Thesecretadversary First Black-Type Winner For St Mark’s Basilica In The Churchill

[Wandering Eyes]

One of the early flagbearers for his first-crop sire St Mark's Basilica, Thesecretadversary became the landmark first black-type winner for Ballydoyle's former brilliant runner on Friday when breaking his maiden in the Listed Coolmore Stud Churchill Stakes. Expected to shed that tag when long odds-on at Ayr last month, Cayton Park Stud and Susan Magnier's Chesham runner-up put that blip firmly behind him with a length verdict over Ballydoyle's TDN Rising Star Brussels (Wootton Bassett) in the Tipperary feature.

“I'm glad I got another chance after getting beaten at Ayr last time and he's a nice horse who is still a bit weak,” Seamie Heffernan said of the Fozzy Stack-trained 3-1 second favourite, who had also run second to Ballydoyle's subsequent Superlative third Italy on debut at Leopardstown in May. “The head went down today, but he's just not a two-year-old. He'll definitely make a mile-and-a-quarter horse–you could make him keen and a quick runner, but we'd be cautious about keeping the revs down and making him a middle-distance horse instead.”

REDEMPTION

Group 1-entered Thesecretadversary makes amends for his odds-on defeat last time by taking down the well-fancied Brussels in the Listed @coolmorestud Churchill Stakes.@tipperaryraces pic.twitter.com/jRGk6AyhvQ

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) August 8, 2025

The post Thesecretadversary First Black-Type Winner For St Mark’s Basilica In The Churchill appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

View the full article