Leading Light produced a
tenacious performance to land this afternoon's Group Three Queens Vase at Royal
Ascot, which was run this year in memory of the late Sir Henry Cecil.
The three-year-old was
tackling the two-mile trip for the first time and was always prominent despite
his jockey Joseph O'Brien having to work hard at him on occasions. However, the
5/4 favourite stayed on stoutly in the final couple of furlongs to record a
length-and-a-half victory despite the persistent threat of the eventual
runner-up Feel Like Dancing.
Trainer Aidan O'Brien
admitted he had no idea whether his colt would stay the two-mile distance but
felt his style of racing would suit a test such as this.
"We felt that the
step up in trip might suit him but you never know as he'd only raced over a
mile-and-a-quarter before," said O'Brien.
"Joseph had only
ridden him twice before so the partnership is relatively new and his pedigree
gave us mixed messages as well as he is out of a Queen Mary winner (Dance
Parade, who won the race in 1996 for trainer Paul Cole).
"He coped with it
well enough though and all credit has to go to the lads as they were the ones
who came up with this plan.
"He could make up
into a St Leger horse I suppose but he's not short of speed and maybe a
mile-and-a-half could be his trip in time.
"The St Leger is a
possibility as is the race in France on Bastille Day (the Grand Prix de Paris
at Longchamp) so there are plenty of options for him.
Jockey Joseph O'Brien also
revealed that he had reservations as to whether Leading Light would stay the
trip.
"We were a little bit
worried about the trip but other than that we thought Leading Light was a very
nice horse and he's toughed it out," said O'Brien.
"He is very relaxed
and has a great attitude. He is very hardy and when you get stuck into him he
finds plenty. He is idle and when he gets to the front, he stops.
"I was able to make
the running on his last two starts and whenever a horse came to him they never
got by him."
Aidan O'Brien was also
keen to pay tribute to Sir Henry Cecil, in whose memory this race was run.
"Sir Henry was the
most incredibly special man. I remember when we started training, horses used
to come to us from the sales cast and things like that, but there was never any
point trying to improve a horse from Sir Henry because they always went
backwards," said O'Brien.
"We will never see
another man like him in my lifetime. He got everything out of his horses and
was a lovely man to meet at the races. I remember the last time I saw him when
his voice was not that good - I said: 'hello Sir Henry,' and I thought he
didn't see me but he had a stick in his hand and as he walked by me I felt the
stick on the back of my legs.
"He is one of those
special people who comes along once in a lifetime and it was privilege to have
known him."
DANCING
NOT QUITE THE LEADING LIGHT
Stepping
up in trip proved no problem for Feel Like Dancing, although the winner,
Leading Light, held too many aces.
After
Lady Bamford's horse had finished second in this Group Three, two-mile test for
three-year-olds, trainer John Gosden said: "It was a good run and I'm very
pleased with him. He had a tough job given that he was five wide coming into
the home straight, but he finished nicely.
"The
winner has solid form and the horse he [Feels Like Dancing] beat in his maiden
was third today so the form relates. I'm really happy. He wants this sort of
trip and Ryan [Moore] was happy with him. Ryan always blames himself and felt
he got into the race too soon. I said 'From where you came from, it didn't look
like it to me'."
Peter
Chapple-Hyam was no less pleased with third-placed Boite. The Newmarket trainer
said: "I said in today's paper I thought this horse would run well. The
second horse [Feel Like Dancing] beat us at Newbury and I knew he wasn't a bad
horse.
"He'll
improve and he handled the trip well. He probably got a bit too far back, but
that was circumstances. I'm delighted for his owners."
5pm Queen's
Vase In Memory Of Sir Henry Cecil (Group 3)
£75,000
total prize fund. For 3yo, 2m. Weights: colts and geldings 9st 1lb;
fillies 8st 12lb. Penalties: after August 31st, 2012, a winner of a Group 3
race 3lb; of a Group 1 or Group 2 race 5lb. Penalty value 1st £42,532.50 2nd
£16,125.00 3rd £8,070.00 4th £4,020.00 5th £2,017.50 6th £1,012.50.
1.
LEADING LIGHT (IRE) (Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor) Aidan O'Brien
IRE p3-9-04 Joseph O'Brien [5] 5/4 Fav
2. FEEL
LIKE DANCING (Lady Bamford) John Gosden p3-9-01 Ryan Moore [6] 20/1
3. BOITE
(IRE) (Eledy Srl) Peter Chapple-Hyam p3-9-01 Rab Havlin [13] 66/1
4. MISTER
IMPATIENCE (The Originals) Mark Johnston 3-9-1 Joe Fanning [11]
5. RAY
WARD (IRE) (Fitri Hay) David Simcock 3-9-01 Jamie Spencer [12]
6.
NICHOLS CANYON (Rachel Hood & Elaine Lawlor) John Gosden 3-9-01 William
Buick [3]
7.
HASHEEM (Hamdan Al Maktoum) Roger Varian 3-9-01 Paul Hanagan [17]
8.
RALSTON ROAD (IRE) (Thistle Bloodstock Limited) John Patrick Shanahan IRE
3-9-01 Tadhg O'Shea [7]
9. BAIHAS
(Hamdan Al Maktoum) Sir Michael Stoute 3-9-01 Dane O'Neill [18]
10. ROYAL
SKIES (IRE) (Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed AL Maktoum) Mark Johnston 3-9-01
Silvestre De Sousa [16]
11.
DASHING STAR (Jeff Smith) David Elsworth h3-9-1 Liam Keniry [9]
12.
DISCLAIMER (Khalid Abdullah) Lady Cecil 3-9-01 Tom Queally [15]
13.
FEDERAL BLUE (USA) (Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum) Mark Johnston 3-9-01
Johnny Murtagh [2]
14. DA DO
RUN RUN (Bill Harrison-Allan) Brian Meehan 3-9-01 Martin Lane [4]
15. NARU
(IRE) (Saeed Manana) James Tate 3-9-01 Neil Callan [14]
15 ran
Non-runners: Another Cocktail (Going), Chocala (Going), Nearly Caught (Going)
Time: 3m
25.26s Distances: 1½, 1½, ns, hd, 2¼, ½, 1½, ¾, 6, ½, 6, 50, 18, 4.
Breeder:
Lynch-Bages Ltd Breeding: 3yo b c Montjeu (IRE) - Dance Parade (USA) (Gone West
(USA))
Tote Win
£2.50 Place £1.10, £4.30, £22.90 Exacta £28.90
Winning
trainer:-Name: Aidan O'Brien Date of birth: 16/10/69 Previous
occupation: Assistant trainer to Jim Bolger and Annemarie Crowley/O'Brien Date
of first licence: 1993 British Classic wins: (18) Investec Derby
(2001 Galileo, 2002 High Chaparral, 2012 Camelot), QIPCO 2000 Guineas (1998
King Of Kings, 2002 Rock Of Gibraltar, 2005 Footstepsinthesand, 2006 George
Washington, 2008 Henrythenavigator, 2012 Camelot), QIPCO 1000 Guineas (2005
Virginia Waters, 2012 Homecoming Queen), Investec Oaks (1998 Shahtoush, 2001
Imagine, 2006 Alexandrova, 2012 Was), Ladbrokes St Leger (2001 Milan, 2003
Brian Boru, 2005 Scorpion) Irish Classic Wins: (28) Irish 2,000 Guineas
(1997 Desert King, 1999 Saffron Walden, 2001 Black Minnaloushe, 2002 Rock Of
Gibraltar, 2008 Henrythenavigator, 2009 Mastercraftsman, 2011 Roderic O'Connor,
2012 Power, 2013 Magician), Irish 1,000 Guineas (1997 Classic Park, 2001
Imagine, 2003 Yesterday, 2008 Halfway To Heaven, 2011 Misty For Me), Irish
Derby (1997 Desert King, 2001 Galileo, 2002 High Chaparral, 2006 Dylan Thomas,
2007 Soldier Of Fortune, 2008 Frozen Fire, 2009 Fame And Glory, 2010 Cape Blanco,
2011 Treasure Beach), Irish Oaks (2006 Alexandrova, 2007 Peeping Fawn, 2008
Moonstone), Irish St Leger (2007 Yeats, 2008 Septimus) Other major wins
include: Breeders Cup Turf (2002 & 2003 High Chaparral, 2011 St
Nicholas Abbey) Criterium de Saint-Cloud (2001 Ballingary, 2002 Alberto
Giacometti, 2008 Fame And Glory, 2010 Recital), Darley Dewhurst Stakes (2001
Rock Of Gibraltar, 2009 Beethoven), Coral-Eclipse Stakes (2000 Giant's
Causeway, 2002 Hawk Wing, 2008 Mount Nelson, 2011 So You Think), Dubai Sheema Classic
(2013 St Nicholas Abbey), French 2,000 Guineas (2002 Landseer, 2006 Aussie
Rules, 2007 Astronomer Royal), French 1,000 Guineas (2001 Rose Gypsy), Futurity
Stakes (2002 Van Nistelrooy), Irish Champion Stakes (2000 Giant's Causeway,
2003 High Chaparral, 2007 Dylan Thomas, 2010 Cape Blanco, 2011 So You Think),
Juddmonte International Stakes (2000 Giant's Causeway, 2008 Duke Of Marmalade,
2010 Rip Van Winkle), Lockinge Stakes (2003 Hawk Wing), July Cup (1999
Stravinsky, 2001 Mozart), King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2001
Galileo, 2007 Dylan Thomas, 2008 Duke Of Marmalade), Middle Park Stakes (2000
Minardi, 2001 Johannesburg, 2011 Crusade), National Stakes (1996 Desert King,
1997 King Of Kings, 2000 Beckett, 2001 Hawk Wing; 2003 One Cool Cat, 2005
George Washington, 2008 Mastercraftsman), Nunthorpe Stakes (1999 Stravinsky,
2001 Mozart), Phoenix Stakes (1998 Lavery, 1999 Fasiliyev, 2000 Minardi, 2001
Johannesburg, 2002 Spartacus, 2003 One Cool Cat, 2005 George Washington, 2006
Holy Roman Emperor, 2008 Mastercraftsman), Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere/Grand
Criterium (1997 Second Empire, 1999 Ciro, 2001 Rock Of Gibraltar, 2002 Hold
That Tiger, 2004 Oratorio, 2005 Horatio Nelson, 2006 Holy Roman Emperor),Total
Prix Marcel Boussac (2010 Misty For Me), Prix Morny (1998 Orpen, 1999
Fasiliyev, 2001 Johanesburg), Prix du Moulin (2002 Rock Of Gibraltar), Prix de
l'Arc de Triomphe (2007 Dylan Thomas), Prix Ganay (2007 Dylan Thomas, 2008 Duke
Of Marmalade), Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (2006 George Washington, 2009 Rip Van
Winkle, 2012 Excelebration), Racing Post Trophy (1997 Saratoga Springs, 1999
Aristotle, 2001 High Chaparral, 2002 Brian Boru), Sussex Stakes (2000 Giant's
Causeway, 2002 Rock Of Gibraltar, 2008 Henrythenavigator, 2009 Rip Van Winkle),
Tattersalls Gold Cup (2003 Black Sam Bellamy, 2008 Duke Of Marmalade, 2010 Fame
And Glory, 2011 So You Think), Yorkshire Oaks (2006 Alexandrova, 2007 Peeping
Fawn), Blue Square Nassau Stakes (2007 Peeping Fawn, 2008 Halfway To Heaven),
Audi Pretty Polly Stakes (2007 Peeping Fawn, 2011 Misty For Me), Investec
Coronation Cup (2005 Yeats, 2007 Scorpion, 2008 Soldier Of Fortune, 2010 Fame
And Glory, 2011, 2012 & 2013 St Nicholas Abbey), Moyglare Stud Stakes (2000
Sequoyah, 2001 Quarter Moon, 2003 Necklace, 2005 Rumplestiltskin, 2010 Misty
for Me, 2011 Maybe), Matron Stakes (2010 Lillie Langtry), QIPCO British
Champions Long Distance Cup (2011 Fame And Glory) UAE Derby (2012 Daddy Long
Legs, 2013 Lines Of Battle) Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf (2011 Wrote, 2012 George
Vancouver) Royal Ascot wins (41): Coventry Stakes (1997 Harbour Master,
1999 Fasliyev, 2001 Landseer, 2002 Statue Of Liberty, 2007 Henrythenavigator,
2011 Power, 2013 War Command), Chesham Stakes (1999 Bach, 2011 Maybe), St
James's Palace Stakes (2000 Giant's Causeway, 2001 Black Minnaloushe, 2002 Rock
Of Gibraltar, 2007 Excellent Art, 2008 Henrythenavigator, 2009
Mastercraftsman), Norfolk Stakes (2001 Johannesburg), Jersey Stakes (2001
Mozart, 2012 Ishvana, 2013 Gale Force Ten), Coronation Stakes (2002
Sophisticat, 2010 Lillie Langtry), Hampton Court Stakes (2004 Moscow Ballet,
2005 Indigo Cat), King Edward VII Stakes (2004 Five Dynasties), Queen Anne
Stakes (2006 Ad Valorem, 2008 Haradasun, 2013 Declaration Of War), Gold Cup
(2006, 2007, 2008 & 2009 Yeats, 2011 Fame And Glory), Queen's Vase (2007
Mahler, 2010 Mikhail Glinka, 2013 Leading Light), Prince Of Wales's Stakes
(2008 Duke Of Marmalade, 2012 So You Think), Hardwicke Stakes (2008 Macarthur,
2011 Await The Dawn), Queen Alexandra Stakes (2008 Honolulu), Golden Jubilee
Stakes (2010 Starspangledbanner) Wins in Britain 2000-2012: 11; 20*;
10*; 6; 4; 20; 11; 18*; 20*; 12; 7; 16; 13 *champion trainer for win and place
prize money; Wins in 2013 in Britain: 9
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