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INTERNATIONAL DIARY JULY 8, 2008 by Kellie Reilly History is strewn with examples of fortuitous accidents. Before the dawn of civilization, the serendipitous discovery of fermentation resulted in the happy benefits of wine, and the pleasures of tea and chocolate were likewise the product of ancient happenstance. In the past century, such landmark finds as penicillin and the Dead Sea Scrolls were stumbled upon by mere chance. Now we can add another to that list of fantastically advantageous accidents: Jim Bolger's "mistake" of leaving NEW APPROACH (Galileo [Ire]) in the June 7 Derby (Eng-G1) after ruling him out of the Epsom classic weeks earlier. According to Bolger, it was a complete oversight that he kept New Approach eligible for the Derby, only to issue a stunning volte-face five days before the race that his star pupil would line up after all. Taking him at his word, we are profoundly fortunate, for otherwise we would have missed one of the most remarkable Derby performances in recent memory. Even as a New Approach partisan, who was pleased by Bolger's change of heart, I was worried early on in the race. The idiosyncratic chestnut was rank, fighting regular rider Kevin Manning, and appeared frustrated that he was being restrained off the pace. Somehow, Manning managed to persuade him of the usefulness of the change in tactics, and he then consented to canter along near the rear of the field. New Approach made headway in the straight, but when he was screened by a wall of horses who were going nowhere, I resigned myself to the fact that he just wasn't likely to get a seam. Meanwhile, the blaze-faced TARTAN BEARER (Spectrum) had exploded down the center of the course and looked the sure-fire winner. Then I spied a glimmer of hope for New Approach to the inside, and at the same instant, Manning went straight for it. He dove left, and suddenly had total daylight in front of him. Showing a smarter turn of foot than we'd witnessed from him so far in his career, New Approach mastered Tartan Bearer, who continued to fight on and was by no means conceding defeat. For a moment, it was as if the 2001 Derby were being rerun by proxy. The 2001 hero, Galileo (Ire), was here represented by his son New Approach, while the 2001 runner-up, Golan (Ire), was taking the field in the form of his full brother, Tartan Bearer. The brother was doing his utmost to avenge Golan's defeat, but New Approach stayed on too strongly, and Galileo was once again victorious in the about 1 1/2-mile affair. The top pair dominated the finish, with Tartan Bearer 4 1/2 lengths ahead of CASUAL CONQUEST (Hernando [Fr]) in third. Considering the last-minute change in plans to run, New Approach's frittering away of energy in the opening furlongs, and the potentially disastrous traffic snarl in the straight, his winning effort is truly exceptional. Moreover, two facts combine to raise his Derby achievement to lofty proportions: first, he was an unbeaten juvenile champion last year, and second, he missed by a whisker in the Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) to the world-class miler Henrythenavigator (Kingmambo). That's a seriously historic profile, which eclipses what 2007 Derby winner Authorized could claim, however impressive he was at Epsom. Sadly, New Approach may not get many more opportunities to enhance his resume. He was withdrawn from the June 29 Irish Derby (Ire-G1) after becoming uncomfortable on his left hind leg, a setback later diagnosed as a muscle issue. New Approach is still convalescing, and at latest report, Bolger suggested that the September 6 Irish Champion S. (Ire-G1) could be the next feasible target. None of that bodes well, and it would not be a surprise if we never see him race again. Should that be the case, the irony of Epsom becomes all the more telling: New Approach won the classic he was not even supposed to contest, before injury prevented his running in the classic that he was bound for all along. Had New Approach been able to race in the Irish Derby, he might well have been among those compromised by the marauding ALESSANDRO VOLTA (Montjeu [Ire]), an Aidan O'Brien trainee who became a one-horse wrecking crew after taking the lead in the straight. Just when CURTAIN CALL (Sadler's Wells) and Tartan Bearer were delivering their challenges, Alessandro Volta abruptly drifted left, totally shutting off Curtain Call while carrying Tartan Bearer ever wider out. As Alessandro Volta and his victims were strung across the course, sorting themselves out, FROZEN FIRE (Montjeu [Ire]) came flying to rescue the day for O'Brien. Dead last in the early going, he summoned a terrific burst of speed to win going away by two lengths over the utterly reliable Casual Conquest. In the process, Frozen Fire convincingly proved that his 11th-place finish at Epsom was not a true bill. He had failed to cope with the unique demands of that course, but at the Curragh, he was a different proposition entirely. Although Tartan Bearer was compromised by Alessandro Volta, and was rightly promoted to third, I doubt very much that he would have had the pace to match Frozen Fire in that last furlong. Indeed, as I'd pointed out in my last International Diary, there was precious little between Tartan Bearer and Frozen Fire in the Dante S. (Eng-G2), and the O'Brien colt promised to improve a fair bit. That didn't materialize at Epsom, but it certainly did at the Curragh. Any horse who can display that kind of turbo speed at the end of a 1 1/2-mile contest is a top-class individual, and Frozen Fire adds even more firepower to Ballydoyle's enviable arsenal. Ballydoyle's biggest three-year-old gun, however, remains HENRYTHENAVIGATOR, who followed up his English and Irish Two Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1) triumphs over New Approach with a course record-setting victory in the one-mile St James's Palace S. (Eng-G1) on June 17 at Royal Ascot. The O'Brien charge could have been in a tricky spot between rivals in the straight, but he smoothly accelerated out of there before it became a predicament and had the race in the bag from that point forward. The valiant RAVEN'S PASS (Elusive Quality) chased him home and whittled his margin down to three-quarters of a length, while himself 2 1/2 lengths clear of third. In most years, Raven's Pass would have been a decisive winner of this event. Underscoring the strength of the St James's Palace, the French Two Thousand Guineas (Fr-G1) winner FALCO (Pivotal) folded tamely in fifth. I strongly believe that "Henry" would have beaten the older milers in the Queen Anne S. (Eng-G1) earlier in the day, had the race been open to three-year-olds. Indeed, the older brigade finished in a muddled heap in the Queen Anne, with no one showing much of a change of gear. Australian champion HARADASUN (Fusaichi Pegasus), who was shipped to O'Brien in hopes of scoring a European Group 1, plugged on dourly up the stands' side rail to outduel DARJINA (Zamindar) by a head. His mission accomplished, Haradasun was promptly retired to stud in his native land. Just as well, for he couldn't have held a candle to Henry. Henry's victory further strengthened his parallels with former O'Brien pupil Rock of Gibraltar (Ire), who swept the English/Irish Guineas and St James's Palace in 2002 as part of his amazing seven Group 1 scores in a row. O'Brien has gone so far as to say that he's never trained a better miler than Henry, and that he may have more raw speed than Rock of Gibraltar. Plans call for Henry to stick to the Rock of Gibraltar program, with the July 30 Sussex S. (Eng-G1) versus older horses at Glorious Goodwood up next. Ultimately, he figures to have the October 25 Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) on his agenda. As wildly successful as O'Brien has been this season, his dominance has not extended to the three-year-old fillies' set. In this division, the Aga Khan's homebred ZARKAVA (Zamindar) has been untouchable, prompting trainer Alain de Royer-Dupre to declare her the best he's ever had. The bay extended her record to a perfect five-for-five with a deceptively effortless triumph in the June 8 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) (Fr-G1). Still on the bridle as she ranged into contention, Zarkava made it look easy as she galloped three lengths clear, while Christophe Soumillon indulged in some theatricality by blowing kisses to the cheering crowd. A direct female-line descendant of the immortal Petite Etoile, who was campaigned by the present Aga Khan's grandfather, Zarkava will now aim for the September 14 Prix Vermeille (Fr-G1) en route to the October 5 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1). The June 6 Oaks (Eng-G1) at Epsom also produced a smashing winner in LOOK HERE (Hernando [Fr]), a 33-1 shot who was making only her third career start. Like Zarkava, Look Here traveled supremely well, essentially on cruise control as her rivals came under pressure, and quickly powered home by 3 3/4 lengths over the O'Brien-trained MOONSTONE (Dalakhani). Unlike Zarkava, who gives the impression of just floating over the ground, Look Here looked like she was hitting warp speed. The Oaks form strikes me as rock-solid, and as a result, Look Here has much more long-term appeal than last year's heroine, Light Shift, did. Not only was the field well strung out, but two of the also-rans came back to win handsomely at Royal Ascot. LUSH LASHES (Galileo [Ire]), a disappointing fifth as the 5-2 Oaks favorite, rebounded with a 3 1/4-length tally in the one-mile Coronation S. (Eng-G1) on June 20, while Oaks seventh MICHITA (Dynaformer) rolled to a 3 1/2-length victory in the 1 1/2-mile Ribblesdale S. (Eng-G2) on June 19. Look Here has been carefully managed by horseman Ralph Beckett, who wants to keep the light-framed filly fresh. Accordingly, she will skip Sunday's Irish Oaks (Ire-G1) and a likely rematch with Lush Lashes and Moonstone, in favor of a possible tilt at the August 21 Yorkshire Oaks (Eng-G1). Beckett is also mulling the September 13 St Leger (Eng-G1) versus colts. Another reason that this edition of the Oaks looks strong is the final time: Look Here completed the about 1 1/2 miles in virtually the identical time as that posted by the classy older male SOLDIER OF FORTUNE (Galileo [Ire]) in a fast-run Coronation Cup (Eng-G1) on the same day. In a race dictated by brilliant Ballydoyle tactics, the O'Brien pacemaker surrendered the lead to stablemate MACARTHUR (Montjeu [Ire]) descending into the straight, and he in turn set sail for home with a sizeable advantage. Soldier of Fortune, on the rain-softened ground he loves, managed to reel in Macarthur late, while the deep-closing YOUMZAIN (Sinndar) arrived belatedly and had to settle for runner-up honors. The Coronation Cup has turned out to be a key race. In a vintage renewal of the June 29 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (Fr-G1), Youmzain handily turned the tables on Soldier of Fortune, while the pair were three lengths clear of the globetrotting DOCTOR DINO (Fr) (Muhtathir [GB]). Also, Macarthur, who I suspect might have won the Coronation Cup himself if he had not been busy assisting Soldier of Fortune, came right back to capture the June 21 Hardwicke S. (Eng-G2) at Royal Ascot. For a further test of the Coronation Cup form, watch how fast-closing fourth PAPAL BULL (Montjeu [Ire]) fares as the defending champion in Thursday's Princess of Wales's S. (Eng-G2). While Soldier of Fortune and Macarthur have performed well for O'Brien, his top older horse so far has been DUKE OF MARMALADE (Danehill). The handsome bay racked up his third major prize in as many starts this season in the June 18 Prince of Wales's S. (Eng-G1) at Royal Ascot, and he could hardly have been more impressive. Although his acceleration was not instantaneous, it was nonetheless lethal as he stormed home by four lengths. Duke of Marmalade's winning margin was one of the largest in the last 20 years, eclipsed only by the likes of Bosra Sham (1997), Dubai Millennium (2000) and Grandera (2002). Still following the program laid down for his old stablemate Dylan Thomas (Ire) last year, Duke of Marmalade is now bound for the July 26 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S. (Eng-G1) at Ascot, which will represent his first attempt at 1 1/2 miles. Macarthur, who is proven at the trip, is also slated to line up. Duke of Marmalade's form was boosted by this past Saturday's Eclipse S. (Eng-G1) at Sandown, albeit in an uninspiring running of a usually high-caliber race. PHOENIX TOWER (Chester House) and PIPEDREAMER (Selkirk), the minor place-getters in the Prince of Wales's, were again second and third, this time to O'Brien's MOUNT NELSON (Rock of Gibraltar [Ire]), who was all out to score in a photo-finish. Finally, I can't leave O'Brien's older horses without mentioning YEATS (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), who forever etched his name in the annals of Royal Ascot by capturing his third straight Gold Cup (Eng-G1) on June 19. Although I've long been a fan of Yeats, I doubted that he could match the legendary Sagaro, the only other horse to record a three-peat in the 2 1/2-mile marathon. Age, I thought, might be catching up with him, but in truth, the seven-year-old saved his finest Gold Cup performance for possibly his last. After briefly appearing to have a struggle on his hands, battling between rivals in the straight, Yeats found another gear and bolted home by five lengths. Whatever he does from here, Yeats has irrevocably solidified his ranking as one of the all-time great stayers. Among the older distaffers, Juddmonte Farms' homebred PROMISING LEAD (Danehill) broke through with her first top-level success in the June 28 Pretty Polly S. (Ire-G1) at the Curragh. From the family of champions Banks Hill (GB) and Intercontinental (GB) et al, the Sir Michael Stoute filly gave the multiple Group 1-placed sophomore MAD ABOUT YOU (Indian Ridge) 12 pounds and a decisive 1 1/4-length beating. Promising Lead is the type who could well turn up at Santa Anita for the October 24 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1). Our next edition will highlight the Irish Oaks and King George, the return of RAMONTI (Martino Alonso) and ARCHIPENKO (Kingmambo) in Saturday's Summer Mile (Eng-G2) at Ascot, as well as Sunday's Prix Jean Prat (Fr-G1) and the Grand Prix de Paris (Fr-G1) on Bastille Day.
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