The short course sprinters got blown out of the water overnight in the UK when quality mare Alcohol Free claimed her fourth Group I win in the Darley July Cup (6f) at Newmarket with Artorius a late closing third.
A Group I winner of the Cheveley Park Stakes (6f) at two, the Andrew Balding trained Alcohol Free competed mostly at 1m last season at three winning the Group I Royal Ascot Coronation Stakes and the Group I Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.
She stayed at that trip for her first two runs this year before dropping back to 6f for the Group I Platinum Jubilee at Royal Ascot last month.
The daughter of No Nay Never could finish only ninth that day behind Naval Crown, Creative Force and Artorius, but she turned the tables on them at Newmarket winning by a length and half.
Ridden by Rob Hornby, she sped clear of that trio, who finished second (Naval Crown) third (Artorius) and fourth (Creative Force).
“Alcohol Free has now won four Group Ones - one at two, two at three and one at four - which is an unusual feat and they're not Mickey Mouse Group One races either,” said Andrew Balding.
“We needed to run somewhere between Ascot and Goodwood. We felt she showed enough back to sprinting last time to be competitive in the July Cup and she certainly was. She's a very talented filly and this is her time of year as well, She's twice the horse she was in the spring and it's just lovely to have her back on song. I think she'll go to the Sussex Stakes next as it has always been the plan.”
Purchased for 40,000 euros at the 2018 Goffs November Foal Sale, Alcohol Free runs for Jeff Smith and is a half-sister to stakes-winner Alexander James from winning Hard Spun mare Plying.
She is the best of 39 stakes-winners for Scat Daddy’s top class son No Nay Never and has the overall record of six wins from 14 starts.
No Nay Never shuttled to Coolmore Australia for four seasons and his last crop of foals are rising two year-olds.
The Group II Superlative Stakes (6f) for two year-olds at Newmarket produced a new stakes-winner for Night of Thunder when exciting colt Isaac Shelby carried the famous colours of the Sangster family to victory.
Trained by Brian Meehan, Isaac Shelby made it two wins in as many starts when scoring a head win over Godolphin’s Dubawi colt Victory Dance, who started favourite.
Purchased for 92,000 pounds by Sam Sangster Bloodstock from the Goffs Premier Yearling Sale, Isaac Shelby is the best of two winners from Kentucky Belle, an unraced half-sister to Group II winner Ramazutti. He is the third stakes-winner worldwide to carry a double cross of Galileo.
Isaac Shelby is the 31st stakes-winner for Darley based Night of Thunder, who shuttled to Australia for just one season.
