Captain Gerrard’s Alpha Delphini Prevails In Nunthorpe Thriller

[Wandering Eyes]

   Fourth last year and fourth again on Friday, Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) had to give way to a relative minnow in pedigree terms from the more-than-able Bryan Smart stable as the veteran Alpha Delphini (GB) (Captain Gerrard {Ire}) edged Mabs Cross (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) by the kind of margin that took the judge several minutes to identify. Always up with the furious pace under Graham Lee, the 7-year-old forged ahead inside the final furlong as Shadwell’s 4-5 favourite backed out of it as he had in 2017 and it was filly Mabs Cross (GB) (Dutch Art {GB}) who emerged as the danger to the fellow Northern-trained journeyman sprinter. She headed him near the line, but the 40-1 shot whose half-brother Tangerine Trees (GB) (Mind Games {GB}) captured the G1 Prix de l’Abbaye for the Bryan Smart stable had his nostril down on the line first and that was the real margin which was officially given as a nose. Blue Point (Ire) (Shamardal) was 2 1/4 lengths back in third as he mastered Battaash late on as he had at the Royal meeting. “I used to come here as a kid with my mum and dad and to have any winner here is great, but to win a group one is the pinnacle of my career,” Smart said. “I bought him and put the partnership together which includes the breeder and he’s been a slow-burner who has got faster and faster. He’s also by the sire I trained, so he has a lot about him for me and he’s a superstar who we love to bits. Graham [Lee] made a brave call to take the cheekpieces off, he kept saying he didn’t want them today as he felt he wasn’t able to see horses coming past. He wasn’t going to let anything past today.”

ALPHA DELPHINI (GB), g, 7, Captain Gerrard (Ire)–Easy to Imagine, by Cozzene.
(20,000gns Ylg ’12 TAOCT). O-The Alpha Delphini Partnership; B-Mrs B A Matthews (GB); T-Bryan Smart; J-Graham Lee. £198,485. Lifetime Record: 26-8-6-3, £366,666. *1/2 to Tangerine Trees (GB) (Mind Games {GB}), Hwt. Older Horse-Fr at 5-7f, G1SW-Fr & GSW-Eng, $482,864.

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