By Tom Frary
Back at the July Festival at which he first showed his hand 12 months ago, Godolphin's Yibir (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) benefitted from an ultra-cool William Buick ride to arrest a brief recent decline in Friday's G2 Princess Of Wales's Close Brothers S. at Newmarket. Upset by Living Legend (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) when second in the G2 Jockey Club S. on the Rowley Mile here Apr. 29 before finishing a deflating third in the May 14 GI Man o'War S., the reigning Breeders' Cup Turf hero had it to prove returned to the scene of his G3 Bahrain Trophy win at last year's meeting. Sent off the 11-8 joint-favourite alongside the ultimately disappointing Mostahdaf (GB) (Frankel {GB}), the Charlie Appleby stable stalwart made his customary move from rear under the exaggerated hold-up tactics that suit to well to pick up Living Legend a furlong out and register a 2 1/4-length success. “Shane Fetherstonhaugh has been on about him for the last 10 days saying he is as good as we have had him,” Appleby explained. “He looked a picture in the paddock today and has been moving so well at home.”
The globetrotting Yibir strikes for a home success!
The @BreedersCup winner stays on strongly for victory in the Group 2 @CloseBrothers Princess Of Wales's Stakes for William Buick, Charlie Appleby and @godolphin pic.twitter.com/I4DH6SKiQN
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 7, 2022
Yibir, who is set to ship to the States again for his next outing, has come a long way since this riding ploy paid off so handsomely in the card's 13-furlong Bahrain Trophy in 2021. After garnering the Breeders' Cup Turf, Jockey Club Derby Invitational and G2 Great Voltigeur S. later that term he put one of his finest efforts to finish second off a slow pace in the Mar. 26 G1 Dubai Sheema Classic prior to his two reversals. “William just said that when he has a pace to run at, he is a different animal,” his trainer added. “People on the outside may have been scratching their heads wondering what has been going on, but he needs a gallop. He's a big unit and if you take a pull on him he just gets a bit disorganised and then it takes him a little while to get warmed up.”
“Hopefully now we'll head to Saratoga for the Sword Dancer,” Appleby concluded. “All roads are leading to the Breeders' Cup, but it's at Keeneland this year and it can come up soft there. One thing he does like is to hear his feet rattle, so if it came up a bit slow we might have to think about it, but it's great he's got his head back in front.”
Yibir's dam, the Listed Lord Weinstock Memorial S. scorer Rumh (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), is also responsible for Dubawi's G1 Nassau S., G1 Prix de l'Opera and G1 Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Wild Illusion (GB), the Listed Montrose Fillies' S. scorer Really Special (GB) (Shamardal) and the G3 Prix d'Aumale runner-up Ceratonia (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). The second dam is the G3 Preis der Winterkonigin winner Royal Dubai (Ger) (Dashing Blade {GB}), a half to the GI Beverly D. heroine Royal Highness (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}). Also connected to the G1 Dubai World Cup and G1 Juddmonte International hero Electrocutionist (Red Ransom), Rumh's useful 3-year-old full-brother to the winner and Wild Illusion, Wild Crusade (GB), has also been gelded while she also has a 2-year-old colt by Golden Horn (GB) and a colt foal by Sea The Stars (Ire).
Saturday, Newmarket, Britain
PRINCESS OF WALES'S CLOSE BROTHERS S.-G2, £115,000, Newmarket, 7-7, 3yo/up, 12fT, 2:28.91, g/f.
1–YIBIR (GB), 134, g, 4, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Rumh (Ger) (SW-Eng), by Monsun (Ger)
2nd Dam: Royal Dubai (Ger), by Dashing Blade (GB)
3rd Dam: Reem Dubai (Ire), by Nashwan
O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Charlie Appleby; J-William Buick. £65,217. Lifetime Record: Ch. Turf Male-US, GISW-US & G1SP-UAE, 16-7-3-3, $4,274,138. *1/2 to Really Special (GB) (Shamardal), SW-Eng, SP-UAE, $108,180; Full to Wild Illusion (GB), G1SW-Eng, MG1SW-Fr, GISP-US, $1,590,217. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Living Legend (Ire), 137, g, 6, Camelot (GB)–Jazz Girl (Ire), by Johar. (€25,000 RNA Ylg '17 GOFFEB; 22,000gns Ylg '17 TAOCT). O-Barbara & Alick Richmond; B-A Oliver (IRE); T-Charlie & Mark Johnston. £24,725.
3–Global Storm (Ire), 134, g, 5, Night of Thunder (Ire)–Travel, by Street Cry (Ire). (200,000gns Wlg '17 TATFOA; 260,000gns 2yo '19 TATBRE). O-Godolphin; B-Grenane House Stud (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby. £12,374.
Margins: 2 1/4, NK, 6. Odds: 1.38, 18.00, 16.00.
Also Ran: New Mandate (Ire), West End Charmer (Ire), Mostahdaf (Ire). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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