Rip Van Winkle Is Europe's 3yo Champion Male Miler
The hooves of Aiden O'Brien's three-year-old colt Rip Van Winkle IRE (Galileo IRE) were sufficiently healed to allow him to race in and win the Group 1 Sony Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, 1m on the Round Course, Saturday September 26.
Winning the race automatically qualified Rip for a place in the $2 million TVG Breeders' Cup Mile November 7 on Santa Anita's Pro-Ride surface.
Delegator already has his place in the same race.
O'Brien prefers the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic, 1m2f, instead. Mastercraftsman IRE (Danehill Dancer IRE) will also be entered in the Classic.
Rip is trading as joint favourite in the Classic with John Oxx's Sea The Stars IRE (Cape Cross IRE).
Since O'Brien is zero for 10 entries in the race and STS is a vastly superior horse, it is surprising that Rip is joint favourite.
The great American mare Zenyatta USA (Street Cry USA) is also a possible opponent on her specialty All Weather along with three-year-old Summer Bird USA (Birdstone USA), a Belmont-Travers Double winner like his sire. SB trained on AW and should not be inconvenienced.
Many American Dirt horses are at a disadvantage on the Pro-Ride surface That accounts for the race not being on Rachel Alexandra's (Megdaglia D'Oro USA) agenda until next year when the Breeders' Cup returns to Churchill Downs.
The Queen Elizabeth II mile race itself was not particularly impressive in spite of being run on good-to-firm ground at a second short of record time: 1m38:82secs.
Only three horses contested Rip for the £250,000 total purse: Aqlaam (Oasis Dream) for Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, Delegator (Dansili) for Godolphin and Zacinto (Dansili) for Juddmonte.
Many wondered why one of the major racing empires did not engage a pacemaker. Instead, Richard Hills did the donkey work on Aqlaam down the middle of the course. This double Group 1 miler faded to a distant last after Johnny Murtagh passed him and took Rip over to the rail.
Delegator, a fast horse with a toe, had every chance under Frankie Dettori but never picked up after the seventh furlong.
The only challenge came from a brilliant last-to-first run by Zacinto, under Ryan Moore, who nearly headed Rip.
Murtagh looked stunned, but rallied his brave horse to win by 1-1/4 lengths.
O'Brien explained that Rip has had infections in all four hooves since May and was lame for three weeks after his other Group 1 success--the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.
It is amazing that this courageous horse showed up let alone won.
The race lacked the excitement of the other two Breeders' Cup Challenges where the placings were in question. Both the Group 1 Meon Valley Stud Fillies' Mile and the Group 2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes were subject to stewards' enquiries.
The enquires showed sharp contrasts between the British and inconsistent, draconian French system on the issue of interference. The crowd hotly debated the contrasts and, in the end, almost everyone was content with the British system and that the placings remained the same in both races.
Colm Donoghue on the Royal Lodge winner, two-year-old Joshua Tree IRE (Montjeu IRE), cut sharply in front of several horses impeding their action especially the second Waseet (Selkirk) and third Vale of York IRE (Invincible Spirit IRE).
His action was careless, not reckless, in that he failed to take use the whip quickly enough He was banned for five days and his horse retained its place.
O'Brien's Joshua Tree now qualifies for the Breeders' Cup $1 million Juvenile Turf.
Jockey Neil Callan's interference in the Fillies' Mile was much more serious. His winning two-year-old filly Hibaayeb (Singspiel IRE) drifted sharply to her left near the winning post and Callan whacked the second, Lady Darshaan IRE (High Chaparral IRE) in the nose as she continued in a straight line for her challenge.
Callan used the correct hand for the whip and it was deemed that his hitting Lady Darshaan was not intentional.
Septuagenarian trainer Clive Brittain did his little victory dance. He sees his Hibaayeb as an Oaks prospect for 2010 and would definitely like her to take her qualifying place in the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies' Turf.
Had any of the jockeys actions been deemed reckless, intentional interference or unfair team tactics, measures would have been much more severe than a few days' ban in the UK.
The British Horseracing Authority holds jockeys accountable for their actions and is reluctant to demote a horse except in extreme cases.
On Sunday, another O'Brien juvenile and Montjeu son joined Joshua Tree in victory.
St Nicholas Abbey IRE won the Juddmonte Beresford Stakes (Group 2), 1m, at the Curragh and was made betting favourite for the 2010 Investec Derby.
Racing International http://www.racingint.com
Posted by susan trevelyan-syke at 9/28/2009 12:33 AM 
Categories: Ascot QEII 2009
Tags: Ascot QEII 2009
Categories: Ascot QEII 2009
Tags: Ascot QEII 2009
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