Siyouma downs unlucky Kate in Sun Chariot; Rosdhu Queen
takes Cheveley Park
French handler Francois Doumen gained his first top level success on the Flat
in Britain when Siyouma won Saturday’s Group 1 Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket.
It was a fourth consecutive win for French-trained horses, following on from
Rodolphe Collet’s three wins with Sahpresa.
Siyouma raced prominently under Gerald Mosse before taking the lead a furlong
from home and kept on strongly for a three-quarters of a length success. Elusive
Kate ran a good race to be second after stumbling coming out the stalls, and
Laugh Out Loud held on for third after making the running.
“She was very well today and she worked very well last week,” Mosse said, “so
we were pretty confident before we came.
“I was expecting the ground to be a bit softer, which would have helped, but
we have been lucky. I had a good pace in front of me and I would say that the
race was pretty clear for everyone. She picked up and really went to the line
with a lot of potential.
“She is definitely better over a mile — not because she won today but I have
already been saying it to the trainer for a long time. She can go to a mile and
a quarter, but a mile is definitely the best for her.”
Doumen admitted that the good ground was a cause for concern.
“I was worried about the ground for Siyouma because she is better on softer
ground — every time she works on soft ground she absolutely flies,” Doumen
said.
“She has been improving throughout the season and when she ran (third) in the
(Group 1) Falmouth Stakes in July she was still quite immature as she didn’t run
much as a three-year-old.
“She is the most satisfactory thing in the world. She is easy to train. She
has an easy temperament and is very calm. Gerald said she won with something in
hand and nobody will be able to criticize his ride today.
“As she has won easily, she could go for the (Grade 1) E.P. Taylor Stakes at
Woodbine in two weeks’ time — we could get some cut in the ground there. There
is also Japan and Hong Kong to consider. The fact she has won on fast ground
today reassures me that we can go there.”
The ever-consistent Elusive Kate showed her bravery in her close second-place
effort, despite a costly problem at the break.
“She stumbled out of the stalls and her shoe came loose and that has cost her
the race I think,” jockey William Buick said.
Her trainer, John Gosden, attempted to remove the right front shoe in the
winner’s enclosure when she came back in before calling for the racecourse
farrier to take it off. The foot was then bandaged and she was led off to the
unsaddling boxes for further inspection by her lad and trainer.
In other Group 1 action at Newmarket Saturday, Johnny Murtagh landed
back-to-back renewals of the Cheveley Park Stakes as Rosdhu Queen blitzed the
field to complete a wonderful unbeaten four-timer.
William Haggas’ filly has answered every call from a Ripon maiden win, to a
listed Newbury event and then the Group 2 Lowther Stakes on her previous outing,
when she proved herself over the six furlongs. Murtagh bounced the game filly
out from stall 1 on the far side, and the 4-1 chance kept going to collect by
one length.
“When you get a two-year-old filly you want to win the Lowther and the
Cheveley Park and she has done both,” Haggas said. “I could not say enough about
her.
“Her coat has gone but she can run and she is a tough and genuine filly.
“I want to enjoy the moment but we will give the (Group 1 One Thousand)
Guineas consideration. Why not?
“I didn’t think she would stay six furlongs, but she looked as though she was
going on again in the Lowther, and that there was more to come. Who knows if she
will stay a mile but we will give the Guineas a shot.”
“It was very similar to the race at York (the Lowther),” Murtagh said. “She
traveled well down the rail on her own, which she didn’t seem to mind, and she
battled well when Kieren (Fallon on Baileys Jubilee) came to me. She has done it
well.
“I was drawn in stall 1, so I just stayed straight. She was on the rail and
she wasn’t getting any hassle, so she was kind of flowing for the first three or
four furlongs.
“When I got to the three-marker, I thought that we would take a bit of
catching because she had loads left in reserve. Kieren got to me, but my filly
wasn’t for passing today.
“She is pretty fast but maybe she will mature over the winter. You just don’t
know and it’s a quick mile here, so I think that she deserves her chance in the
Guineas. The Cheveley Park is a great race and has a great record for the
Guineas. She can always come back in trip if she doesn’t stay, but the One
Thousand Guineas is a big race.”
Winning Express, supplemented for the Cheveley Park Stakes at a cost of
£15,000, repaid that and more when taking second a length shy of the winner.
Ed McMahon, who trains the progressive Camacho filly, regretted that she got
going too late.
“I knew we would get every yard of the trip after her run at Salisbury (where
she won a listed race over six furlongs on September 6),” McMahon said. “The
winner just injected a bit of pace going into the dip, and I am not saying
Winning Express was caught flat, but she tends to just switch off. Franny
(Norton, jockey) said she was doing her best work at the end, and with another
20 yards, she would have got there. We could be an unlucky loser.
“We will wait and see for next year, I am not sure her breeding would say she
would get a mile but she will certainly get seven. That is it for this year and
we will wait and see next year.”
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