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| Coventry Stakes 2012 |
Dawn Approach Lives Up to the Hype in Coventry Stakes
19/06/12
1 Dawn Approach 7/2
2 Olympic Glory 20/1
3 Cristoforo Colombo 13/2
22 ran
Dawn Approach lived up to his tall reputation with a hard-fought victory in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot.
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Trainer Jim Bolger has been misquoted - he did not say Dawn Approach is ‘the best’ juvenile he has trained, he said, ‘He is as good as any I have trained’.
Bolger clarified his view - but underlined his high opinion of the colt - following Dawn Approach’s victory in the Coventry Stakes, his fourth win in as many outings.
Bolger not only trains the winner, he bred him, having chosen to send the mare Hymn Of The Dawn to Derby winner New Approach, who he also trained. Dawn Approach carries the colours of Bolger’s wife, Jackie, although like others in her ownership the ‘for sale’ sign hangs outside his door.
Jim Bolger said: “He has everything - pace, stamina, the looks, the temperament - and there are no holes in this fellow. I don’t see him going beyond a mile and I don’t want him to. The signs say that he will only stay a mile.
“I have to keep the show on the road, so if somebody makes me an offer I can’t refuse then we would probably have to part with him. I am happy enough to have him for as long as we can have him.
“I will probably give him a little break now. He is a very gross horse, so the break won’t get to be too long. I would say the Futurity Stakes, the National Stakes and, if I can find a space alongside my other two-year-olds, maybe the Dewhurst. If he wins the National Stakes he will be a Group One winner, so if I have another horse that needs to land a Group One he might stay in his box when the Dewhurst is being run. There’s always Longchamp as well and I would hope that he will have three more runs this year. Stepping him up in trip will definitely help him.”
“He’s a bit old-fashioned, having a marvellous temperament and being fairly mature for a two-year-old. He takes everything in his stride, and given that his first three victories were fairly easily gained I wasn’t too worried about running him again. I just hoped he would run to his best.
Kevin Manning, Dawn Approach’s jockey, added: "I didn’t think that we went overly mad early on and we just built up into the race.
“Six furlongs is probably his minimum and it took him a while to hit top gear. When he found top gear inside the last furlong, it was all over.
"I think he is probably as smart a two-year-old as I have ridden. He is winning over a trip that is probably not his best and, when he steps up to seven furlongs, you will see a real horse. He was always giving us the right signals from the start and has a great temperament.
"He has got the right attitude, a great cruising gear and a turn of foot. The ground is not a huge issue and he ticks all of the boxes (for the Guineas). You’ll see more of him."
Coventry Stakes (Group 2)
£85,000 added, 2yo only, 6f, Class 1
23 runners
Going: Good (Round Course; Good to Soft, Good places)
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Position |
Horse Trainer |
Jockey Weight |
Starting Price Beaten Distance |
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1 |
Dawn Approach J S Bolger |
K J Manning 9st 1lbs |
7 - 2 Winner |
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2 |
Olympic Glory R Hannon |
Dane O'Neill 9st 1lbs |
20 - 1 3/4 length |
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3 |
Cristoforo Colombo A P O'Brien |
J P O'Brien 9st 1lbs |
13 - 2 Neck |
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4 |
Sir Prancealot R Hannon |
R Hughes 9st 1lbs |
3 - 1 2 1/2 lengths |
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5 |
Artigiano M Al Zarooni |
L Dettori 9st 1lbs |
12 - 1 3/4 length |
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6 |
Lines of Battle A P O'Brien |
R L Moore 9st 1lbs |
10 - 1 1 3/4 length |
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7 |
Leitir Mor J S Bolger |
R P Whelan 9st 1lbs |
66 - 1 1 length |
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8 |
Indian Jade K A Ryan |
P Makin 9st 1lbs |
40 - 1 1 length |
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9 |
Master Of War R Hannon |
J Fortune 9st 1lbs |
50 - 1 1/2 length |
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10 |
The Taj R Hannon |
P Hanagan 9st 1lbs |
20 - 1 Neck |
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11 |
Heavy Metal M Johnston |
S De Sousa 9st 1lbs |
20 - 1 1 length |
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12 |
Dark Emerald B G Powell |
F M Berry 9st 1lbs |
200 - 1 Short Head |
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13 |
Baddilini A Bailey |
G Baker 9st 1lbs |
100 - 1 Head |
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14 |
Whitfield J Noseda |
William Buick 9st 1lbs |
100 - 1 3/4 length |
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15 |
Englishman C Hills |
M Hills 9st 1lbs |
8 - 1 1/2 length |
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16 |
Living Desert J A R Toller |
Kirsty Milczarek 9st 1lbs |
100 - 1 1 1/2 length |
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17 |
King Dragon B J Meehan |
Martin Dwyer 9st 1lbs |
50 - 1 Head |
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18 |
New Pearl D H Brown |
J P Murtagh 9st 1lbs |
25 - 1 3/4 length |
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19 |
Funk Soul Brother C Hills |
D Holland 9st 1lbs |
20 - 1 Neck |
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20 |
Top Boy D Shaw |
J Fanning 9st 1lbs |
100 - 1 1/2 length |
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21 |
Party Royal M Johnston |
M Demuro 9st 1lbs |
66 - 1 7 lengths |
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22 |
Mrs Brown's Boy R Harris |
L Morris 9st 1lbs |
100 - 1 9 lengths |
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NonRunner |
Jubilee Brig G L Moore |
T P Queally 9st 1lbs |
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HANNON DENIED COVENTRY GLORY
Trainer Richard Hannon was represented by four runners in the Coventry Stakes and two of them hit the frame with Olympic Glory ridden by Dane O’Neill finishing second and Sir Prancealot finishing fourth under Richard Hughes.
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Olympic Glory scored impressively on his debut at Goodwood 11 days ago, while Sir Prancealot had won both his starts, including the Listed National Stakes, in great fashion. Hannon said: “I’m very happy with Olympic Glory, he has run a super race. He won very easily at Goodwood the other day, but the further he goes the better he will be and he probably wants seven furlongs or a mile now.
“We will look at the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket with him or we will wait until the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood.
“I think Sir Prancealot ran a good race as well, but we might drop him back to five furlongs now.”
Aidan O’Brien was equally pleased with third-placed Cristoforo Columbo and Lines Of Battle, who finished sixth.
O’Brien said: “Cristoforo Columbo ran a great race and Lines Of Battle ran well too. I am delighted with both of them.”
