Miss Andretti rockets to King’s Stand score
by Tony Smurthwaite
The sprinting world has a new darling after Miss Andretti, 12,000 miles from home, powered clear as if propelled by a rocket in her British debut in the King's Stand Stakes (Eng-G2) at Royal Ascot on Tuesday.
The victory was the fourth in a row at the top level for Sean Buckley's six-year-old Ihtiram mare, and one that left trainer Lee Freedman close to tears in front of the BBC cameras as the enormity of the achievement sank in.
Supporters watching in the dead of night back in Australia could scarcely have believed the result as fellow Australian challengers Magnus and Takeover Target finished third and fourth. Only Ireland's runner-up Dandy Man, who was 1 3/4 lengths behind the winner for owner Princess Haya of Jordan, denied the Aussies a memorable 1-2-3 finish.
The fourth Australian challenger, Bentley Biscuit, finished sore in last place.
Even Freedman, 50, who trained two-time Australian Horse of the Year Makybe Diva to an unprecedented three Melbourne Cup (Aus-G1) victories, was in awe of the performance of the winner and her sheer power during the five-furlong trip.
Miss Andretti stopped the clock in a course record time of :57.44 seconds. That shattered the previous best of :59.79 set by Takeover Target when winning the 2006 King's Stand and the :2.35 gap was calculated by time experts to no fewer than 11 lengths.
"It has always been my dream to win a Group 1 in Europe—and this race should be a Group 1—but this is the first time I have had the chance," said Freedman, who will run Miss Andretti in the six-furlong Golden Jubilee Stakes (Eng-G1) on Saturday provided she comes out of the King’s Stand in good order.
"It was no real surprise that Miss Andretti beat the clock as she has broken four track records at home," Freedman said.
Winning rider Craig Newitt, 22, praised Miss Andretti's “amazing will to win.”
"It sets her apart," Newitt said.
Trainer Tracey Collins said Dandy Man may skip the Golden Jubilee and wait for the Darley July Cup Stakes (Eng-G1) at Newmarket's July festival.
"The sooner they go back to the Southern Hemisphere, the better,” Collins said with a smile, summing up a feeling widely held by bewildered local trainers after the Australian contingent’s dominance.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien had earlier on the card welcomed back the new hot favorite for the 2008 Stan James Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) after Henrythenavigator handsomely outpointed his opponents in the Coventry Stakes (Eng-G2), a race featuring 17 other winners.
Bookmakers now offer odds as low as 5-to-1 on Henrythenavigator for the one-mile classic at Newmarket next May.
Henrythenavigator had won his only previous race, albeit by seven lengths, but was so widely touted as the next George Washington (Ire) or Holy Roman Emperor that he went off the 11-to-4 favorite in the first race of the Royal Ascot meeting.
Not only did he win by three-quarters of a length from Swiss Franc, but the dark bay or brown Kingmambo colt established a new course record of 1:12.46 for six furlongs on firm turf.
"It was a big thing coming here today and we were delighted with how he did it,” O'Brien said. “It's a long way to the Guineas but we've always hoped he might be that type of horse. There are a lot of choices about where we go now."
by Tony Smurthwaite
The sprinting world has a new darling after Miss Andretti, 12,000 miles from home, powered clear as if propelled by a rocket in her British debut in the King's Stand Stakes (Eng-G2) at Royal Ascot on Tuesday.
The victory was the fourth in a row at the top level for Sean Buckley's six-year-old Ihtiram mare, and one that left trainer Lee Freedman close to tears in front of the BBC cameras as the enormity of the achievement sank in.
Supporters watching in the dead of night back in Australia could scarcely have believed the result as fellow Australian challengers Magnus and Takeover Target finished third and fourth. Only Ireland's runner-up Dandy Man, who was 1 3/4 lengths behind the winner for owner Princess Haya of Jordan, denied the Aussies a memorable 1-2-3 finish.
The fourth Australian challenger, Bentley Biscuit, finished sore in last place.
Even Freedman, 50, who trained two-time Australian Horse of the Year Makybe Diva to an unprecedented three Melbourne Cup (Aus-G1) victories, was in awe of the performance of the winner and her sheer power during the five-furlong trip.
Miss Andretti stopped the clock in a course record time of :57.44 seconds. That shattered the previous best of :59.79 set by Takeover Target when winning the 2006 King's Stand and the :2.35 gap was calculated by time experts to no fewer than 11 lengths.
"It has always been my dream to win a Group 1 in Europe—and this race should be a Group 1—but this is the first time I have had the chance," said Freedman, who will run Miss Andretti in the six-furlong Golden Jubilee Stakes (Eng-G1) on Saturday provided she comes out of the King’s Stand in good order.
"It was no real surprise that Miss Andretti beat the clock as she has broken four track records at home," Freedman said.
Winning rider Craig Newitt, 22, praised Miss Andretti's “amazing will to win.”
"It sets her apart," Newitt said.
Trainer Tracey Collins said Dandy Man may skip the Golden Jubilee and wait for the Darley July Cup Stakes (Eng-G1) at Newmarket's July festival.
"The sooner they go back to the Southern Hemisphere, the better,” Collins said with a smile, summing up a feeling widely held by bewildered local trainers after the Australian contingent’s dominance.
Trainer Aidan O’Brien had earlier on the card welcomed back the new hot favorite for the 2008 Stan James Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) after Henrythenavigator handsomely outpointed his opponents in the Coventry Stakes (Eng-G2), a race featuring 17 other winners.
Bookmakers now offer odds as low as 5-to-1 on Henrythenavigator for the one-mile classic at Newmarket next May.
Henrythenavigator had won his only previous race, albeit by seven lengths, but was so widely touted as the next George Washington (Ire) or Holy Roman Emperor that he went off the 11-to-4 favorite in the first race of the Royal Ascot meeting.
Not only did he win by three-quarters of a length from Swiss Franc, but the dark bay or brown Kingmambo colt established a new course record of 1:12.46 for six furlongs on firm turf.
"It was a big thing coming here today and we were delighted with how he did it,” O'Brien said. “It's a long way to the Guineas but we've always hoped he might be that type of horse. There are a lot of choices about where we go now."
