New Bay's Bayside Boy Takes The QEII

One of last term's leading juveniles, Teme Valley and Ballylinch Stud's Bayside Boy (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) took until Saturday to put it all together again as a 3-year-old and chose the big stage to do it on in Ascot's G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. He has now punched his ticket to the GI Breeders' Cup Mile at Keeneland in November, if connections wish to travel.

Anchored in rear early by Tom Marquand after a tardy break, the 33-1 shot who had enjoyed a confidence-boosting success in Sandown's Listed Fortune S. Sept. 14 delivered a surge to overwhelm the long-time leader Jadoomi (Fr) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) inside the final 50 yards.

Going forward with real momentum at the line, the Roger Varian-trained bay who has been galvanised by blinkers had 1 1/4 lengths to spare there over the battling Modern Games (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), with Jadoomi denied the runner's-up spot by a short head. In the case of the 11-10 favourite Inspiral (GB) (Frankel {GB}), the writing was on the wall a long way out as she floundered after blowing the start and trailed in sixth.

“We thought he was a lively outsider–he needed to step up massively but he did have very good juvenile form,” Varian said. “We had high hopes for him this season, but he didn't enjoy the firm ground in the summer and the owners and the team at Ballylinch Stud have been very patient with him. He showed a great turn of foot there and I hope he is a horse who will still be with us next year.”

Bayside Boy had come out of his 2-year-old battles beaten more often than not, but even in his second in Newbury's Listed Washington Singer S. and his third placings in the G1 Dewhurst S. and G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy he had shown Classic potential. Beating Reach For the Moon (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in between in Doncaster's G2 Champagne S., he quickly vanished into obscurity following a fruitless summer campaign.

Drawn 14 of 15 in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains in which he beat only two rivals home at ParisLongchamp on May 15, he was seventh in the G1 St James's Palace S. at Royal Ascot June 14 but was beaten less than two lengths and had briefly threatened on a surface that was too quick. If they were excusable, his fourth when favourite for Goodwood's G3 Thoroughbred S. July 29 was less so but again the ground was against him and a subsequent freshener and the fitting of headgear worked the oracle as he got his head back in front from the day's Balmoral H. runner-up Sweet Believer (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}) last time.

If not as badly as Inspiral, who walked out of the stalls, Bayside Boy missed a beat at the start and with Jadoomi setting a slow tempo initially he was left with the proverbial sectionals mountain to climb. While Frankie was notably animated to his left approaching two out, Marquand was merely coaxing his mount ever closer and Bayside Boy was building confidence with every stride as he prepared to bridge a still-sizeable gap.

With such an advantage from early on, Jadoomi and Modern Games should have been able to dominate but the winner was ultimately a notch or two above on this ground and probably in terms of how the races panned out was the day's most impressive.

Marquand summed it up succinctly. “He showed a pretty exceptional turn of foot,” he said of the 11th 3-year-old to win this in the last 15 runnings. “From the two I was never not going to get there and he really enjoyed chasing them down–he sailed home.”

Charlie Appleby, who was taking this in en route to the Breeders' Cup Mile with Modern Games, was inclined to blame the easy surface for the defeat. “Will just said he is as tough as teak, but couldn't get his feet out of the ground unfortunately,” he commented. “He said that if the winner had come close to us, it would have been a different race again. It is the first time he has encountered ground that soft, but he's run a very creditable race and he'll go to the Breeders' Cup now. As we know, in Keeneland he might get the same conditions.”

Ed Crisford said of Jadoomi, “We are absolutely delighted with him. It can be a hard place to lead, but he popped out of the stalls and there wasn't any pace on so James [Doyle] said he was happy in front. Really, the winner came out of nowhere, but we've ran a cracking race and couldn't be happier. I think Keeneland will be the obvious place to go–coming round a bend might just play to his strengths and be the next step. He wants cut in the ground, that's the key. He had to find five or six pounds to be competitive with the top two in the betting and he has definitely improved again. He's a lightly-raced 4-year-old and there's no reason why he shouldn't improve again.”

The flop of Cheveley Park Stud's G1 Coronation S. and G1 Prix Jacques Le Marois heroine Inspiral was a surprise, but there had been an early warning sign about her stalls behaviour at the Royal meeting here and a disappointed treble-seeking Dettori was philosophical. “The gates opened and she didn't want to come out–it was one of those cigar moments,” he said. “The whole field went and I found myself last on a filly who needs cover. They went slow, I tried to creep into the race, but the race was done at the start. I don't know why she didn't want to come out, it's the first time she has done it. She's won two Group 1s and horses are not machines and sometimes they under-perform. That has left a sour taste.”

Pedigree Notes

Bayside Boy's dam, the Listed Prix Occitanie scorer Alava (Ire) (Anabaa), is also responsible for the four-times pattern-race scorer Forest Ranger (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) who enjoyed ground on the easy side and captured two renewals of the 10-furlong G2 Huxley S. Alava, who also produced the listed-placed Home Cummins (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}), is out of the triple listed-placed Cerita (Ire) (Wolfhound) whose half-siblings include the G3 Prix de Flore scorer Tamise (Time For a Change) and the GII La Canada S. and GII El Encino S. runner-up Luthier's Launch (Relaunch).

Tamise is the second dam of the G3 Prix de Saint-Georges-winning sprinter Sestilio Jet (Fr) (French Fifteen {Fr}), while the family also features the GI Personal Ensign H. winner Passing Shot (A P Indy). Alava's 2-year-old colt Lord Of Biscay (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) was an impressive debut winner for Ballylinch Stud and this stable last month and has Classic pretensions. Her daughter of Waldgeist (GB) was a €200,000 purchase by Leason Bloodstock at the Goffs Orby last month, while she also has a 2022 full-sister by Lord Of Biscay.

Saturday, Ascot, Britain
QUEEN ELIZABETH II S.-G1, £1,156,250, Ascot, 10-15, 3yo/up, 8fT, 1:45.53, g/s.
1–BAYSIDE BOY (IRE), 129, c, 3, by New Bay (GB)
                1st Dam: Alava (Ire) (SW-Fr), by Anabaa
                2nd Dam: Cerita (Ire), by Wolfhound
                3rd Dam: Tanapa (Fr), by Luthier (Fr)
   1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (200,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Teme
Valley & Ballylinch Stud; B-Ballylinch Stud (IRE); T-Roger
Varian; J-Tom Marquand. £655,709. Lifetime Record: 10-4-1-2,
$1,001,765. *1/2 to Forest Ranger (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}),
MGSW-Eng, $498,136. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or click for the
   free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Modern Games (Ire), 129, c, 3, Dubawi (Ire)–Modern Ideals
(GB), by New Approach (Ire). O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charlie
Appleby. £248,594.
3–Jadoomi (Fr), 132, g, 4, Holy Roman Emperor (Ire)–South
Sister (GB), by Sakhee. (€75,000 Ylg '19 AROYRG). O-Sheikh
Ahmed Al Maktoum; B-Suc de Moratalla, A Chevalier du Fau
and P-H Henry (FR); T-Simon & Ed Crisford. £124,413.
Margins: 1 1/4, SHD, 1 1/4. Odds: 33.00, 4.00, 9.00.
Also Ran: Checkandchallenge (GB), El Drama (Ire), Inspiral (GB), The Revenant (GB), Raadobarg (Ire), Tempus (GB). VIDEO.

Flew home! Bayside Boy wins the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes sponsored by QIPCO for @TomMarquand and @varianstable! pic.twitter.com/7KYi6ry4fH

— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 15, 2022