Fascinating juvenile racing overnight with the Group I Middle Park Stakes and Cheveley Park Stakes decided at Newmarket, while at the Curragh Darley shuttler Too Darn Hot (GB) made it a treble of stakes-winners for the day following on from his success at Rosehill with Broadsiding and Perspiration.
The Group I Middle Park Stakes (6f) is for the speed colts and produced a new Group I winner for Ballylinch Stud’s Lope de Vega with the homebred Godolphin colt Shadow of Light thrashing the favourite Whistlejacket to win by four lengths.
Trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by William Buick, Shadow of Light had three previous starts for two wins and then a second in the Group II Gimcrack Stakes at York and soared to a new level with this dominant win over the Group I Prix Morny winner Whistlejacket.
“It's great for the team and nice to have a horse like Shadow of Light. We'll put him away for the winter and see what everyone else is doing as to whether we look towards the Guineas or stick to the Commonwealth Cup programme,” said Charlie Appleby.
“I'd say he's a Commonwealth Cup horse as there's a lot of speed on his page. I think he'll get stronger and they get quicker as they get stronger.”
Shadow of Light is a three-quarter brother to Champion French 2YO Colt Earthlight, who won both the Group I Middle Park Stakes and Prix Morny for Godolphin in 2019 and shuttled to Australia for three seasons, but is not here this year. His oldest Australian progeny are two year-olds this season.
Shadow of Light is the second Group I winner among three winners from Group I placed New Approach mare Winter’s Moon, a half-sister to Group I winners Mandean and Wavering.
He is the 23rd Group I winner for Lope de Vega and is the eighth for New Approach as a broodmare sire.
The Group I Cheveley Park Stakes (6f) saw undefeated Frankel filly Lake Victoria extend her winning sequence to four with another dominant victory as favourite.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore, she controlled the race throughout and skipped away to win by three lengths taking her second G1 trophy following a last start win in the Moyglare Stud Stakes over 7f in Ireland. She also ran slightly quicker time than Shadow of Light.
“Coming back to six was not an easy thing to do. We had in our heads before the Moyglare that Lake Victoria could come back here. Ryan gave her a very uncomplicated ride and she quickened very well. She was obviously very classy, always,” said O’Brien.
“Ryan said to come back here for the Fillies' Mile (G1). I don't know whether you could go from seven back up to six and then back up to a mile. We'll see, it'll be dependent on whatever the lads want to do really.”
A homebred for the Coolmore partners, Lake Victoria is a three-quarter sister to Group II placed Bluegrass and is the best of three winners from dual Group I winning sprinter Quiet Reflection, a daughter of speed sire Showcasing.
Now a two time G1 winner, Lake Victoria is one of 21 stakes-winners this year for Frankel and she is the first G1 winner for Showcasing as a broodmare sire.
The Group II Beresford Stakes (1m) was won by the Jessica Harrington trained colt Hotazhell, who was having his fifth start and scored his second stakes win after taking out the Group III Tryos Stakes in July.
Ridden by Shane Foley, Hotazhell was strong late to beat Wootton Bassett colt Tennessee Stud by three-quarters of a length.
“He got a bit free coming down the hill, but today Hotazhell came around a bend and did it well. When he gets to the front he pricks his ears and doesn't really do that much,” said Jessica Harrington.
“He's straightforward at home but when we come racing we saddle him in the racecourse stables rather than the saddling boxes and keep a red hood on him just to keep the lid on him. He'll go to Doncaster (G1 Futurity).”
Hotazhell was bought for 200,000 guineas by Silverton Hill at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze Up Sale having been bought previously for 70,000 guineas from the Tattersalls October Book 2 Yearling Sale.
Bred by Blue Diamond Farm, Hotazhell is the first stakes-winner among four winners from Azenzar, a winning Danehill Dancer mare from the family of five time Group I winner Alexander Goldrun.
Hotazhell was one of three stakes-winners on Saturday for Too Darn Hot, who also sired Broadsiding and Perspiration to win the Group I ATC Golden Rose and Listed ATC Heritage Stakes at Rosehill. Sadly he is not shuttling to Darley this year after four seasons coming to Australia.
