Can Zavateri do it again?
Between them, Aidan O’Brien and Charlie Appleby have won eight of the last ten renewals of the Group 1 Darley Dewhurst Stakes that takes place at Newmarket on Saturday, so precedent would suggest it is only reasonable to focus first on these two yards ahead of all others, writes Paul Alster.
Racing is rarely so simple, but there is little doubt that Appleby’s Distant Storm is going to be a major contender following his rout of decent opposition over the course and distance a couple of weeks ago in the Group 3 Tattersalls Stakes. The son of Night Of Thunder left behind the disappointment of his previous defeat in the Group 3 Tattersalls Acomb Stakes at York in August, in which he ran too freely and paid for it at the business end of the contest. Andrew Balding’s Gewan – who might renew rivalry – put in a more professional winning performance that day.
Appleby’s charge certainly learned plenty from his Knavesmire defeat five weeks earlier and tore to victory last time, clearly progressing fast. He is taken to gain his revenge over Gewan and is sure to take some beating if taking another step forward as he bids to follow in the winning hoof prints of recent stable stars Shadow Of Light, Native Trail and Pinatubo.
Godolphin may also be represented by Saba Desert, who ran no sort of a race last time when last of six in the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh, when expected to go well. That run was surely too bad to be true and he is better judged on his previous victory in the Group 2 Superlative Stakes on the July course, in which he prevailed from Aidan O’Brien’s Italy, another who may renew rivalry in what could be a fascinating contest.
O’Brien is responsible for no less than six of the fourteen five-day declarations for this £500,000 seven furlong race, his Group 2 Coventry Stakes hero Gstaad heavily favoured in the betting among the sextet at around 10/3, behind the current 5/2 market leader Distant Storm. Gstaad has been beaten in both starts since Ascot but ran fine races on each occasion; losing out by just a short neck to Venetian Sun in the Group 1 Prix Morny at Deauville in August, then failing by only a head to repel the unbeaten Zavateri in the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh last month.
Italy is a potentially strong second string for the legendary Irish trainer, while his other entries are Group 2 Beresford Stakes winner Hawk Mountain, the Goffs Million hero Dorset, the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes runner-up Brussels, and Frescobaldi. Whichever horses O’Brien eventually chooses to send to the Rowley Mile, they will all be running on their individual merits and must be respected.
The dark horse in the race is Karl Burke’s Alparslan who, should he take his chance, would add a beat of spice to the line-up. The yard has had a tremendous campaign with its juveniles so the fact they rely solely on this son of Dandy Man suggests they rate him right up there with the best of them. He has won both his races to date, last time slamming fifteen rivals in a Curragh sales race and scoring by an eased down four three-quarter lengths. The opposition that day was much weaker than he will face at HQ this weekend, but Alparslan is still an unknown quantity and any market support for the Middleham-based colt would be well worth noting.
ZAVATERI, trained by Eve Johnson Houghton, will arrive at Newmarket after a stellar campaign that has seen him go down to post four times and return a winner on every occasion. The Without Parole colt has never been sent off favourite, an indication of him being continually under-rated by punters and bookies alike. Following his latest tough as teak defeat of Gstaad in Ireland it is hard to imagine he won’t be close to the market leader when they jump off for one of the most important juvenile races of the year.
It is not so much his unbeaten record that makes this relatively cheap 35,000 guineas purchase such a likeable performer, it is the manner in which he puts his head down and strives his utmost to keep his nose in front. In Ireland last time, try as Gstaad might, Zavateri just would not be denied. If that race hasn’t left its mark on Johnson Houghton’s star (or indeed O’Brien’s colt, for that matter), I believe he may again gain the day, although Distant Storm is very much respected along with the other unbeaten horse in the field, Alparslan. It promises to be a great race.
Paul Alster has broadcast and reported on the British racing industry for four decades as a commentator, journalist, presenter, betting correspondent, SP Returner, tipster and form analyst, among other things.