Racing Post Trophy |
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| Group 1, Doncaster 15:45 £200,000 added, 2yo only, 1m, Class 1  |
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| Saturday 24th October 2015 | |
1 Marcel 33/1
2 Johannes Vermeer 7/1
3 Foundation 10/11F
7 ran Distances: 1½l, 2½l, 1½l
TIME 1m 42.19s (slow by 6.19s)
Marcel wins for jockey Andrea Atzeni and Trainer Peter Chapple-Hyam
Andrea Atzeni on Marcel: "He was very good today and Peter deserves a big winner. As soon as he got daylight he picked up well."
"In my dreams I used to think he was a High Chaparral type horse, well maybe he is!", says owner Paul Hancock.
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Marcel sprang a 33-1 shock in the Racing Post Trophy to give Andrea Atzeni a third successive victory in the Group One for two-year-olds at Doncaster.
The Peter Chapple-Hyam-trained colt, who had won a Newcastle maiden on his previous start, came with a trouble-free run on the outside to turn over the better-fancied horses.
Port Douglas, one of three Aidan O'Brien horses in a seven-runner field, set the pace with his stablemates Deauville and Johannes Vermeer always handy.
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Frankie Dettori gave his mount Foundation plenty of cover but could not get a run when the race unfolded and Atzeni took advantage to follow up his wins on Kingston Hill and Elm Park in the two previous renewals of this prestigious race.
Once the 10-11 favourite Foundation got a run it was too late as Marcel had flown. Johannes Vermeer stuck on for second, beaten a length and a half by the winner.
Atzeni said: "It's great for Peter. I was going to follow Frankie, but it got a bit tight so I thought I'd go round.
"As soon as I pulled him out, he picked up.
"He was very good today. He quickened up well on that ground and he won going away.
"I'm delighted to ride a Group One winner and mainly for Peter. He's a great trainer."
Chapple-Hyam, who was winning this race for the third time after Commander Collins in 1998 and Authorized in 2006, said: "Authorized won this at a big price and I did say he was no Authorized, but that was because this lad had already won a maiden!
"Coming here I thought he'd be placed because he's always worked like a good horse, but he's been weak.
"Even though I don't have many good horses, you know when a good one comes along.
"He obviously goes on any ground and will be better next year when he's stronger.
"I see him as a French Derby type, I'd be worried about him staying further (12 furlongs).
"If I get my way, he'll be in my favourite race, the Dante, but if he shows enough speed before then he could go for the Guineas."
Trainer John Gosden took the loss of Foundation's 100 per cent record on the chin and is already planning next season for Highclere's Zoffany colt.
"The horse is delighted. He thinks the boss has brought him all this way for a piece of work," he said.
"Frankie said they all just died in front of him and he had nowhere to go.
"What they do here is save the ground against the rail for this meeting, so there is always a danger of getting blocked in on there because everyone aims for it.
"The winner came around and had a free one, that's racing.
"He's a gorgeous horse, he handled the ground and I'll look to run him in a trial in the spring now.
"We'll probably look at the Greenham Stakes and then aim him at some nice races at Deauville."
Racing Post Trophy (Group 1) (Straight Course)
£200,000 added, 2yo only, 1m, Class 1
7 ran
Going: Good to Soft
| Pos | Dr | D | Horse SP | Jockey Weight | Trainer | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | (4) | Marcel (IRE) 33/1 | Andrea Atzeni 9-1 |
P W Chapple-Hyam | 2 | |
| 2nd | (1) | 1½ | Johannes Vermeer (IRE) 7/1 | J A Heffernan 9-1 |
A P O'Brien | 2 |
| 3rd | (6) | 2½ | Foundation (IRE) 10/11f | L Dettori 9-1 |
J H M Gosden | 2 |
| 4th | (3) | 1½ | Port Douglas (IRE) 20/1 | E J McNamara 9-1 |
A P O'Brien | 2 |
| 5th | (5) | ¾ | Deauville (IRE) 7/2 | J P O'Brien 9-1 |
A P O'Brien | 2 |
| 6th | (2) | 5 | Tony Curtis 14/1 | S M Levey 9-1 |
R Hannon | 2 |
| 7th | (7) | 9 | Mengli Khan (IRE) 8/1 | Harry Bentley 9-1 |
H Palmer | 2 |
RECENT WINNERS
Year Horse Trainer Jockey Owner SP
2014 Elm Park
2013 Viztoria Eddie Lynam Wayne Lordan Sheila Lavery 7/2
2012 Libranno Richard Hannon Kieren Fallon McDowell Racing 16/1
2011 Premio Loco Chris Wall George Baker Bernard Westley 15/8 fav
2010 Balthazaar’s Gift Clive Cox Philip Robinson H E Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan 16/1
2009 Duff Edward Lynam IRE Fran Berry Kilboy Estate 7/1
2008 Arabian Gleam Jeremy Noseda Johnny Murtagh Saeed Suhail 9/1
2007 Arabian Gleam Jeremy Noseda Johnny Murtagh Saeed Suhail 5/2
2006 Iffraaj Saeed bin Suroor Frankie Dettori Godolphin 4/6 fav
2005 Iffraaj Michael Jarvis Philip Robinson Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum 7/1
2004 Pastoral Pursuits Hughie Morrison Steve Drowne The Pursuits Partnership 5/1
2003 Polar Ben James Fanshawe Jamie Spencer Simon Gibson 5/1
2002 Duck Row James Toller Richard Hughes Duke Of Devonshire 8/1
2001 Tough Speed Sir Michael Stoute Kieren Fallon Saeed Suhail 6/1
2000 Distant Music Barry Hills Michael Hills Khalid Abdullah 4/1
1999 Sugarfoot Nigel Tinkler Pat Eddery Mrs D Wright 15/2
