LEXINGTON, KY–Coolmore's Victoria Road (Ire) (Saxon Warrior {Jpn}) just got his nose to the wire in front of Silver Knott (GB) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) to give the Irish raiders their second victory of the afternoon and deny Godolphin a double of its own in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf S. Friday at Keeneland. Unhurried early, the colt rated in midpack along the rail, while Silver Knott tracked tucked in just behind him. Ryan Moore tipped Victoria Road out to the four path at the top of the lane, while William Buick aboard Silver Knott stuck to the rail. Victoria Road was able to slip between foes, getting the jump on Silver Knott, who had to steady just slightly in traffic along the rail, and took a slim advantage at midstretch. Silver Knott looked to briefly get in front in deep stretch, but Victoria Road had all the momentum in the clear to just get in front on the line.
“Ryan had him in a lovely spot today,” said winning trainer Aidan O'Brien. “He said he was going to produce him late. I just didn't know he was going to produce him that late. But we're delighted, really.”
Of his trip, Moore said, “My horse was in a nice spot and the pace set up down the back straight. There was a lot of traffic going into the lane. I thought I would try to get out, Mike [Smith aboard Packs a Wahlop] was going out, and I was thinking to follow him. There wasn't much room, but there was enough of a gap and my horse showed a really good attitude and he quickened and he got through. I think when he did that, he shut down a little bit and just drifted out into the middle of the track slightly. And he left the door open for the runner-up. I felt he was going to get me, but my horse did respond, or maybe the other horse peeked on his run slightly. But I thought in the lane he had won. The outrider was saying it was close, but I was pretty sure he held on.”
Trainer Charlie Appleby missed out on a second win on the afternoon after Godolphin's triumph with Mischief Magic (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint earlier on the card.
“When they crossed the line, I thought Aidan had won it, to be honest, so well done to them,” Appleby said. “He was lucky enough to get the splits when he needed them, so no excuses there. And it was a headbobber. I thought Aidan had got there at first. The more I watched [the replay], the more I got a little hope. He's run well and lost nothing in defeat.”
Victoria Road took five starts to break his maiden–accomplishing that first victory at Gowran Park in August–but quickly added wins in the Aug. 20 Criterium du Fonds at Deauville and in the Sept. 17 GIII Prix de Conde over nine furlongs at Chantilly last time out.
“He's got better all through the year,” Moore said. “He's won his last four now. He's already won over a little further. But he's a handy horse who travels well, got plenty of pace. He's very comfortable. And he's out of a very fast mare. But Saxon Warrior, whose by Deep Impact, you'd like to think he's going to be more of a 3-year-old than a 2-year-old.”
O'Brien admitted the team was disappointed when Victoria Road failed to win in his early starts sprinting.
“We thought he'd be precocious,” O'Brien said. “He's a nice size horse, a very fast horse. We ran him over five and six [furlongs] early and we were disappointed he was getting beat. He's very fast on the dam side. And obviously the class and the stamina is coming from Saxon Warrior.”
Of Victoria Road's win going nine furlongs last time out, O'Brien said, “When Ryan rode him the last time in Chantilly, he took his time, came from a long way back, which is a difficult thing to do. Ryan said to me after that he thought he was our French Derby horse for next year. So he's a very exciting horse. He's not big. He's well-balanced.”
It was the fifth time O'Brien and Moore had teamed up to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. The two captured the race with Wrote (Ire) in 2011, George Vancouver in 2012, Hit it a Bomb in 2015 and Mendelssohn in 2017.
Pedigree Notes:
Victoria Road is one of three first-crop group winners for Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and is the stallion's first winner at the top level. The Coolmore stallion, who has also been represented this season by French group winner Moon Ray (Fr) and Irish group winner Lumiere Rock (Ire), won the 2018 G1 English 2000 Guineas. The stallion is a son of champion Maybe (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and has an unraced 2-year-old full-brother, as well as a weanling half-brother by Kingman (GB).
Two-time group winner Tickled Pink has a weanling colt by Ghaiyath (Ire). The mare is a half-sister to multiple group-placed Theann (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}), who produced multiple Grade I winner Photo Call (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}); and to G1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Halfway to Heaven (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), who is the dam of champions Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Rhododendron is the dam of this year's Group 1-winning juvenile Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).
Friday, Keeneland
BREEDERS' CUP JUVENILE TURF-GI, $920,000, Keeneland, 11-4, 2yo, c/g, 1mT, 1:35.99, fm.
1–VICTORIA ROAD (IRE), 122, c, 2, by Saxon Warrior (Jpn)
1st Dam: Tickled Pink (Ire) (MGSW-Eng, $117,768), by Invincible Spirit (Ire)
2nd Dam: Cassandra Go (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire)
3rd Dam: Rahaam, by Secreto
1ST GRADE I WIN. (115,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Mrs. John
Magnier, Michael B. Tabor, Derrick Smith & Westerberg;
B-T. Stewart (IRE); T-Aidan P. O'Brien; J-Ryan L. Moore.
$520,000. Lifetime Record: GSW-Fr, 8-4-2-0, $663,779. Werk
Nick Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Silver Knott (GB), 122, c, 2, Lope de Vega (Ire)–God Given
(GB), by Nathaniel (Ire). 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. (725,000gns Ylg
'21 TATOCT). O-Godolphin, LLC Lessee; B-St Albans Bloodstock
LLP (GB); T-Charles Appleby. $170,000.
3–Nagirroc, 122, c, 2, Lea–Emma Spencer (Ire), by Zamindar.
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O-Madaket Stables LLC, Little Red Feather
Racing & William Strauss; B-Chervenell Thoroughbreds LLC
(KY); T-H. Graham Motion. $90,000.
Margins: NO, 2 1/4, 3/4. Odds: 5.57, 1.41, 39.87.
Also Ran: Mo Stash, Battle of Normandy, Gaslight Dancer, Andthewinneris, Packs a Wahlop, Major Dude, I'm Very Busy, Webslinger, Really Good, Reckoning Force, Curly Larry and Mo.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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