By Tom Frary
The Queen has a serious Classic candidate for 2022 judged on the manner of the win of her homebred Reach For the Moon (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in Saturday's G3 Betway Solario S. at Sandown. Runner-up to TDN Rising Star Point Lonsdale (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in the Listed Chesham S. over this seven-furlong trip June 19, the bay had since beaten the subsequent York nursery winner Harrow (Ire) (El Kabeir) by four lengths in a Newbury novice July 16 and it was all about him as he started as the 2-5 favourite. Settled in a perfect rhythm on the outside by Frankie Dettori tracking the leading duo, he travelled smoothly to the front passing the two-furlong pole and stayed straight and true on his own to dominate from there. At the line, there was a four-length margin to the Chesham third Great Max (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), who held on to second by a short head from Rerouting (Ire) (El Kabeir). “He was quite babyish at the beginning of his career–quite coltish and not concentrating, but with racing he is getting better and better,” Dettori said. “Today he stopped his antics and was focusing better. He has got a good size, a wonderful stride and he has got gears. He is a very exciting prospect.”
John Gosden is generally a fan of Sandown and it was no surprise that he was able to equal Sir Henry Cecil's record of six successes in this prize which he had used as a launchpad for the future celebrities Raven's Pass, Kingman (GB) and Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Whether Reach For the Moon will get to those heights remains to be seen, but his trainer is more than satisfied with his progress so far. “They didn't go much pace, so Frankie thought he would get on with it. He didn't think he would go to the front that fast and go that far clear,” he commented. “He did well, as he has learned a lot running up the Sandown hill on his own but he has showed a bit of class I thought. You have got to look towards the autumn and we would like to wind up in one of those nice group 1s, so we will see how he is over the next few days and make our decision. He is lively, but nothing more than that–he doesn't pull. He is very progressive and has done everything right. He has developed and strengthened.”
Reach For the Moon's dam Golden Stream (Ire) (Sadler's Wells) defied her staying pedigree by exhibiting genuine pace by winning the Listed Eternal S. and Listed October S. and finishing runner-up in the G3 Chartwell Fillies' S. and G3 Oak Tree S. over seven furlongs. Her son Mainstream (GB) (Dansili {GB}) was runner-up over that trip in the G1 Winx S. behind the legendary mare after which the race was named when racing in Australia as Invictus Prince, while his full-sister Thames Pageant {GB}) is in turn the dam of this year's Listed Prix de la Vallee d'Auge winner and G2 Queen Mary S. runner-up Twilight Gleaming (Ire) (National Defense {GB}). Golden Stream, who is out of the triple group-winning G2 Ribblesdale S. winner Phantom Gold (GB) (Machiavellian), is a full-sister to the possibly unlucky G1 Epsom Oaks runner-up Flight of Fancy (GB) who in turn produced the dual G3 Winter Hill S. scorer Fabricate (GB) (Makfi {GB}). Her yearling filly is by Dubawi (Ire), while she also has a colt foal by Siyouni (Fr).
Saturday, Sandown, Britain
BETWAY SOLARIO S.-G3, £60,000, Sandown, 8-21, 2yo, 7fT, 1:31.58, gd.
1–REACH FOR THE MOON (GB), 127, c, 2, by Sea the Stars (Ire)
1st Dam: Golden Stream (Ire) (MSW & MGSP-Eng, $168,794), by Sadler's Wells
2nd Dam: Phantom Gold (GB), by Machiavellian
3rd Dam: Trying for Gold, by Northern Baby
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O/B-The Queen (GB); T-John & Thady Gosden; J-Lanfranco Dettori. £34,026. Lifetime Record: 4-2-2-0, $75,999. *1/2 to Mainstream (GB) (Dansili (GB)), G1SP-Aus, $161,654. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Great Max (Ire), 127, c, 2, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Teeslemee (Fr), by Youmzain (Ire). (€72,000 Wlg '19 GOFNOV; 260,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Amo Racing Ltd; B-Ennistown Stud (IRE); T-Michael Bell. £12,900.
3–Rerouting (Ire), 127, g, 2, El Kabeir–Coursing (GB), by Kyllachy (GB). (€46,000 Wlg '19 GOFNOV; £26,000 RNA Ylg '20 GOFFUK; £20,000 2yo '21 GOFTY). O/T-Michael O'Callaghan; B-Rossenarra Stud (IRE). £6,456.
Margins: 4, NO, 3 1/4. Odds: 0.40, 7.50, 18.00.
Also Ran: Austrian Theory (Ire), Atheby (GB), Star From Afarhh (GB). Scratched: Cresta (Fr). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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