War Front’s Lancaster Bomber Makes For Cup Glory

[Wandering Eyes]

Following 13 tries at the highest level, Lancaster Bomber (War Front) finally hit the jackpot as he made all in dynamic fashion in Sunday’s G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at The Curragh. Looking ready for this 10 1/2-furlong trip when a rallying third behind stablemate Rhododendron (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in last Saturday’s G1 Lockinge S. at Newbury, the 10-3 shot was sent into the clear from the outset by Seamie Heffernan and was still bounding away as another fellow Ballydoyle trainee Cliffs of Moher (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) gave pursuit along with the 5-4 favourite Defoe (Ire) (Dalakhani {Ire}) in the final two furlongs. It was the former of that duelling pair who won that battle, but the imposing bay up ahead was continuing to roll on and he found again to extend and prevail by two lengths, with 1 1/2 lengths back to Defoe in third.
Highly effective when ridden prominently on ground quicker than good, Lancaster Bomber had managed a second under those conditions in last year’s G1 St James’s Palace S. at Royal Ascot but was also in that spot under more waiting tactics behind Oscar Performance (Kitten’s Joy) in Santa Anita’s GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and behind World Approval (Northern Afleet) in both the GI Woodbine Mile and GI Breeders’ Cup Mile last term. Part-owner Michael Tabor, whose silks he sports, was on hand to pay tribute to the tough customer. “He’s one of those horses who has tried his heart out every year and hasn’t quite done it, but today was his day,” he said. “I did think when he was that far clear that it is very hard for horses to make that ground up and Seamie was obviously confident he would stay the trip. Those fun horses are really invaluable.”
Lancaster Bomber is the third group and fourth black-type winner for Sun Shower (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}), whose best was the high-class MG1SW miler Excelebration (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) who ended up with this stable and spent the majority of his career chasing the tail of Frankel (GB). Still able to win the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. and G1 Prix Jacques le Marois for Ballydoyle and G1 Prix du Moulin and G2 Mehl-Mulhens-Rennen (German 2000 Guineas) when with Marco Botti in that rival’s absence, he is also a half-brother to the MGSW nine-furlong specialist Mull of Killough (Ire) (Mull of Kintyre {Ire}). Sun Shower’s second dam Sarah Siddons (Fr) (Le Levanstell {GB}) landed the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas here and the G1 Yorkshire Oaks, as well as finishing runner-up in the G1 Irish Oaks and G1 Prix Vermeille. She produced three black-type winners, most notably the G1 Irish Oaks heroine Princess Pati (Ire) (Top Ville
{Ire}) and the G2 Great Voltigeur S. winner Seymour Hicks (Fr) (Ballymore {Ire}). Still to come from Sun Shower is the as-yet unraced 3-year-old full-brother to Lancaster Bomber named Chief of War and a yearling colt again by War Front.

Sunday, Curragh, Ireland
TATTERSALLS GOLD CUP-G1, €300,000, Curragh, 5-27, 4yo/up, 10f 110yT, 2:14.05, g/f.
1–LANCASTER BOMBER, 129, c, 4, by War Front
1st Dam: Sun Shower (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire)
2nd Dam: Miss Kemble, by Warning (GB)
3rd Dam: Sarah Siddons (Fr), by Le Levanstell (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Sun Shower Syndicate (KY); T-Aidan O’Brien; J-Seamus Heffernan. €177,000. Lifetime Record: MG1SP-Eng, MGISP-US & GISP-Can, 18-2-5-1, $1,422,743. *1/2 to Excelebration (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), Hwt. 3yo-Ger at 7-9.5f, Hwt. Older Horse-Fr at 7-9f, MG1SW-Fr, Hwt. Older Horse-Ire at 7-9.5f, MG1SW-Fr, G1SW-Eng, GSW-Ire & Ger, $2,663,259; Mull of Killough (Ire) (Mull of Kintyre), MGSW-Eng & SP-Aus, $583,787; and Shivalik Showers (Ind) (Dancing Forever), MSW-Ind. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Cliffs of Moher (Ire), 129, c, 4, Galileo (Ire)–Wave (Ire), by Dansili (GB). O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Markus Jooste; B-Wave Syndicate (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien. €60,000.
3–Defoe (Ire), 129, c, 4, Dalakhani (Ire)–Dulkashe (Ire), by Pivotal (GB). O-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum; B-Darley (IRE); T-Roger Varian. €30,000.
Margins: 2, 1HF, 5HF. Odds: 3.30, 1.75, 1.25.
Also Ran: Reckless Gold (Ire), Success Days (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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