By Sean Cronin
Following the withdrawal of last term's Listed Prix Pelleas winner Epic Poet (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), Tuesday's G3 bet365 Earl Of Sefton S. at Newmarket became an all-gelding affair and it was Godolphin's first string Ottoman Fleet (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}–Innevera {Fr}, by Motivator {GB}) who stepped forward to claim the Rowley Mile venue's first pattern-race contest of the year with an impressive closing burst. The Charlie Appleby trainee went postward boasting a two-from-three record at the track, which includes wins in last term's Listed Fairway S. and Listed James Seymour S., and made this his European comeback after hitting the board in Meydan's G2 Al Rashidiya, G2 Singspiel S. and G3 Dubai Millennium S. earlier in the year. Ottoman Fleet was reined back after an alert break and raced detached in rear through the early fractions of the nine-furlong test. Tanking forward inside the last half-mile, the 6-4 favourite was angled between rivals for a clear passage approaching the final furlong and quickened clear in style up the hill to outpoint the hitherto undefeated 10-3 chance Poker Face (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) by an impressive two lengths for a career high.
“He seems to bring his A game here and William [Buick] said the race was set up for him,” Appleby commented. “He has been kept busy during the winter and ran three solid races, but he just kept bumping into one. We came here confident that he was fit and well and conditions were there to suit. With a bit of ease in the ground he is a lot more confident on it. He likes a target and William gave him a confident ride. I think, from halfway, I was pretty confident and once they met that rising ground it was going to be hard to pass him.” Looking ahead, the trainer added, “I'd not really thought beyond this as this was our target. To be fair to the horse, the ground will be going the opposite way for the foreseeable future and it would do no harm to give him a bit of break, which he has well deserved.”
Pedigree Notes
Ottoman Fleet is the first of four foals and lone scorer from two runners produced by the dual-winning Innevera (Fr) (Motivator {GB}), who has a 2-year-old filly by Le Havre (Ire) and a yearling filly by Pinatubo (Ire) to come. The February-foaled bay's dam is a half-sister to five black-type winners, namely G1 Lockinge S.-winning sire Keltos (Fr) (Kendor {Fr}), MG1SP G2 Prix du Muguet victor Krataios (Fr) (Sabrehill), GSW G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud third Loxias (Fr) (Saumarez {GB}), G3 Prix Quincey-winning sire Kavafi (Ire) (Zafonic) and MSW G3 Prix de la Jonchere and G3 Prix Edmond Blanc runner-up Iridanos (GB) (Sabrehill). Descendants of his third dam Northshiel (GB) (Northfields), herself a winning half to MGSW sire Waajib (Ire) (Try My Best), include stakes-winning GII American Derby and GII San Luis Obispo H. second Californian (GB) (Zafonic) and G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and G1 Coronation Cup runner-up Salouen (Ire) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}).
Tuesday, Newmarket, Britain
BET365 EARL OF SEFTON S.-G3, £80,000, Newmarket, 4-18, 4yo/up, 9fT, 1:55.17, g/s.
1–OTTOMAN FLEET (GB), 128, g, 4, by Sea The Stars (Ire)
1st Dam: Innevera (Fr), by Motivator (GB)
2nd Dam: Loxandra (GB), by Last Tycoon (Ire)
3rd Dam: Northshiel (GB), by Northfields
1ST GROUP WIN. (€290,000 Wlg '19 ARQDEC; 425,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Godolphin; B-SCEA Marmion Vauville & Alain Jathiere (GB); T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. £45,368. Lifetime Record: MGSP-UAE & GSP-Eng, 10-3-3-3, $235,259. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Poker Face (Ire), 128, g, 4, Fastnet Rock (Aus)–Stars At Night (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (95,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Edward J Ware; B-Rockhart Trading Ltd (IRE); T-Simon & Ed Crisford. £17,200.
3–Raadobarg (Ire), 128, g, 5, Night Of Thunder (Ire)–Queen Bodicea (Ire), by Revoque (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (£200,000 Ylg '19 GOFFPR; 150,000gns 3yo '21 TATAHI). O-Amo Racing Ltd; B-Pier House Stud (IRE); T-George Boughey. £8,608.
Margins: 2, NK, 3HF. Odds: 1.50, 3.33, 8.00.
Also Ran: Intellogent (Ire), Blue Trail (Ire), Masekela (Ire), Reach For The Moon (GB). Scratched: Epic Poet (Ire).
Ottoman Fleet finishes with a flourish to land the feature bet365 Earl Of Sefton Stakes for Charlie Appleby and William Buick at @NewmarketRace.
Not a bad start for trainer and jockey on the Rowley Mile in 2023! 🏇 pic.twitter.com/qO129bDFGv
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 18, 2023
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