Emily Dickinson’s Ascot Gold Cup claims took a knock as Yashin produced a 14-1 surprise in the Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes at Leopardstown.
Aidan O’Brien would have hoped to dominate the staying scene again this year with Kyprios, but with his superstar five-year-old on the sidelines there is space at Ballydoyle for a horse to step up.
O’Brien has long mentioned Emily Dickinson as one who could be capable of doing so, and she was odds-on to make it two from two for the campaign in this Group Three – which was won by Kyprios 12 months ago on his way to glory at the Royal meeting.
She took the field along in company with Icykel, but never looked like shaking her rivals off under Ryan Moore, with Joseph O’Brien’s Point King looking set for top spot only for Shane Foley and the Jessica Harrington-trained Yashin to arrive on the scene.
A brief duel ensued deep inside the final furlong, but as they flashed past the post almost as one it was Yashin – fourth in a Leopardstown handicap in October when last seen – who got the verdict by a short head. Point King’s stablemate Dawn Rising was third, with Emily Dickinson only sixth.
“The autumn plan would be the Melbourne Cup, but he’d have to get up a good bit to get there,” said Harrington.
“He stays well and he has to have good ground. We think he likes going left-handed.
“He was stuck wide there and keen all the way. Shane said he had no right to pick up and win like he did.
“I know it was only a short head, but he was always getting there.”
Harrington’s daughter and assistant, Kate, added: “We could have waited for the Group Three at the Curragh next week but when the ground was good here, the way he likes it, that was key. He could go to the Curragh Cup on Oaks weekend. We’ll plot a plan as he likes a bit of time between his races.
“The Melbourne Cup is Gerry (Byrne’s) dream. He bred him and it’s the first horse he’s bred, the mare is back in foal to Churchill.”
The opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden went the way of Deepone, who could now have Royal Ascot ambitions having obliged favourite-backers at 3-1.
“He’s a nice colt and he was ready to start today. Being drawn 17 I thought that he’d have to be good to win from out there and it was great that he did,” said Twomey.
“He’s a nicely-bred horse, he’s a Study Of Man who was a very good racehorse and a very well-bred horse, out of a Galileo mare whose dam won the Yorkshire Oaks.”
When asked if he could go to Ascot he added: “We’ll see how he is, there is a race there that might suit him. I haven’t thought past today but if that happens, great.
“He’s by a son of Deep Impact who was a Derby winner out of a daughter of a Yorkshire Oaks winner so I don’t think a trip will be a problem to him.”
Noel Meade found the winner’s enclosure when Winston Spencer showed significant improvement stepping up to a mile to land the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Maiden.
“His full-brother ran in the first, he’s a totally different horse, smaller and sharper, and Leigh (Roche) came in and said he didn’t like that ground, he said he couldn’t let himself down on it. I said hopefully with this fella, after waiting for the ground, it wasn’t going to be the same,” said Meade.
“I like him a lot. He ran well the first day, he just got tired. I thought he had come on a good bit and I think he’ll come on a good bit again. I think he’s a decent horse.
“Leigh said he ran home very well at the end and he took plenty of pulling up.
“He’s a very well-bred horse, Coolmore bred him. His dam is a full-sister to Danehill Dancer.
“I’ve sort of put my life on Churchill as I bought five two-year-olds by him and I’ve got four three-year-olds by him. Hopefully he comes right for me.
“I thought Winston Spencer was a good name for this horse.
“I hadn’t thought any further than today with him, we’ll see what happens.”
Deira Mile enhances Derby prospects with Windsor win
Owner Ahmad Al Shaik is again dreaming of Derby glory after Deira Mile broke his duck in routine fashion at Windsor.
Dubai Mile was ninth in the Epsom Classic last year carrying the Green Team Racing colours and hopes are high of an improved placing this term.
The Owen Burrows-trained Deira Mile remained a maiden following four runs as a juvenile, mainly due to fluffing his lines when sent off as a 1-5 favourite at Chelmsford.
However, he showed his potential when beaten less than three lengths in fourth behind Ancient Wisdom in the Group One Futurity at Doncaster and built on that by justifying short odds of 4-9 at Windsor under Jim Crowley.
Asked about Derby aspirations, his owner told Sky Sports Racing: “It is in my blood and my sons’ blood, not just me. We need to go to the Derby and one day we will win – if not me, one of my sons.
“He is still green but Jim Crowley said the further he goes, the better he will be.
“We have only 40 days now until Epsom, I don’t think we have time to run him again, so I will discuss with the trainer about going straight to Epsom and I think he will be fine.”
Burrows added: “He’s a big lad and mentally, he’s still quite immature. He had the four runs last year, but he is still a big baby.
“The plan was to try and find as easy a race as we could and it worked out perfectly. He’s ended up hitting the front a little sooner than ideal, as he gets to the front and just thinks ‘right, what do I do now?’ But he’s had a race.”
Crowley pulled alongside main market rival Castle In The Sand between the final two furlongs of the 10-furlong contest and Deira Mile responded to his urgings to prevail by four lengths.
The jockey said: “It’s the first time I’ve ridden him, but I saw him at Chelmsford last year and I think when he hits the front, he just loses concentration a little bit and he did it there, hence why I gave him a smack, because I just don’t want him to get in the habit of doing it.
“The race sort of fell apart at the two-furlong pole and I could have quite easily stayed upsides on the bridle, but he probably wouldn’t have learnt an awful lot.
“But he is learning, he’s going to progress and he stays well – he’s a lovely type of horse and he was entitled to win that race.
“His two-year-old form was very good at the back-end and I suggested to Owen we could possibly put a set of cheekpieces on him, especially in a better race where horses take him further.
“Like I said, he stays very well and there will be some lovely races for him through the summer.”
Azure Blue camp eyeing York return for comeback spin
Azure Blue has the defence of her 1895 Duke of York Clipper Stakes title pencilled in on the calendar as Michael Dods prepares his star speedster for her impending return to action.
The five-year-old appeared to be on a real upward curve in the sprint division around this time last year and followed up a Newmarket Listed win over Heredia on her reappearance by claiming the scalp of the ill-fated Highfield Princess in the York Group Two 12 months ago.
That Knavesmire victory signalled her intentions to compete at the highest level but although she got a first taste of Group One action when finishing sixth in last summer’s July Cup, niggling injuries kept her on the sidelines for the rest of the 2023 campaign.
She is now working towards a return to the track, with her trainer setting his sights on again tackling some of the season’s most prestigious sprinting events.
However, the first port of call is a return to York on May 15, with Darlington-based Dods pleased with how her preparations are going.
“The plan is to go straight to York and we’re on track for that and we’re happy with her,” said Dods. “She’s working nicely and she looks great at the moment.
“The plan is to be in all of those top sprints this year and we’re happy with her, and she’s working nicely. We’re just making steady progress until we get her on the track.
“Hopefully that will be at York, that’s the plan.”
Commonwealth Cup now the big target for Relief Rally
Relief Rally is set for a drop back in trip, as sights turn to the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot following her run in the Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury.
A winner of four of her five starts last season, she was highly unfortunate not to be unbeaten as a juvenile, with her sole defeat coming at Royal Ascot when beaten a nose by American raider Crimson Advocate in the Queen Mary Stakes.
Having changed hands for 800,000 guineas in December, the daughter of Kodiac is now owned by Zhang Yuesheng and connections decided to test their filly’s stamina over seven furlongs on her first start of the new campaign.
Despite running with real credit and finishing an honourable fourth as the 7-4 favourite, her trainer feels she should now drop back to sprinting distances and will be targeted at achieving Royal Ascot redemption in the Commonwealth Cup in late June.
“I’m certain she didn’t stay and I said to Tom (Marquand) before the race, this will be the last time she runs over this trip, but I couldn’t not run in it,” said Haggas.
“Whether she is going to be a top filly, I don’t know, but she is going to run six furlongs next time, maybe at the Lockinge meeting against the colts.
“There is a race on the all-weather at Chelmsford (on May 2) for fillies, but that feels a bit hard on her and I don’t think she will go there.
“Tom said she was very weak in the last half-furlong, when he thought he had them covered, so I’m not sure, she may have just got tired as well, but she won’t run seven furlongs again and she’s not going to be running in the French Guineas.
“We’ll try to get her to Ascot if we can, with a run before.”
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