel so lucky and blessed and I am absolutely thrilled. We bought her at the sales as a yearling for next to nothing and here she is winning her second Group 1 in two weeks. We know that she is very good and the only question mark was whether she had recuperated from the Arc weekend or not. I hadn't, but I am glad she did. She is top-class all round, she is easy to train and as tough as anything that is tough. She is getting better and better, and there is still some improvement to come. She is still a tad keen early on so, once she really knows how to settle, I think she can go up a notch again. You never know, especially with fillies, whether they are going to train on or not, but we wanted to keep her as a 4-year-old to target the [G1 Prix de l'] Arc [de Triomphe] next year. We nearly ran her in the Arc this year, and I think she would have run a stormer, but she wasn't a Group 1 winner yet. Now she is so the sky is the limit.”
“This filly is rock solid, she is just straightforward and David was very confident beforehand,” added Buick. “She is proven on the ground and she stays well so she ticks a lot of boxes and I have been looking forward to riding this filly all week. She was out on her own all the way up the straight and it's a long, daunting straight no matter what you're riding. Her form is there for everyone to see and she won the Royallieu, which is a mile-and-six, on ground very similar to today. The race panned out beautifully for her, she got a nice bit of cover for the first half of the race and I always felt she was in a good rhythm and she did nothing but keep going. She has a lot of class, she has the stamina and the will to win to go with it. She has beaten some really good fillies very well and, when conditions are there to suit her, I can't see why she shouldn't scale further heights. She is very effective on soft ground and maybe other horses aren't as effective as her, but she is by Le Havre so she might be bred to go on that ground. I have been riding for David Menuisier quite regularly and his horses have been going well all year. I have been very fortunate to get a few winners from David and to get on this filly was very special.”
Try as she might, Hollie Doyle was unable to maintain her 100% start to the day and was obliged to settle for second place after giving her mount Dame Malliot every chance of repeating the partnership's success in July's G2 Princess of Wales's S. at Newmarket. On the podium once again, she commented, “Dame Malliot has run really well. She was a little bit keen early on, as expected, but has done nothing wrong in defeat. I followed the winner the whole way round and thought I had the perfect pitch. Will [Buick] pushed the button and took a few lengths out of me off the home turn and she just stayed on at the one pace.”
Wonderful Tonight's dam Salvation (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}), who also produced Stateside stakes winner Penjade (Fr) (Air Chief Marshal {Ire}), is a daughter of Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial victress Birdie (GB) (Alhaarth {Ire}). The latter, whose progeny include GIII Providencia S. scorer Hostess (GB) (Iffraaj {GB}), is kin to the stakes-winning Fickle (GB) (Danehill), whose G3 Dahlia S.-winning daughter Tarfah (Kingmambo) produced G1 2000 Guineas, G1 Epsom Derby and G1 Irish Derby-winning sire Camelot (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}). Hailing from a family which also features G1 Epsom Oaks heroine Polygamy (GB), Salvation has a 2-year-old full-sister to Wonderful Tonight–who was knocked down to Saubouas Bloodstock for €80,000 at last year's Arqana August Yearling Sale–and a yearling colt and filly foal by Recorder (GB). The yearling colt is slated to sell as Lot 170 during tomorrow's first session of Arqana's October Yearling Sale.
Saturday, Ascot, Britain
QIPCO BRITISH CHAMPIONS FILLIES & MARES S.-G1, £350,000, Ascot, 10-17, 3yo/up, f, 11f 211yT, 2:37.84, sf.
1–WONDERFUL TONIGHT (FR), 125, f, 3, by Le Havre (Ire)
1st Dam: Salvation (GB), by Montjeu (Ire)
2nd Dam: Birdie (GB), by Alhaarth (Ire)
3rd Dam: Fade (GB), by Persepolis (Fr)
(€40,000 Ylg '18 ARAUG). O-Christopher Wright; B-SARL Ecurie La Cauviniere (FR); T-David Menuisier; J-William Buick. £198,485. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Fr, 8-4-1-1, $448,683. *1/2 to Penjade (Fr) (Air Chief Marshal {Ire}), SW-US & MSP-Fr, $376,306. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Dame Malliot (GB), 131, f, 4, Champs Elysees (GB)–Stars In Your Eyes (GB), by Galileo (Ire). O-A E Oppenheimer; B-Hascombe & Valiant Studs (GB); T-Ed Vaughan. £75,250.
3–Passion (Ire), 125, f, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Dialafara (Fr), by Anabaa. (800,000gns Ylg '18 TATOCT). O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Lynch Bages Ltd & Camas Park Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £37,660.
Margins: 2HF, 1, 2. Odds: 4.00, 5.00, 14.00.
Also Ran: Mehdaayih (GB), Even So (Ire), Manuela de Vega (Ire), Thundering Nights (Ire), Gold Wand (Ire), Frankly Darling (GB), Cabaletta (GB), Laburnum (Ire), Antonia de Vega (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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