The unpredictable nature of horse racing was highlighted overnight when the expected two horse war between 5YO Night of Thunder stallion Ombudsman and star 3YO Wootton Bassett colt Constitution River in the Group I Juddmonte International (1m2 ½ f) at York failed to materialise.
Rain showers on an already watered track and pacemakers that failed to do their job led to a very different race than was expected and the upshot was a head victory for the Andrew Balding trained Frankel colt Item, who got up on the line tfor Colin Keane at 10-1 to beat 14-1 shot Almaqam with Constitution River and Ombudsman in third and fourth.
It’s worth watching this race from the start so you can see how things went pear shaped.
A homebred for Juddmonte, Item won his only two starts at two and this year has stepped easily up to Group company and has the overall record of five wins from six starts with his only unplaced run in the Group I Epsom Derby.
“We've pitched Item into some good races and believed he would do well in them. He's kept improving and improving physically, he's a different horse to the one in the Dante (G2),” saiod Andrew Balding.
“I think anything's possible. This is one of the most important races of the year, so it's always nice to win it with a horse like this. Everything had gone great up until declarations, when he had a hiccup with his feet.
“Thankfully, the team have all worked overtime to get it right, and it was a five o'clock decision that he got in the box to come here. I just don't know [what's next], we need to sit down and let the dust settle. We've just won a Juddmonte!”
Item has had three runs at York this year and won all of them.
Item is a half-brother to stakes-winner Temptable and is the second stakes-winner among three winners from three foals to race from Group I winning Lope de Vega mare Capla Temptress.
He is the 43rd Group I winner for Frankel and is bred from a daughter of Lope de Vega with the nick producing five winners from six starters and three of those winners are SW’s.
Interestingly one of those other stakes-winners is this year’s Irish Derby winner Benvenuto Cellini.
