Laurens Heads Guineas Home Defence

[Wandering Eyes]

Nestled between Aidan O’Brien and Charlie Appleby in Sunday’s G1 Qipco 1000 Guineas S. is Karl Burke, whose Middleham stable is poised for a red-letter day as Laurens (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) bids to become only the fifth home-trained winner of the Classic since 2004. By an upcoming sire whose Ervedya (Fr) provided him with a breakthrough winner in a European Classic and whose Le Brivido (Fr) went so close to doubling up in last year’s G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains, the centrepiece of John Dance’s foray into serious bloodstock enterprise has already upstaged racing’s great powers when taking the G1 Fillies’ Mile over this course and distance in October. Making virtually all there, the imposing bay held on from Ballydoyle’s September (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) with the Appleby runner Magic Lily (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) back in third and it is likely that she has come forward over the winter. Her trainer thinks so.

“She’s a well-balanced filly for one who is so big and who has such a massive stride. Now she’s that bit stronger, if she can keep that great gallop up, it’s going to be a good horse that gets by her,” he said. Laurens, who also captured the G2 May Hill S. under less aggressive tactics at Doncaster in September, is no less believable a winner of this as Speciosa (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) was when making all for the much smaller Pam Sly stable in 2006. Despite the temptation to throw everything into this, Burke is refusing to over-cook his stable’s luminary.

“The thing is, although we want to win a Guineas, there’s a long season ahead of her,” he reasoned. “You can risk turning the screw with these fillies too early and we haven’t done that. She’s going to improve through the year, just naturally, more than us doing anything, and that’s the balancing act we have with her.”

This Classic has kept Godolphin involved in the ever-shifting picture throughout the last two decades and Blue Bunting (Dynaformer) captured a similar renewal to this in 2011 when Charlie Appleby was assistant to Mahmood Al Zarooni. Appleby has stealthily carved out a successful training career in his own right and it is a measure of his dedication and skill that he has two strong contenders here in ‘TDN Rising Star’ Wild Illusion (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Soliloquy (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Both represent their sire’s versatility, with the former a product of stout German breeding which leans towards a stamina requirement and the latter from a quick Australian dynasty. William Buick has gone the way of the slick G3 Nell Gwyn S. scorer, who belied inexperience when making virtually all and beating the G3 Oh So Sharp S. winner Altyn Orda (Ire) (Kyllachy {GB}) in this track’s seven-furlong prep, with the general feeling being that last year’s G1 Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Wild Illusion loses an edge over her rivals as the ground dries. The latter is no one-dimensional mud-lover, however, with her half-sister Really Special (GB) (Shamardal) liking it on the fast side and able to win last year’s UAE 1000 Guineas Trial on Meydan’s dirt. Her dam Rumh (Ger) (Monsun {Ger}), who ended up as a pacemaker for the aforementioned Blue Bunting, had the pace to win the 2011 Listed Lord Weinstock Memorial S. by six lengths on good-to-firm and it could be that Wild Illusion has been pigeon-holed due to her impressive and clinical performance on testing ground on Arc day. Her winning time in the Marcel Boussac was faster than today’s big opponent Happily (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on the same day.

“We’re very happy with both fillies,” Appleby commented. “William rode Soliloquy in the Nell Gwyn and rode her in plenty of work before that. He was always very happy with her and she shows more pace than Wild Illusion, but Wild Illusion has never been a work horse so it was a hard decision for him. Visually, on race evidence, Soliloquy has got a bit more of a pace angle, whereas with Wild Illusion we are working back from an Oaks with her. Wild Illusion is ready to run and she brings Group 1 form into the race.”

As usual, Aidan O’Brien has one big shot and some up-and-comers in the mix, but there has never been any doubt since Clemmie (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) exited the reckoning that Happily would be Ryan Moore’s ride. Her defeat of Olmedo (Fr) (Declaration of War) and Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) in the Lagardere is, at face value, strong enough to win this but it is well-documented that she would be only the second from the stable to succeed on her seasonal bow alongside the high-class Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), with the other Ballydoyle winners all coming off a prep. If there is a Homecoming Queen (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) or Winter (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) lurking, it is expected to be I Can Fly (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who like the latter placed in Leopardstown’s G3 1,000 Guineas Trial S. on Apr. 14.

“Happily is in good shape. She hasn’t run, but she’s in good form,” O’Brien said. “She’s a very good, professional filly with a good mind. I Can Fly [is] experienced enough too, we think. I’m happy with where they are.”

One of the British trainers to interrupt the foreign run of success of late is Richard Hannon, whose Sky Lantern (Ire) (Red Clubs {Ire}) succeeded in 2013, and the East Everleigh-based trainer has a solid chance of a repeat in the Listed European Free H. winner Anna Nerium (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). If taking formlines strictly, the Stowell Hill homebred beat the colt Finniston Farm (GB) (Helmet {Aus}) further than Gustav Klimt (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) did in the Superlative when readily upstaging the colts in the seven-furlong prep on Apr. 18. Interestingly, she had others who contested the Superlative well behind there and last year had the subsequent G3 Nell Gwyn S. third Eirene (GB) (Declaration of War) back in second when causing a 40-1 shock in Salisbury’s G3 Dick Poole Fillies’ S. over six furlongs in September. Her full-brother Piping Rock (GB) was cut off in his prime when a legitimate 2000 Guineas contender for the same connections in 2014 and success for Anna Nerium would provide the breeding operation with a third European Classic. Bob McCreery, who was also responsible for the 1972 2000 Guineas hero High Top (Ire) and the 1989 Prix du Jockey Club and G1 Irish Derby winner Old Vic (GB), died in December 2016 after playing a major role in establishing the European Breeders’ Fund and supporting the Injured Jockeys Fund. The Hannons also have last year’s G3 Prestige S. winner Billesdon Brook (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) who is related to Anna Nerium and was fourth in the Nell Gwyn here on Apr. 18, and the unexposed Vitamin (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). Hussain Alabbas Lootah’s bay had Soliloquy two lengths back in second on the July Course here in August and is a live outsider with Jim Crowley on board.

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