Establishing herself at the top of the tree when beating the subsequent
Moyglare Stud winner Cursory Glance in York’s Lowther Stakes last time August
21, Potensis Ltd.’s revelation of 2014 Tiggy Wiggy hammered the point home in a
deep renewal of Newmarket’s Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes Saturday.
Quickest away as usual and soon more than a length ahead under Richard
Hughes, the 6-4 chalk was held on to until the approach to the quarter pole and
when the trigger was pressed there she was instantly beyond recall. At the line,
the bay had three-quarters of a length to spare over her Queen Mary conqueror
Anthem Alexander and another 1 1/4 lengths to the much-vaunted French raider
High Celebrity as the cream rose to the top.
“She’s a very good filly and this has proved to everyone that you can buy one
for £40,000 and get a top-class one,”
trainer Richard Hannon said. “We’ll have a look at the Prix de l’Abbaye de
Longchamp (against elders October 5), as this is her year.”
While few would have believed she would reach this pinnacle as she made a
successful winning debut on Kempton’s Polytrack March 29, Tiggy Wiggy’s
seven-length score nevertheless suggested there were substantial purses to be
chased. Remaining at five furlongs for her next five starts, she was second to
Patience Alexander in the Marygate at York May 16 before emerging 13 days later
to register a first black-type score in the National at Sandown.
Beaten a neck by Anthem Alexander in Royal Ascot’s Queen Mary on June 18, she
looked to have reached a peak there but Hannon’s disappointment after that
contest was palpable and she suggested she had improved again when an impressive
six-length winner of Newbury’s Weatherbys Super Sprint July 19. Taking the race
to Cursory Glance and Anthem Alexander in the Lowther, Tiggy Wiggy showed how
deadly she could be when allowed her head in front, and her fast break was fully
exploited once again by Richard Hughes Saturday as “TDN Rising Star” High
Celebrity was tardy from the gates.
Shadowed by Anthem Alexander and the imposing Tendu for the first half of the
contest, she comfortably held that length advantage and when cannoned down into
the “dip” left her larger rivals adrift in a decisive move. Despite regaining
lost ground on the uphill climb to the line, the next four home — which
included the impressive maiden scorers Terror and Tendu — were unable to get on
terms with the dynamic winner.
“She was brilliant and what she did today was settle really well,” Hughes
said. “I got a very soft lead and I didn’t increase the pace until just before
the two-pole, so I knew it was going to take a very good one to get by me. She
was very good at the start and the more we can keep the lid on her, the better
she is when she jumps out. She won quite easily and does more than that in a
morning. She’s definitely four inches bigger than she was in the spring and is
turning into a beautiful filly. She’s a credit to the team and to Richard
Hannon.”
Anthem Alexander’s conditioner Eddie Lynam told PA Sport, “She was beaten by
a superstar and it’s proved that the three in the Lowther are the best
two-year-old fillies around. She’ll go on her holidays now and the new Group 1
at Royal Ascot will be her big target.”
High Celebrity’s trainer Andre Fabre was left in a quandary afterwards as he
ponders the plan for the filly he holds in such high regard.
“The jockey felt she didn’t like the undulations,” he told PA Sport. “I
wanted to come here and think about coming back for the Guineas. She’s been here
now and would prefer a flatter track, but there aren’t too many options for
her.”
Tiggy Wiggy was a £41,000 DBS purchase by
Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock and her half-brother by Big Bad Bob (Ire) will
be offered during Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.
Earlier in the Group 2 Royal Lodge over a mile, Elm Park powered up the hill
late to defeat favored Nafaqa.
Wearing the famed black-and-gold silks of the late Paul Mellon when winning
the Stonehenge over this trip at Salisbury last time August 29, Elm Park sported
the now-familiar Qatar Racing colors as he continued his progress up the charts
with this clear-cut success. Scoring over seven furlongs at Newbury a fortnight
before his Salisbury effort, the bay had made all on the latter occasion but was
denied that opportunity this time as he slipped leaving the stalls and Salateen
set off at a generous tempo.
Unperturbed by having to take a lead, he settled in fourth and was wound up
at halfway to gradually reel in Nafaqa with a furlong to race. Asserting despite
veering left, the Kingsclere homebred — who is still part-owned by the Baldings’
stud — was firmly in command at the line as stamina came into play.
“I always thought I was going to get there, but the ground is quick enough
for him and that’s why he was off the bridle early,” jockey Andrea Atzeni
explained. “He stumbled coming out of the stalls, but he traveled nicely,
started racing quite a long way out and came home really well.”
Trainer Andrew Balding added, “He put in a very moderate piece of work in
thick fog last week just after Sheikh Fahad had bought into him, but his
work-rider put it down to the poor visibility and we went ahead and supplemented
him. I was a bit worried at halfway, as the ground was quick enough for him and
he was getting a little bit lost on it before he met the rising ground.
“I think he’s every bit as a good as his dad (Phoenix Reach), who is a very
underrated stallion. He’s in the Racing Post Trophy (at Doncaster October 25),
so we’ll discuss it with Sheikh Fahad and other members of the team but I’d have
thought that as long as he’s OK we’ll give it a go.”
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