It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll said ACDC and Light Infantry Man did them proud when his 11th Group One start produced his first Group One win in the Northerly Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
This is a horse that ran in the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket at his third start, albeit finishing ninth, but then ran second in two Group One races in France straight after and headed to Australia for a crack at the 2022 $5million Golden Eagle at Rosehill for start six.
He finished sixth to I Wish I Win there and was promptly returned to David Simcock in Europe.
That resulted in six more northern hemisphere starts, including a second in the Group I Prix d'Ispahan at Deauville, third in the Group I Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and third in the Group I Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois at Deauville.
He then emigrated permanently to Australia, into the care of Ciaron Maher, with a NH Group I record of seven starts, five placings.
His six starts in the ensuing 12 months didn’t read well on the formguide, but didn’t look so bad on the video, and it all came together in the Chester Manifold on Oaks Day in the Flemington carnival, winning the Listed race comfortably.
It was a pre-cursor to another crack at Group I level a fortnight later in Perth. Further from Melbourne than Moscow is from London.
That run resulted in a 12th of 16 finish as favourite under the Longines World’s Best Jockey, James McDonald where he was undoubtedly unlucky but just how unlucky was impossible to quantify given the unluckiness of it all.
So in the Northerly we found out.
JMac didn’t make the trip. Since it was 24 hours before the Hong Kong International Races where he is aboard $1.65 favourite Romantic Warrior in the feature, it was more than reasonable, so Ethan Brown took the gig, parked him on pace and produced a Group One winning performance. And a dominant one. Enough said, due, and deserved.
Since we’re a breeding focussed site, here’s what you need to know:
A € 25,000 purchase at the 2020 Arqana October Yearlings Sale, Light Infantry Man was an £82,000 buy for Blandford Bloodstock at the 2022 Goffs Breeze Up Sale.
Bred by Barbara Moser, he is the best of three winners from five to race for the 4-time winning Kyllachy mare Lights On Me (GB).
However, as a site that’s passionate about off the track horses, one thinks this horse’s best days might well be ahead. He’s got something.
