With much-favored champion Yibir completely absent from the opening game, GI Man o’ War S. in Belmont on Saturday was in a state of tension, and the longest hit on the Highland Chief’s board. took advantage. Absent himself and with no real speed, Highland Chief shared the original frontline mission with Abaan (Fees will be charged) crossed the rope for the first time while pilot Trevor McCarthy stayed away from the fence. Content came in second on the first bend and down the back through splits: 25.35, :51.84 and 1:17.60, Highland Chief turned the heat back home to return home with a stance. way as hero Yibir of last year’s Jockey Club Derby Invitational and GI Breeders’ Cup Turf and MGISW Gufo also joined the fray. Highland Chief pokes his head forward a mile forward in 1:42.04, and while it seems certain one of his more successful enemies will come to capture him as they head straight, the bay continues to find and actually receded a bit at the end.
McCarthy, who is celebrating his first win at the top level, said: “I want to rest well, that’s the most important thing. “He played well last time, but he was just destroyed at the break. Today, he is really helpful to me. The pace was quite slow, but all that time he just carried me, carried me, carried me. At column 5/16, I let him go and started moving early. I just wanted to get rid of the other guys and it definitely paid off. He created a lot of ground on his first run in the US and stopped really badly at rest, but he had a good rally. “
“It was a great feeling,” McCarthy said of winning his first I. “To win it for [trainer] Graham [Motion], who has supported me so much in my career, it’s really special. My father started riding for Graham and we became good friends with them and his family. I started at 15 and worked for Graham. Right after I started learning how to drive, I stayed at Fair Hill for three years. I would come on weekends and school holidays and hang out with him, that would be great. I learned a lot from him and all his staff there at the time. To win it with so much history with him is amazing.”
Originally based with Paul Cole in the UK, Highland Chief was thought through enough to compete in the 2020 G1 Investec Derby, where he finished 10th ahead of a pair of 1/2 mile seconds at Team level. He only started once last year, checking fifth in Epsom’s G1 Crowning Cup on June 4 and found 8 1/2 plates at the Aqueduct too sharp to finish ninth while making a point significantly towards the end of his US debut on April 14.
“To be fair, Alex Cole, the owners’ manager, has told me that if he gets back into European form he will be very competitive with these horses,” Motion said. “He won a race at Ascot. That is not easy to do. Trevor has a strategy – he knows he can’t leave him with too much work to do. He played better today, which made the difference as he wasn’t held back too much in the beginning or too much land to compensate. Trevor gave him a great ride. I told Trevor, “I can’t believe someone broke slower than us.”
Regarding potential future plans, Motion said, “We have to think about [June 11 GI Resorts World] Manhattan, but it has been mentioned to Europe after this race if he runs well. Initially, they talked about running in the Dubai World Cup and I knew he wasn’t ready for that. [The owners] think highly of him. “
As for the beat-up lover, coach Charlie Appleby said, “That’s him. He did it here last year. That’s his style. He made it [when second in the Mar. 26 G1] So does the Sheema Classic. We didn’t want him to slow down like that, but his way of running is speeding… Unfortunately we had rain here last night and it rained again today and it’s just on the slower side. where he likes to hear his feet clack. As for his acceleration, it’s just a bit dull. Nothing will take away the winner, he has kept good form in Europe during his three-year career there and he must be respected. We ran our race, but in an ideal world if you asked me what I wanted, it wouldn’t rain.”
Appleby said last year’s grass-court champion will likely return to the United States for GI Sword Dancer S. August 27 in Saratoga.
Saturday, Belmont . Park
MAN O’ WAR S.-Hold$651,000, Belmont, 5-14, 4yo/up, 1 3/8mT, 2:17.04, fm.
first-HIGHLAND CHIEF (IRE), 118, h, 5, by Gleneagles (Ire)
Dam One: Pink Symphony (GB) (GSW-Ire, MSP-Eng, $186,684), by Montjeu (Ire)
2nd dam: Blue Symphony (GB), by Darshaan (GB)
3rd Dam: Blue Duster, by Danzig
WINNER OF BLACK 1, WINNER OF CLASS 1, WINNING OF CLASS 1, CLASS 1
VICTORY. O/B-Mrs. Fitri Hay (IRE); ORDER. Graham Motion; J-Trevor
McCarthy. $375,000. Lifetime Record: 12-3-2-2, $501,862.
Click to view eNicks report & pedigree of 5 children. Nick Werk Rating: B.
2-Gufo124, h, 5, Declaration of War – Floy, by Petionville.
O-Otter Bend Stables, LLC; B-John Little and Stephen Cainelli
(CZK); T-Christophe Clement. $130,000.
3–Yibir (GB)124, g, 4, Dubawi (Ire) –Rumh (Ger), by Monsun
(Ger). O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Charles Appleby. 70,000 dollars.
Margins: 1, NK, 2 3/4. Odds: 19.20, 2.45, 0.55.
Also Ran: Easter (Fr), Abaan. Scratches: Too high (GB). Click to view Equibase.com chartthe PP of TJCIS.com or Free Equineline.com catalog style genealogy. VIDEO sponsored by TVG.
Genealogical notes:
Highland Chief welcomes first crop of MG1SW miller Gleneagleswho was at the very end of his solitary American beginnings trying out with American pharoahGI Breeders’ Classic Trophy Procession. He is one of 10 category/group winners for Coolmore Ireland residents.
Montjeu, meanwhile, has 37 graded/grouped winners in the Northern Hemisphere as broodstock to go with 17 ponies south of the equator.
The winner’s dam was a 400,000gns purchase of TATOCT purchased by Paul Cole on behalf of Hay on behalf of Hay in 2008 and she helped repay that investment with a score in 1 1/2 miles G3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Give Thanks S. in 2011. Half to MGSW / MG1SP Fantasia (GB) (Sadler’s Wells) – a Group 3 award winning producer – and MGSW / MG1SP Western Hymn (GB) (High Chaparral) {Ire}), Pink Symphony is the granddaughter of the 1995 European 2nd champion – Damn Blue. She has a 2-year-old full brother of Highland Chief and an avid son of Churchill (Ire).
