Free Wind Survives Middleton Enquiry

[Wandering Eyes]

George Strawbridge's 5-year-old mare Free Wind (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}–Alive Alive Oh {GB}, by Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}), seen out just once since 2021, was fit and raring to go for Thursday's G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Middleton Fillies' S. at York and collected a fourth straight pattern-race rosette with a narrow victory in the extended 10-furlong contest.

The April-foaled bay, whose resume also features wins in the G3 Prix Minerve, G2 Park Hill S. and G2 Lancashire Oaks, was settled off a sedate pace in sixth until turning for home. Making eyecatching progress on the bridle once into the straight, the 6-5 favourite assumed control passing the quarter-mile marker and kept on strongly, despite edging right in the closing stages, to withstand the persistent threat of last term's Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial victrix Rogue Millennium (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) by a neck. The Knavesmire's stewards were called into action in the immediate aftermath, but allowed the finishing order to remain unchanged.

Pedigree Notes
Free Wind, one of her late sire's 242 pattern-race winners, is the second of four foals and one of two scorers for multiple stakes-winning G3 Dance Design S. placegetter Alive Alive Oh (GB) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}), herself half to G3 Fukushima Kinen and G3 Tanabata Sho victor Crescendo Love (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}). Alive Alive Oh is also kin to the dam of the dual stakes-placed Soldier's Minute (GB) (Raven's Pass). The April-foaled bay's second dam Higher Love (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), who was runner-up in the Listed Cheshire Oaks, is out of Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial runner-up Dollar Bird (Ire) (Kris {GB}), herself a half-sister to G2 King Edward VII S.-winning sire Amfortas (Ire) (Caerleon) and to the dam of G1 1000 Guineas heroine Virginia Waters (Kingmambo) and G1SP sires Chevalier (Ire) (Danehill) and Alexander of Hales (Danehill). Alive Alive Oh has a 2-year-old full-brother to Free Wind yet to come.

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