Masar Out; Eclipse Opens Up

[Wandering Eyes]

The mercurial 2018 season heads to Sandown on Saturday, with the G1 Coral-Eclipse sadly without ‘TDN Rising Star’ and G1 Epsom Derby hero Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) after he was scratched on Friday evening. In his absence, the race will fail to produce a totally satisfactory answer to the question as to who is the division leader and could yet add a further twist in a seemingly endless labyrinth of surprises this term. After the G1 2000 Guineas-winning performance of ‘TDN Rising Star’ Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), the campaign already looked cut-and-dried but defeats in the G1 English and Irish Derbys mean that Ballydoyle’s beau ideal now is almost cast in the role of underdog. His and Masar’s old adversary Roaring Lion (Kitten’s Joy), who was fifth in the Guineas and third in Epsom’s blue riband, is now the likely favourite. Qatar Racing’s grey is looking for a first win at this level. “I think the Guineas is the best form, so to that extent we’ve got it all to do but we know a mile and a quarter on top of the ground suits us,” trainer John Gosden said.

Midweek, Saxon Warrior could be considered a surprise contender for this just a week after a display in the Irish Derby which was in contrast to his dynamic one over a mile at Newmarket. With Masar knocking himself on Friday, that decision now looks inspired and perhaps the “monster” talked about in the spring is only just coming to himself. Many of Aidan O’Brien’s have seemed to be going the right way in the last few days and he must have bounced out of his Curragh effort to even be in this line-up. His trainer is keeping a close eye on his progress towards the race. “Obviously he hasn’t done anything since [the Irish Derby] and we’ll watch him closely all the way up to the race, but he seems to have taken it well,” he explained. “We won’t really know until we run him, but he seems very well.”

The last big name to come here so soon after the Irish Derby was Sir Ivor in 1968 and he was only third, but the Saxon Warrior we saw on Guineas day looked one who could specialise in the sphere outside of the norm.

According to Charlie Appleby, Masar returned sore after his routine work at Moulton Paddocks on Friday. “Mid-way through the morning, it became clear that he was sore,” he explained. “His off-fore was inflamed and we feel he must have knocked himself at exercise. I have discussed it with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, who agreed that he should miss the race. It is a blow. But it is the right decision considering what has happened. Masar will remain under veterinary supervision for the time being. Hawkbill will still run for Godolphin in the Eclipse, and Will Buick will switch to him.”

No filly has won this since Kooyonga (Ire) (Persian Bold {Ire}), but it is rare for a 3-year-old to try and Happily (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) has already shown she is capable of holding her own against the colts when beating the subsequent G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains hero Olmedo (Fr) (Declaration of War) and Masar in the G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere staged on soft ground at Chantilly on Arc day. Her runs this term when third in the G1 English and Irish 1000 Guineas and fourth in the G1 Prix de Diane back at Chantilly June 17 suggest she is progressing back to that standard and she is a relative of the millennium Eclipse hero Giant’s Causeway. “Happily is in good form. She had a very good run the last day and we’re looking forward to seeing her run,” O’Brien said.

If the antiquated weight-for-age system is correct, then Hawkbill (Kitten’s Joy), Cliffs of Moher (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Forest Ranger (Ire) (Lawman {Fr}) have a small chance of winning. If it is incorrect, their prospects are less than slim as it is difficult to imagine any of that trio giving 10 pounds to the best 3-year-old colts around and 13 pounds to one of the leading fillies of that age. One of racing’s biggest issues is how it still relies largely on something devised by Admiral Rous in 1866 when deciding how the older horses should compare with the Classic generation. Cliffs of Moher was favourite last year, while Hawkbill was successful in 2016, but this edition has a deeper feel than either of the previous two whose form is held down by the proximity of the longshots Countermeasure (GB) (American Post {GB}) and Desert Encounter (Ire) (Halling). The idea that a colt of the physical substance of Saxon Warrior should be handed almost a stone in weight from a stablemate that has been found out in group 1 company on seven occasions after his Epsom Derby second is ridiculous. While he was unlucky when fourth here 12 months ago, Cliffs of Moher is looking thoroughly exposed by now and Aidan O’Brien is one of few who still believe that he can produce something in this company. After two runs at Royal Ascot which yielded a non-threatening fourth in the G1 Prince of Wales’s S. and third in the G2 Hardwicke S., it takes a leap of faith to see him playing a major role here. “Cliffs of Moher ran well in Ascot last time and we still think we haven’t seen the best of him yet,” the Ballydoyle handler said. “He’s been in good form since then.”

Forest Ranger beat Deauville (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in Newmarket’s nine-furlong G3 Earl of Sefton S. Apr. 18 before upstaging another of Ballydoyle’s B-list celebrities in War Decree (War Front) in the newly-promoted G2 Huxley S. at Chester May 11. His size is one of his prime assets and the gelded 4-year-old is one of the race’s unknown quantities, but trainer Richard Fahey is under no illusions as to the task he faces here. “He should be a 20-1 shot and that probably reflects his chance, but he goes on any ground and we hope he is an each-way player,” he commented. “Forest Ranger is in excellent form. He needs to step up on what he has achieved during his career so far, but he has won well on both of his starts this year. It’s a big ask, but whatever happens on Saturday, we’ll be finding out a bit more about him.”

Play Time…

Elsewhere on Saturday, Haydock’s G2 bet365 Lancashire Oaks features a quartet of promising 4-year-old fillies from major yards headed by Cliveden Stud’s Horseplay (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}). She was runner-up to the subsequent G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud runner-up Coronet (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G2 Middleton S. over an extended 10 furlongs at York May 17 and trainer Andrew Balding is hoping this extra distance will bring out her best. “The York form looks strong and it was a deliberate move to wait for this race,” he said. “The step back up to a mile and a half certainly shouldn’t be a problem and she looked to the handle the quicker ground well at York. She seems in great form and her work has been good, so hopefully she’ll be very competitive.” Quick ground casts a doubt over St Albans Bloodstock’s God Given (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), who faces a second outing on such a lively surface after her course-and-distance win in the G3 Pinnacle S. four weeks ago. “She’s in good form, I just hope the ground isn’t too firm,” Luca Cumani said. “She did win on good-to-firm last time, but it looks a tougher race on Saturday. Everything has gone very smoothly since her last run.”

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