Dubai: Team Godolphin’s march on the big-race meetings in Australia yieled two signifcant victories for trainer John O’Shea in the second week of The Championships at Royal Randwick in Sydney, on Saturday.
After Federal, a progressive Darley bred gelding by Medaglia d´Oro, landed the Listed South Pacific Classic, Godolphin’s highly-regarded Ottoman won an absolutley thrilling renewal of the Group 3 Percy Sykes Stakes, for two-year-old fillies.
Ex-England trained Hartnell, another noteweorthy Godolphin hopeful, finished fourth behind Grand Marshall in the two-mile Group 1 Sydney Cup, the longest race run at the venue.
Sam Clipperton rode a blinder aboard Ottoman, once the favourite for the Group 1 New Golden Slipper, to hold off stablemate Calavarite (James McDonal) by a nose with favourite Lake Geneva staying on for third ahead of Sempre Libira.
A winner at Rosehill on her debut back in December, Ottoman finished fourth in the Group 2 Silver Slipper and fourth in the Group 2 Reisling Stakes before coming home in ninth place in the Golden Slipper.
Ottoman, whose previous performances were comprised by poor starts, did not have the best of starts but Clipperton put his mount in a favourable position to run the race that was always expected from her.
“I felt she was very impressive today and I was confident she had it won on the line,” said the two-time champion Sydney apprentice. “It was a good tough win, she is still doing a few things wrong, but enjoyed a nice run, sprinted well and sustained a good strong run to the line.
“She is a nice filly, still a bit revvy, but she will grow out of that and she can sustain a long run so she’s going to get further.”
Another Darley bred, Ottoman is the first foal of the two-time winning Elusive Quality (USA) mare Byzantine who Darley had purchased at the 2008 Inglis Easter Yearling sale.
O’Shea was full of praise for Clipperton for refusing to panic after Ottoman missed the start.
“Sam is a credit to himself, he deserves all of the opportunity he gets, he fits into our team beautifully,’’ O’Shea said. “This filly has been a talent all along and it is really nice for her to pick up a win,’’ he said.
Federal has earned himself a shot at some bigger prizes after a commanding victory in the capable hands of Godolphin pilot James McDonald.
“He is a different horse this time; he showed that in his win with 59 kilograms first-up,” McDonald said. “He wasn’t that at home on the [heavy] ground but he really quickened. That is an important win for him because of the black type, but he is only going to get better on top of the ground.”
O’Shea said he was deligthed to win the Percy Sykes Stakes (formerly 1960–2013 - Keith Mackay Handicap 1960-2013 and Royal Randwick Stakes 2014), which was being run under it’s current title for the first time.
“He was the Richie Benaud of racing,” said O’Shea of the famous veterinarian who passed away last year. “Percy was still doing the work at Tulloch Lodge when I was there and he was always there for me when I was starting out.
“Whenever I got a sticky on, I could ring Percy and he would have seen it before. He was very giving with his time and taught me a lot. To win this race means a lot because of that.”
Meanwhile, last season’s Australian Derby (G1) sensation Criterion may have booked himself a ticket to Royal Ascot after recording a thumping victory in the A$4 million (Dh11.2m) Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1), Australia’s richest weight-for-age race.
