Darley July Cup

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Sans Frontieres Fulfils Promise
08/07/10

1 Sans Frontieres 14/1
2 Redwood 16/1
3 Tazeez 5/1

San Frontieres, on only his seventh appearance on a racetrack, posted his second victory with a shock win in the Group Two Princess Of Wales’s sportingbet.com Stakes. Starting at 14/1, the four-year-old surprised even his trainer, Jeremy Noseda.

“Honestly, I came here and I thought he’d finish in the first three. I didn’t think he’d beat Spanish Moon [the Michael Stoute-trained favourite], but I looked at the race beforehand and I thought, ‘If Spanish Moon doesn’t perform, we’ve got as good as a chance as anything.’ And it’s worked out, and I’m so... happy, happy.

Noseda explained that Sans Frontieres three-year-old season was curtailed when he got an injury. “It was just prior to Royal Ascot last year. And when we brought him back this season, it was a question of getting him fit.

“His first two efforts were my fault. He wasn’t fit enough at Newmarket and then I shouldn’t have run him at Chester on soft ground. Then he raced at Royal Ascot [where he was fourth to Harbinger in the Group Two Hardwicke Stakes] and showed a glimmer, a suggestion that he was on the way back. And he has worked a little bit better at home since Royal Ascot,” added the trainer.

It was after Ascot that the trainer made the decision to run the horse in cheekpieces. “It just felt at Ascot he never really travelled and never gave Tom [Queally] a chance to ride a race on him, because he wasn’t sharp. He didn’t have enough tactical speed throughout the race, so Tom couldn’t put him where he wanted to be. So I put the cheekpieces on, not because there were questions about the horse’s attitude, his desire to go and do the job, but just to make him a little bit sharper and to make him run more smoothly through the race,” said Noseda

Will he go for a Group One now? “You know that’s a big step. From this to Group One, is the biggest step there is in racing. I’ll have to go home and sit down. I didn’t come here expecting to win, so I didn’t look much beyond today. I’ll have a look and hopefully they’ll be a better day ahead, but if not I’m still very happy to have a winner for Sir Robert [Ogden, the owner]. He’s a huge supporter of the yard and it seems like a long time since we’ve had a Group winner for him,” said Noseda.

The trainer was also asked about Fleeting Spirit, who will be trying to win the Darley July Cup for the second year running tomorrow. “She’s in good order. I was out cantering with her this morning. We’ll go there and hopefully run a big race. She very rarely lets me down - in fact, I don’t think she’s ever let me down. We’ll give it our best shot.”

For Queally, victory on Sans Frontieres following his success on Circumvent, gave him a 614/1 double.

The jockey added: “There were signs of improvement and encouragement that he was back on track at Ascot. Today it proved that - he travelled strongly in the race and I took my time because he can take a bite a bit early. I just wanted to get him on an even keel and he picked up when it mattered and stayed on all the way to the line.

“He has had his problems in the past but he has always had talent - he’s a class horse and he is back on track.”

REDWOOD AND TAZEEZ TAKE THE PLACES

Redwood pleased trainer Barry Hills as he filled the runner-up berth in the Group Two Princess Of Wales’s sportingbet.com Stakes, two and a half lengths behind Sans Frontier.

The 16/1 shot had gone down by a head to Glass Harmonium on his seasonal return in the Group Three Gordon Richards Stakes at Sandown before disappointing at Chester in May and then finishing fifth to Harbinger in the Group Two Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot last month.

That Ascot effort was the High Chaparral four-year-old’s first attempt at today’s trip of a mile and a half.

Hills commented: “He ran well at Ascot, things just didn’t go right for whatever reason.

“He has run a good race today. I knew he would run well as I thought the track would suit. I don’t know where he will go after this.”

Tazeez, who had finished a close third to Byword in the Group One Prince Of Wales’s Stakes over 10 furlongs at the Royal Meeting, kicked on a long way from home under Richard Hills.

The 5/1 shot was run out of it inside the final furlong as he faded to finish a further two and a quarter lengths adrift in third.

Trainer John Gosden said: “Tazeez ran well, no excuses, and he stayed the trip.”