By Tom Frary
There was a twist to Friday's G2 Hardwicke S., as the 4-year-old filly Fanny Logan (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) rolled back the years as a Frankie Dettori-ridden Royal Ascot winner in Sheikh Mohammed's vintage maroon-and-white silks. Building on a comeback second in Haydock's G3 Pinnacle S. over this mile-and-a-half trip last time June 7, last year's G3 Darley Pride S. scorer who campaigns under the Sheikha Al Jalila Racing banner was reserved in rear early off the honest tempo. Launched wide in the straight, the 17-2 shot struck the front approaching the furlong pole and stayed on strongly to beat Alounak (Fr) (Camelot {GB}) by 2 1/2 lengths, with 1 3/4 lengths back to Defoe (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) in third.
“I love Fanny Logan. On paper, I thought maybe we were just racing for a place, but John gave me a lot of confidence and said she had come out of Haydock really well,” commented Dettori, who was wracking up Royal winner number 70, a neat 30 years on from his very first. “She had improved mentally and physically. I was further back than I wanted to be, but they started racing pretty early and by the time I got to the furlong marker they were all dead and she showed a good turn of foot. It was a proper performance and she has definitely improved from last year.”
Part of John Gosden's high-class cast of 3-year-old fillies last term, Fanny Logan took a while to join the elite company of Mehdaayih (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Anapurna (GB) (Frankel {GB}), Star Catcher (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) and Terebellum (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) but rattled up a sequence when taking the Listed Lyric S. at York in July, the Listed Upavon S. at Salisbury in August and the Listed John Musker S. at Yarmouth in September before adding the Darley Pride to her tally at Newmarket in October. Maintaining her upward trajectory when fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, she was caught out by an aggressively-ridden Manuela de Vega (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) in the Pinnacle but that had only served to sharpen her for this test.
It certainly proved to be just that, with Communique (Ire) (Casamento {Ire}) looking to expose any chinks in his rivals' stamina and Elarqam (GB) (Frankel {Ire}) pressing in behind. As a result, Fanny Logan was probably positioned in the right place towards the back as one by one her rivals felt the pinch up ahead. While the big-name colts Elarqam and Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) failed to go on, it was the Gosden runner who was freshest as she swooped to seal the result by the furlong pole.
After greeting is fifth winner of the week, the trainer said, “It wasn't a fluke. She went up to Haydock and I asked Rab Havlin to drop her out as she can be keen. She ran a lovely race to be second and had a very good blow, so we know the benefit of having that race in. She has been very bright and well in herself since. Wearing a hood settled Fanny Logan for her first run, but I find it can dull them a little bit. She had to have it last year, but she has grown up and learnt a lot and she certainly raced properly today. Frankie had the plan of making the running today, but I told him I didn't think that was a good idea and Communique went a good clip. He has ridden her coolly and sat out the back and swept down the outside and she was clearly the best on the day.”
Gosden believes Fanny Logan has unfinished business in the States. “Frankie didn't use that turn of foot in time in California in the Breeders' Cup, so he's learnt! We should have stayed closer to the pace and moved a bit earlier. She ran a blinder–that is a fast mile and a quarter at Santa Anita. What I loved about her was her last furlong that day. This year it is Keeneland and we'd probably be very keen to take her, but it's a sand track which is great when it is dry but when it rains it gets very loose.”
Fanny Logan's listed-placed dam Linda Radlett (Ire) (Manduro {Ger}) is a half-sister to the G1 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3, G1 Jebel Hatta and G1 Premio Roma winner Hunter's Light (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}). The third dam Dayanata (Ire) (Shirley Heights {GB}) is an unraced full-sister to the Classic-winning sire of renown Darshaan (GB) who produced the G2 Grand Prix de Deauville-winning sire Courteous (GB) (Generous {Ire}). The fourth dam is the matriarch Delsy (Fr) (Abdos {Fr}), also directly responsible for the G1 Prix Vermeille heroine Darara (Ire) (Top Ville {Ire}) who in turn is responsible for the likes of Rewilding (GB) (Tiger Hill {Ire}) and Dar Re Mi (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}). That connects Fanny Logan to her former top-class stablemate Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and it is his sire that is responsible for Linda Radlett's yearling colt.
Friday, Royal Ascot, Britain
HARDWICKE S.-G2, £125,000, Royal Ascot, 6-19, 4yo/up, 11f 211yT, 2:34.49, sf.
1–FANNY LOGAN (IRE), 124, f, 4, by Sea the Stars (Ire)
1st Dam: Linda Radlett (Ire) (SP-Fr), by Manduro (Ger)
2nd Dam: Portmanteau (GB), by Barathea (Ire)
3rd Dam: Dayanata (Ire), by Shirley Heights (GB)
O-HH Sheikha Al Jalila Racing; B-Godolphin (IRE); T-John Gosden; J-Lanfranco Dettori. £74,000. Lifetime Record: 11-6-2-1, $367,646. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Alounak (Fr), 127, h, 5, Camelot%20(GB)#tot">Camelot (GB)–Awe Struck (GB), by Rail Link (GB). (€110,000 Ylg '16 ARAUG). O-King Power Racing Co Ltd; B-East Bloodstock Ltd & SCEA des Prairies (FR); T-Andrew Balding. £27,988.
3–Defoe (Ire), 127, g, 6, Dalakhani (Ire)–Dulkashe (Ire), by Pivotal (GB). O-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum; B-Darley (IRE); T-Roger Varian. £13,988.
Margins: 2HF, 1 3/4, HF. Odds: 8.50, 40.00, 6.00.
Also Ran: Hamish (GB), Anthony Van Dyck (Ire), Elarqam (GB), Morando (Fr), Communique (Ire), Eagles By Day (Ire). Scratched: Desert Encounter (Ire), Spanish Mission. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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