By Tom Frary
Tally-Ho Stud's first-season sire Mehmas (Ire) had firmly established himself as the leader in the category throughout the summer and one of the first major prizes of the autumn confirmed that status as his son Supremacy (Ire) made all in Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Middle Park S. at Newmarket. Out quickest under Adam Kirby, the 13-2 shot who had gone from a Windsor maiden win July 6 to a four-length success in the G2 Richmond S. at Goodwood July 30 met his greatest threat late on as the 5-2 favourite Lucky Vega (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) gave the expected purposeful pursuit. Keeping that G1 Phoenix S. winner at bay up the rising ground, Jason Goddard's £65,000 Goffs UK Premier Yearling purchase had half a length to spare at the line, with the G2 Gimcrack S. scorer Minzaal (Ire) 2 1/4 lengths behind in third. “He has been amazing really. From the Richmond, I think he has continued developing and strengthening all the time,” trainer Clive Cox said. “He is a complete speedball and likes to get on with it. Adam has ridden him beautifully and got the fractions right.”
Supremacy, who was sixth on his racecourse bow at Windsor June 16, has subsequently made giant strides and his starting price as the outsider of the trio by the son of Acclamation (GB) behind the Listed Rose Bowl S. winner Method (Ire) and Minzaal is not easily explained. Clive Cox has proven time and again that he can work alchemy with these types and still his juveniles continue to be priced more generously than their form suggest they should in the boutique races. The manner of his display in the Richmond had become slightly over-shadowed by the fact that only one of his rivals that day had subsequently won a black-type race, but from the outset he was in dominant mood here and the strong tailwind only added to his position of power. Lucky Vega is as good a juvenile to emerge from Ireland in 2020 and he held every chance, but Supremacy kept rolling as they put clear distance between themselves and the top sprinters of their age group.
“I'm really excited about him next year, as he has got more development and strengthening to do over the winter,” the winning trainer commented. “He is just pure class. I don't think we will be stretching beyond six. I don't think we need to when he shows gears like that. That is precisely what we will be concentrating on and polishing what we have got. Golden Horde had a little bit more size and scope at this stage of his career and was second in this race. He is another very good horse, but most importantly they are both talented. He has got that speed and that is what he likes to get on and do. We realised at Goodwood it was certainly not the wrong way to ride him. We've had a tremendous season, especially with the two-year-old crop as they have been amazing. It has been a wonderful year for us, in spite of the shenanigans.”
Supremacy's dam Triggers Broom (Ire) (Arcano {Ire}) is a half-sister to one of Cox's early stable stars in Xtension (Ire) (Xaar {GB}), who captured the G2 Vintage S. and was third in the G1 Dewhurst S. and G1 Prix Jean Prat before annexing two renewals of the G1 Champions Mile for John Moore in Hong Kong. Another half-sibling Beatrix Potter (Ire) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}) is responsible for arguably Cox's finest performer to date in the G1 July Cup and G1 Haydock Sprint Cup hero Harry Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and also last year's G2 Mill Reef S. winner Pierre Lapin (Ire) (Cappella Sansevero {GB}). Yet another half-sister A Huge Dream (Ire) (Refuse To Bend {Ire}) was listed-placed before producing the Listed Polonia S. and Listed Lansdown S. winner Mrs Gallagher (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). Also connected to the GI Donn H. hero Stephen Got Even (A.P. Indy), the dam's yearling colt by Cotai Glory (GB) is catalogued in next month's Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 1.
Saturday, Newmarket, Britain
JUDDMONTE MIDDLE PARK S.-G1, £220,000, Newmarket, 9-26, 2yo, c, 6fT, 1:09.73, gd.
1–SUPREMACY (IRE), 126, c, 2, by Mehmas (Ire)
1st Dam: Triggers Broom (Ire), by Arcano (Ire)
2nd Dam: Great Joy (Ire), by Grand Lodge
3rd Dam: Cheese Soup, by Spectacular Bid
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (£65,000 Ylg '19 GOFFPR). O-Jason Goddard; B-Kangyu International Racing (IRE); T-Clive Cox; J-Adam Kirby. £124,762. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, $201,007. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Lucky Vega (Ire), 126, c, 2, Lope de Vega (Ire)–Queen of Carthage, by Cape Cross (Ire). (€110,000 Wlg '18 GOFNOV; €175,000 Ylg '19 GOFOR). O-Zhang Yuesheng; B-Kilcarn Stud (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington. £47,300.
3–Minzaal (Ire), 126, c, 2, Mehmas (Ire)–Pardoven (Ire), by Clodovil (Ire). (85,000gns Wlg '18 TATFOA; 140,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT). O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum; B-Ringfort Stud (IRE); T-Owen Burrows. £23,672.
Margins: HF, 2 1/4, 3/4. Odds: 6.50, 2.50, 3.50.
Also Ran: Tactical (GB), The Lir Jet (Ire), Lipizzaner, Charterhouse (GB), Method (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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