Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes
Group 2, Newmarket 13:50 £133,750 added, 2yo only, 1m, Class 1
Saturday 29th September 2018

1 Mohawk 8/1
2 Sydney Opera House 20/1
3 Cape Of Good Hope 9/2
7 ran NR: Fox Tal, Kadar, Kuwait Currency
Distances: 1¼l, 1¾l, 1l Time: 1m 36.12s (slow by 1.12s)

A 1-2-3 for Aidan O'Brien as Mohawk leads home his stable companions

Mowhawk

Mohawk kicked off what proved to be a bumper day for Ballydoyle at Newmarket when winning the opening Royal Lodge Stakes. On paper, he had plenty to find but the son of Galileo travelled best under Donnacha O’Brien to lead home an Aidan O’Brien 1-2-3.

The previously unbeaten Beatboxer was the 7-4 favourite for John Gosden and Frankie Dettori, but he was in trouble from an early stage and trailed home last of the seven runners.

Donnacha spoke to Ollie Bell after he rode Mohawk to victory: "I see him as certainly a mile and a quarter probably a mile and a half horse."

Aidan O'Brien had saddled five previous winners of the Group Two contest and possessed a strong hand as he went in search of a sixth.

The outsider of the trio, Sydney Opera House, cut out much of the running alongside Mark Johnston’s Victory Command and still held a narrow advantage racing inside the final two furlongs.

However, Mohawk soon took over in the hands of the trainer’s son Donnacha and powered clear for a decisive one-and-a-quarter-length success.

Sydney Opera House was a clear second ahead of another stablemate, Cape Of Good Hope, in third.

O’Brien said: “He is a lovely horse and has been progressing lovely. He won second time out then he ran very well in Group races after that.

“He loved going a mile and he will be a lovely middle-distance horse.

“He might not run any more this year and be put away to start in the Classic trials. I’d imagine he has done enough (for the season), that is what we’re thinking at the moment, but that can change.”

Of the placed horses, the trainer added: “We were very happy with them as well. Sydney Opera House is a lovely, middle-distance horse and Cape Of Good Hope is the same.

“He (Cape Of Good Hope) has had a bit of time since he ran, but he ran a lovely race and has been progressing with every run.”

Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes
£133,750 added, 2yo only, 1m, Class 1
7 ran
Going: Good to Firm