Saxon Warrior's Borna Proves Too Strong In Italian Derby

German raider Borna (Fr) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) ran out a comfortable winner of Sunday's G2 Premio 141 Derby Italiano at Capannelle Racecourse in Rome, his third win from five career starts for Markus Klug.

Stepping up to the 2,200-metre trip for the first time, Borna proved well suited by the extra emphasis on stamina in a race run on soft ground. He was soon in a prominent position on the outer in the hands of Andreas Starke, with Amonet (Ity) (Faydhan) leading the 15-strong field until he was passed with 600 metres to run. Despite hanging right, Borna produced a strong run which took him to the front inside the final 400 metres and from there he quickly forged clear to secure the lion's share of the €640,200 prize fund at odds of 87-20. At the line, he was two and a half lengths clear of Andrew Balding's Royal Supremacy (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), with Caos Calmo (Ity) (Affaire Solitaire {Ire}) faring best of the locally-trained runners in third.

Offered by Haras des Capucines at the Arqana October Yearling Sale, Borna sold to the HFTB Racing Agency for €20,000 and later made the perfect start to his career when winning a conditions race at Baden-Baden in August last year. He was then fourth in Germany's premier two-year-old race, the G3 Preis des Winterfavoriten at Cologne, before filling the runner-up spot in the G2 Premio Gran Criterium at San Siro. Returning from six months off in a conditions race back at San Siro in April, Borna relished the step up to 2,000 metres as he stayed on strongly to head Caos Calmo in the final strides.

141. Derby Italiano (G2)
2200m – 640 000 EUR
Roma

Borna(FR)
(3C Saxon Warrior-Kingdom Come , by Kings Best)
J: J: A. Starke
T: M. Klug
O :Darius Racing
B :Haras D'Ecouves pic.twitter.com/k0c3aWKNC3

— (@WorldRacing1) May 19, 2024

Pedigree Notes

Borna is the fifth Group winner for Coolmore Stud resident Saxon Warrior and the first from his second crop of three-year-olds. The standout performers from his first crop included the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf hero Victoria Road (Ire), G2 Blandford S. winner Lumiere Rock (Ire) and G3 Prix Greffulhe victor Greenland (Ire).

Bred by Haras D'Ecouves, Borna is the second winner from four runners out of the King's Best mare Kingdom Come (Fr). She ran 18 times in France without managing to win a race, but there is nothing wrong with her pedigree as a half-sister to the G2 Prix Hocquart winner Top Trip (GB) (Dubai Destination) and the multiple G3 winner Believe In Love (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}). Their dam, Topka (Fr) (Kahyasi {Ire}), was a black-type performer who finished third in the G2 Prix de Malleret as a three-year-old.

Sunday, Rome, Italy
PREMIO 141 DERBY ITALIANO-G2, €640,200, 5-19, Rome, 3yo, 2200mT, 2:17.20, gd.
1–BORNA (FR), 128, c, 3, by Saxon Warrior (Jpn)
      1st Dam: Kingdom Come (Fr), by King's Best
      2nd Dam: Topka (Fr), by Kahyasi (Ire)
      3rd Dam: Tipsy Topsy (GB), by Ashkalani (Ire)
1ST GROUP WIN. (€20,000 Ylg '22 ARQOCT). O-Darius Racing. B-Haras D'Ecouves/Frankreich (FR). T-Markus Klug. J-Andreas Starke. €247,350. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, €321,025. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Royal Supremacy (Ire), 128, c, 3, Make Believe (GB)–Adelasia (Ire), by Iffraaj (GB). 1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (65,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Michael Blencowe. B-J O'Connor (IRE). T-Andrew Balding. €108,834.
3–Caos Calmo (Ity), 128, c, 3, Affaire Solitaire (Ire)–Eurirs (Fr), by Indian Ridge (Ire). 1ST BLACK-TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Elia Tanghetti. B-Rz Del Velino Srl (ITY). T-Stefano Botti Turf Srl Soc Al. €59,364.
Margins: 2HF, HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 4.35, 5.80, 10.40.
Also Ran: Melfi (Ire), The Tweed (Ity), Chicotai (Ire), Dark Defence (Ire), Argentum (Ger), Man With The Plan (Ire), Amonet (Ity), Maturlo (Ire), Believer (Fr), Shahbazi (Ger), Thekingofmyheart (Ire), Bateau Blanc (GB). Click for the SNAI chart & video.