First Classic For King Power As Champion Collects

[Wandering Eyes]

With the way the King Power Racing collective have been running so far in 2019, a Classic winner seemed a matter of certainty and so it proved at Cologne on Sunday as Fox Champion (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) captured the G2 Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen, or German 2000 Guineas. Saved for this after winning a seven-furlong conditions event at Newmarket’s Craven meeting Apr. 18, the 22-5 shot found himself in front after the first furlong with Oisin Murphy happy to bowl along against the rail. Around two lengths clear turning for home, the bay was sent up the middle of the straight and the action ended up towards the stand’s rail with Fox Champion holding compatriots Arctic Sound (GB) (Poet’s Voice {GB}) and the 17-10 favourite Great Scot (GB) (Requinto {Ire}) by two neck margins.

“It looked a very good race, with a lot of nice horses in there and he did it the hard way,” trainer Richard Hannon said. “I’ve always thought he was very good and it’s nice to train a Classic winner for King Power–I hope it’s the first of many. He’s a very tough horse–he’ll be in the [June 19 G3] Jersey and the [June 18 G1] St James’s Palace [at Royal Ascot]. I’ll talk to the owners and we’ll see where we go. It was another step up for him and it looks like he needs that trip now. He made most of the running, was pressed on all sides and stuck his head out.”

Fox Champion suffered his sole reversal on debut when a nose second in a 6 1/2-furlong novice contest at Doncaster on soft ground before scoring over six on Kempton’s Polytrack in October and over seven at Doncaster on Mar. 31. Making all at Newmarket, he was allowed a soft lead here again and turned it against his rivals. Fox Champion is the first foal out of a half to the dual group-placed Dandy Boy (Ity) (Danetime {Ire}) from the family of the sire Quiet American. Her yearling colt is by Prince of Lir (Ire).

Sunday, Cologne, Germany
MEHL-MULHENS-RENNEN – GERMAN 2000 GUINEAS-G2, €153,000, Cologne, 5-19, 3yo, c/f, 8fT, 1:37.87, gd.
1–FOX CHAMPION (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Kodiac (GB)
1st Dam: Folegandros Island (Fr), by Red Rocks (Ire)
2nd Dam: Fleet of Light (GB), by Spectrum (Ire)
3rd Dam: Fleet Amour, by Afleet
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. (75,000gns Wlg ’16
TATFOA; £260,000 Ylg ’17 GOUKPR; 420,000gns 2yo ’18
TATBRE). O-King Power Racing Co Ltd; B-Con Marnane (IRE);
T-Richard Hannon; J-Oisin Murphy. €100,000. Lifetime
Record: 5-4-1-0, €. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Arctic Sound (GB), 128, c, 3, Poet’s Voice (GB)–Polar Circle,
by Royal Academy. (36,000gns Ylg ’17 TAOCT). O-Saeed bin
Mohammed Al Qassimi; B-Lofts Hall Stud & B Sangster (GB);
T-Mark Johnston. €30,000.
3–Great Scot (GB), 128, c, 3, Requinto (Ire)–La Rosiere, by Mr.
Greeley. (€2,500 RNA Ylg ’17 TATIAS). O-Empire State Racing
Partnership; B-Clyne, Mound, Thompson (GB); T-Tom
Dascombe. €13,000.
Margins: NK, NK, 2 1/4. Odds: 4.40, 9.00, 1.70.
Also Ran: Marie’s Diamond (Ire), Global Spectrum (GB), Wargrave (Ire), Pogo (Ire), Sibelius (Ger), Revelstoke (GB), Noble Moon (Ger), Lady Te (Ger). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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