Integral sets record in Duke of Cambridge; Jersey upholds classic form

Integral sets record in Duke of Cambridge; Jersey upholds

classic form

A high-class renewal of the Group 2 Duke of Cambridge

Stakes followed The Fugue's course record-setting performance in the Prince of

Wales's at Royal Ascot on Wednesday with yet another record falling to the

wayside.

Integral, trained by Sir Michael Stoute for owner/breeders David and Patricia Thompson of Newmarket's Cheveley Park Stud,

won by two lengths from French raider L'amour de Ma Vie in a record-breaking

1:37.09 for a mile on the good-to-firm going.

Integral gave Stoute his fourth renewal in the race, and his 69th overall

Royal Ascot winner, after tracking the strong early pace with Ryan Moore aboard.

The duo took off with a furlong remaining and edged clear in the final yards.

The winner has been placed at the top level, and when asked

if the Dalakhani filly could match her dam, Echelon, and win in that company, Moore

simply stated, "She

is a Group 1 filly."

Chris Richardson, who manages the Thompsons' stud, was able

to reel off other homebred winners that have landed the Duke of Cambridge race in recent

years, namely Spacious, Nannina and Peeress.

"She's a very talented filly. There's not a lot of her, but she has a huge

heart and has been working very well at home. Ryan was suitably impressed,"

Richardson praised Integral. "She's in the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket, but

we'll have to see how she is before making any decisions. Echelon has other

offspring by Galileo, Medicean, Shamardal and is back in foal to Dalakhani, so

there is plenty to look forward to."

The Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes took place before the Prince of Wales's and,

though it didn't produce a record-setting performance, that didn't matter to

winner Anthem Alexander's connections.

The juvenile daughter of Starspangledbanner failed to sell when bidding

halted at 48,000 guineas at public auction last year and Anthem

Alexander's breeder, Noel O'Callaghan, had little choice but to put her in

training with Eddie Lynam.

Though not a winner in the sales ring the chestnut miss proved best against

20 rivals in the Queen Mary with Pat Smullen holding the reins. Anthem Alexander

was made the favorite in Wednesday's five-furlong sprint following a

seven-length maiden score at Tipperary on June 5, but broke slow from the gate.

She quickly made up ground and took command a furlong out, turning back the

challenge of Tiggy Wiggy to score by a neck in a final time of :59.15.

"Maybe I was

looking for too much money (in regards to the reserve)," O'Callaghan offered

about why Anthem Alexander didn't sell. "Winning here is special with a homebred filly, and she has two

yearling half-sisters at home -- a yearling by Dream Ahead and a foal by

Acclamation.

"To be fair to Eddie Lynam, after two months, he was always

exceptionally positive about this filly -- he thinks that she is very good. He

can certainly train sprinters, so it's hopefully onwards and upwards.

"It's my first Royal Ascot winner - I have had plenty of

runners but no winners," O'Callaghan added. "It's hard to win here and, when you win here, you have

got to appreciate it and enjoy it."

"Natural ability has got her home in front

today. She's got the right constitution, is a big strong mare and she traveled

over well from Ireland. She's very well bred -- we'll certainly enjoy her," Lynam

stated. "She's the real deal and she will get better. Noel

O'Callaghan was very kind in giving her to me and he was very brave because

everyone was trying to buy her off him. I am delighted for him because, when you

refuse money for a horse, you need a bit of luck."

Lynam is noted as a trainer of sprinters and he joked, "I'll keep her to five or six furlongs

--

after all I can only train sprinters. I should think the Cherry Hinton Stakes

(at Newmarket next month) will be next."

Smullen doubled up in first two races on the second day of

Royal Ascot with Anthem Alexander. He started off the day with a one-length

victory aboard Mustajeeb in the Group 3 Jersey Stakes for trainer Dermot Weld.

"It's great. It's just so tough here, this is the big

stage and we've got a lot of horses but you go through a lot of horses to get

horses good enough for Ascot," he said. "I just had to be a bit patient. This is everything. Royal Ascot is the pinnacle, to ride two winners here

in one day one after the other is a pretty good feeling."

Weld welcomed his 16th Royal Ascot winner

when Hamdan Al Maktoum's Mustajeeb defeated 22 rivals in the Jersey. The Nayef

sophomore opened 2013 with a victory in the Amethyst at Leopardstown before

finishing third in the Irish Two Thousand Guineas. On Wednesday, he chased the

leader in the Jersey before taking over passing the quarter-pole and turning

back all challengers to score in a final time of 1:24:54 going seven furlongs.

The John Gosden-trained Muwaary was second, giving the owner a one-two finish

in the race.

"He is a very genuine colt, tough and honest,

and a very progressive horse," Weld praised Mustajeeb. "He won his Group race against older horses at Leopardstown over a mile and he came home very well

-- he was the only

three-year-old in the field.

"He is very consistent and was at the top of his game

today. I have the highest regard for (Guineas and St James's Palace winner) Kingman and you never know in racing what

may happen. Today was our day while (Tuesday) was Kingman's day. It is possible

they could meet again later in the year.

"It is great for Sheikh Hamdan to own the first and the

second and this happened in the Epsom Oaks recently when (Gosden-trained) Taghrooda beat Tarfasha who I saddled. John won then and I won today!

"I will speak with Sheikh Hamdan about what he wants to do

next. I expect we will go back over a mile with Mustajeeb -- I feel he is a

miler. This colt has a future. He is very adaptable and will go on any ground

but he appreciates fast ground. We thought that he would win today and he did it

well."

Angus Gold, racing manager to Hamdan Al Maktoum, commented, "Fair play to Mr. Weld. He was second in the Oaks to Mr. Gosden, so it is revenge

today. I am thrilled for Sheikh Hamdan and both trainers. Both horses came here

with classic form, hopefully they are a pair of improving three-year-olds, and

they have shown their class today.

"I was talking to Pat (Smullen) before and he said

Mustajeeb could never really get going on the ground in Ireland and it stretched

his stamina a bit. They have always believed in this horse and it is great to

see him do it.

"We will go and think about where to go next. This was a

big step up. I find the Jersey is almost as competitive as the Guineas these

days. I don't think that he will go any further than a mile, so he wouldn't be

one for the Irish Champion. We will have a look at all of the top mile races and

see."

In the remaining two races at Royal Ascot on Wednesday, Muteela produced a gutsy performance in the final race of

day two to win the one-mile listed Sandringham Handicap by a short-head while Jamie Osborne pulled off one of the training feats of the

year by producing Field of Dream to win the Royal Hunt Cup first time

out this season at 20-1.

Muteela was always prominent in the Sandringham and led a furlong out.

Despite being challenged on all sides, the daughter of Dansili battled gamely to score and give both

her trainer Mark Johnston and jockey Paul Hanagan, their first winner of the

meeting.

Field of Dream, a seven-year-old Oasis Dream gelding, last

raced 263 days ago when 12th in the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket. He was sixth in

the Royal Hunt Cup in 2013 and fourth in the mile charge down Ascot's straight

mile the previous year. Adam Kirby was in the irons Wednesday as the veteran

outran his odds to score by 1 1/4 lengths.

With the conditions rated good-to-firm on Wednesday, Chris Stickels, Ascot's Clerk of the Course, is putting

four millimeters of water on the whole course for Thursday.

"We have had a very good day with terrific racing but the ground has

continued to dry so we are going to water," Stickels explained. "We are putting four

millimeters on the whole course as the

forecast indicates very minimal rain before racing tomorrow -- a shower amounting

to less than a millimeter. In light of that and the very drying conditions we have

had this afternoon, we are going to put four millimeters on everything."

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