Equinties - Frankie

Author

BGP Capital
June 07, 2024

Equinties

Gm Equinauts

This newsletter is international in both content and readership so it’s only right we draw your attention to a beautiful partnership across the pond in Frankie Dettori and Juddmonte.

COPPICE runs in the 22.30 Saratoga with the Italian onboard. She was last seen finishing 4th in the Sun Chariot to INSPIRAL who smashed them up in the Breeders Cup. She had previously won the Sandringham at Royal Ascot.

Frankie is going so well in America and surely a Grade 1 win in the Juddmonte silks beckons!

Let’s dive in.

HEADLINE ROUNDUP

TAKE TWO

Cast your mind back to last month’s Group 2 Temple Stakes and there were a few stories blossoming.

Would LIVE IN THE DREAM perform on his first start since the Breeders’ Cup? Would the filly BEAUTIFUL DIAMOND hang with the geldings? Is ROGUE LIGHTENING a smart purchase for Wathnan Racing?

All of those stories were worth following, but the inclusion of ASFOORA – Henry Dwyer’s Group 2-winning sprinter from Australia – was another to keep an eye on her first start in the UK.

That day, she finished fourth under Mitchell Aiken, though connections have now booked Oisin Murphy to do the steering ahead of her tilt at the Group 1 King Charles III Stakes at Royal Ascot.

Ahead of her big Ascot target, trainer Dywer said: "I thought her run was a pass mark and about what we expected. She loomed up and looked the winner but she just blew up fitness-wise in the last half furlong, which was down to the soft conditions and the lack of work we'd done. She'll be better for it.

"We've had success there before but at the end of the day, she can only run as well as she can. She's not Nature Strip, but she's a bloody good sprinter.

"The stiff five furlongs at Ascot is a question mark in my mind as you probably need more of a six-furlong horse there and she's not that. I think she'll be better suited to the five furlongs at Goodwood and York, but we've come from Australia and it's a great carnival and we're really keen to run and run well."

CAPU-LET GO

Last year, Aidan O’Brien let go of the JUSTIFY colt BERTINELLI (now called UNBELIEVABLE) to Hong Kong and this year they have done something similar as CAPULET (by JUSTIFY) is also Hong Kong bound.

The three-year-old landed the Listed Dee Stakes on his last start when beating BRACKEN’S LAUGH by half-a-length, though his ultimate Hong Kong target could be for a much bigger contest.

Mark McStay, who brokered the deal, said: I believe he's set to go to Danny Shum and hopefully he's lucky for his new owner.

"Justify has done it globally in Europe, America and Australia and I'm certain he'll make an impact in Hong Kong in due course with his runners. They seem to like fast ground and Capulet is a particularly exciting horse who can hopefully adapt to racing over there. He could be a horse for the Hong Kong Derby if things went the right way."

APPRENTICE CHAMPIONSHIP

At least once in the Flat season, it’s worth looking at the crop of apprentices fighting it out for the championship.

After all, Billy Loughnane stormed onto the scene last year and he will go to the very top when some of the established riders hang up their silks.

This year, there are a few to note, but let’s start with the reason for us including this section in the newsletter.

Jack Doughty rode his first career double at Haydock yesterday at the age of 16. Yes, 16! One came for trainer Robert Bevis and the other for his boss Tony Carroll.

With his youthful age, and the fact he’s already worked alongside the likes of Loughnane, he has started his career well, so let’s hope he continues along this path. He sits in third in the championship, though the leader currently is Mark Winn.

He is riding for trainers like Adrian Keatley, Paul Midgley, David O’Meara, and Antony Brittain.

He is more experienced than a few of the other apprentices as he has 82 wins to his name. He did begin race-riding under rules in 2020, though he hit the ground running in 2023 and continued that this year.

Sean D Bowen (not the jump jockey) splits Doughty and Winn in the championship with seven winners since the title for 2024 got underway, though he has the backing of James Owen and Ian Williams on his side. He only has 29 career wins to his name and he is still a teenager like Doughty, so he’s sure to get a few nice rides for some of those top operations.

There seems to be a nice crop of apprentices coming through thanks to these three and the likes of Adam Farragher, Ryan Sexton, Jonny Peate, and Grace McEntee.

It’ll therefore be interesting to see how their careers develop.

RISK ON

One bet one loser in Ireland yesterday - serves us right for going against our own better judgement.

Today we like a horse repping the the famousplot king:

18.15 FOREVER MY PRINCE

Nice ew here on a horse over priced probably because Bishop has to ride for other connections. Should be well in the mix in this poor race. Time to get his head in front. 12-14’s book dependant.

19.50 ALMUDENA

Classic SMP job here. This girl is seriously well bred and is going to love the step up in trip today. The STUDY OF MAN’s generally improve plenty from 2 to 3. 11/10 a good single.