By Tom Frary
Doncaster's G2 Champagne Stakes lost a key actor on Saturday as Cheveley Park Stud's TDN Rising Star Chancellor (GB) (Kingman {GB}) was withdrawn at the start, leaving it to Victorious Racing's acquisition Bay City Roller (Ire) (New Bay {GB}–Bloomfield {Ire}, by Teofilo {Ire}) to extend his perfect sequence in the seven-furlong staging post. Always travelling smoothly tracking the free-running Righthere Rightnow (Fr) (Kodiac {GB}), the George Scott-trained Sandown and Chelmsford novice winner who had been sold by Clive Washbourn after his debut was sent forward by Callum Shepherd to take control with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining.
Staying on strongly as Monumental (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) gave chase, the 9-2 shot had half a length to spare over that Ballydoyle runner at the line, with the other Aidan O'Brien runner Aftermath (Ire) (Justify) 2 1/2 lengths away in third.
“He probably got a little bit lonely in front, but he's got a really good attitude and tries very hard–he's a special horse to us,” Scott said. “I will think about supplementing for the [G1 Prix Jean-Luc] Lagardere or the [G1] Dewhurst.”
“I quite like the Lagardere for him,” he added. “He's very well-balanced and that track might really suit him a bit better than Newmarket. I'll talk to Sheikh Nasser and see what he thinks. He hasn't surprised me at all, I've been a bit obsessed with him, to be honest. I've stuck my neck out and asked Sheikh Nasser to buy the horse, he did that on my recommendation and I'm just relieved. He could end up coming back here for the Futurity, no doubt he will get another furlong and the timing might fit Lagardere and Futurity but we will see.”
Robert Havlin explained the misfortune for the race's favourite Chancellor. “He was really relaxed, he went down with the red hood on and stood in there good but as the last horse was coming in, one of the other horses kicked the back of their gate and my lad just launched into the stalls as if he thought it was time to jump,” he said. “I tried to hang on to him, as he obviously burst the gates open, but he cut his mouth in doing it, so he wasn't allowed to run. It's a real shame, as the race was set up perfectly for him.”
Pedigree Notes
Bay City Roller, who was providing his sire with his 10th group winner, is out of the dual listed winner and dual group-placed Bloomfield (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) who is kin to the G3 Athasi Stakes winner Prima Luce (Ire) by Teofilo's sire Galileo (Ire). She is in turn the dam of the Listed King Richard III Stakes scorer and G2 Connaught Cup runner-up Emmaus (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), while the third dam Rahaam (Secreto) proved a key broodmare in producing the high-class sprinter Cassandra Go (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) and sire Verglas (Ire).
Cassandra Go produced the triple group 1-winning Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Halfway To Heaven (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), responsible for the similarly high-achieving Galileo pair of Magical (Ire) and Rhododendron (Ire), dam of the brilliant Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) who would go down narrowly in the Irish feature on the afternoon. Cassandra Go's other group winners Theann (GB) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) and Tickled Pink (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in turn produced the top-level winners Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) and Photo Call (Ire) by Galileo and No Nay Never's G2 Richmond Stakes-winning sire Land Force (Ire). Bloomfield's yearling filly by Blue Point (Ire) is in the upcoming Goffs Orby Book 1, while she also has a colt foal by that sire.
Bay City Roller holds off Monumental to land the @Betfred Champagne Stakes at @DoncasterRaces!@CallumSheppy | @GScottracing pic.twitter.com/zWJ1DnbljM
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) September 14, 2024
Saturday, Doncaster, Britain
BETFRED CHAMPAGNE STAKES-G2, £150,000, Doncaster, 9-14, 2yo, c/g, 7f 6yT, 1:25.02, gd.
1–BAY CITY ROLLER (IRE), 128, c, 2, by New Bay (GB)
1st Dam: Bloomfield (Ire) (MSW & MGSP-Ire, $136,764), by Teofilo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Ramona (GB), by Desert King (Ire)
3rd Dam: Rahaam, by Secreto
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (€320,000 Ylg '23 GOFOR). O-Victorious Racing; B-John Connaughton (IRE); T-George Scott; J-Callum Shepherd. £88,800. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $127,341. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Monumental (Ire), 128, c, 2, Kingman (GB)–Riqa (GB), by Dubawi (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-D Smith, Mrs J Magnier & M Tabor; B-Barronstown Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £33,585.
3–Aftermath (Ire), 128, c, 2, Justify–Flying (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Westerberg, Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor & D Smith; B-Westerberg (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £16,785.
Margins: HF, 2HF, 7HF. Odds: 4.50, 7.50, 11.00.
Also Ran: Wolf Of Badenoch (GB), Righthere Rightnow (Fr). Scratched: Chancellor (GB).
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