Two aptly named horses took the main honours on Champions Day at Newmarket yesterday. Strangely, pride of place on the day went to Teofilo, who bullocked his way to victory in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes to establish himself as a firm winter favourite for both the 2,000 Guineas and the Derby, not to the brilliant and compact French-trained mare, Pride, who demolished a Group One-class field to take the Champion Stakes, sponsored by Emirates Airline.
Teofilo Stevenson, the great Cuban heavyweight and triple Olympic champion, could not have shown more courage or tenacity than his namesake, a massive 510kg two-year-old who seemed sure to be knocked flat by the challenge of the fast-finishing Holy Roman Emperor. For a second, Teofilo was rocked back, almost affronted that anybody should have the cheek to trade punches. Then he dug in again, almost swamping his smaller, neater, compatriot to emerge the victor by a neck for trainer, Jim Bolger, and jockey, Kevin Manning.
It was some race, a duel fought out by the two market leaders and the two most talented Classic prospects in Ireland, the highlight of a day rich not just in prize money. To cap a memorable day for Ireland and for the Bolger family, who, for once, eclipsed the might of Coolmore, Finsceal Beo was an impressive winner of the Group Two Rockfel Stakes half an hour after Teofilo’s very different win. “Very straightforward,” said Manning. The filly, whose name is Gaelic for Living Legend, has earned a 5-1 quote for the 1,000 Guineas back here in May with Ladbrokes, a point behind Sander Camillo. Once again, Ireland hold a handful of aces for next year’s Classics.
But Teofilo was the star, a horse with the “look at me” quality of George Washington. “He ticks all the boxes,” said Bolger, who owns the horse with his wife, Jackie. “He’s improving all the time and he should be embarrassed by how much he eats. But he’s so good mentally, he doesn’t do worry.” Neither, it seems, does his taciturn trainer, who claimed a two on a 1-10 scale of concern as Holy Roman Emperor weaved his way through the field under Mick Kinane to launch his challenge.
“I knew his stamina would come into play and he still had alot of energy left at the line.”
Teofilo can eat his way happily through the winter and emerge in the spring stronger than ever. The Bolgers can consider massive offers for their horse. “He’ll be running in our colours next year, but I haven’t consulted Jackie yet,” said the trainer. A quote of 7-2 favourite for the 2,000 Guineas with Paddy Power seems about right.
Yet the erratic course charted aboard Holy Roman Emperor by Kinane will give Aidan O’Brien no little confidence that the roles can be reversed in the spring. Balked on his initial run through the field, switched first to the inside and then back out to challenge, Holy Roman Emperor still picked up the leader with impressive ease.
Whether he did not quite have the strength to push home his advantage or was intimidated by his bigger rival will be discovered next season, but there was no doubt which horse had the smoother passage. Holy Roman Emperor will improve through the coming months, too.
Detroit City’s grinding victory in the Cesarewitch could arguably be described as the ultimate training performance for Philip Hobbs, who preferred to stay in his favoured milieu at Kempton Park but who managed to bring the burly Triumph Hurdle winner to the peak of perfection after a mere charity race.
”That was some serious training feat,” said jockey, Jamie Spencer, who had to sit tight and bully the sleepy grey into the race after being swamped by the large field through the first two thirds of the two and a quarter mile slog over the Heath. “It was like the Titanic out there and we were sinking,” said the Irishman. It seemed a strange day to be talking of the Champion Hurdle but, if owner Terry Warner has his way, that will be Detroit City’s main target for the winter. He too is well named, a Diesel-engined saloon worthy of the Motor City.
From the all-weather at Lingfield to the winners’ enclosure at Newmarket on Champions Day is a long road indeed. Pride, who made a high-class field look ordinary to win the Emirates Airlines Champion Stakes yesterday, has even taken the low route via Paris to fame and a fortune considerably greater than when she ran down the field on her debut in England three years ago.
Initially trained in Newmarket by Gerard Butler, Pride was switched to the French yard of Alain Royer-Dupre in 2004 but still took her time to serve her apprenticeship, progressing steadily through Group company to the very pinnacle of European racing. Only yesterday, though, did she truly show her electric pace, following Sir Percy through on the rail and putting the race away with a burst of speed at the furlong pole to end the run of three successive seconds in Group One races at Newmarket for his owner and breeder, Sven Hanson, a Swedish-born Swiss-based salt trader. “This is the ultimate prize,” he said.
If there was relief on the face of Christophe Lemaire, her jockey, it was quite understandable. The Frenchman had overdone the waiting tactics two weeks earlier in the Arc, but took no such risk yesterday on the 7-2 second favourite. “She was much more relaxed today,” he said. “She has really learnt to do the job.”
The six-year-old might yet have one more race, possibly in the Breeders Cup early next month, before being retired to stud. She has more than earned her keep, a tribute to the patience of owner and trainer.
