Bronze Cannon, the first British-trained horse to race in Russia since 2005, was beaten into fourth by three lengths in the country's most prestigious thoroughbred race, the seven million rouble (Dh800,000) President of the Russian Federation Stakes. The Group Two Hardwicke Stakes winner, who was a convincing victor over Godolphin's Campanologist in the Royal Ascot contest last month, was recently purchased by the Chechnya President, Ramzan Kadyrov, for the 1m4f, Group One challenge on the new dirt track at Moscow's Hippodrome.
The four-year-old, a US-bred son of Lemon Drop Kid, previously owned by Anthony Oppenheimer, had also won May's Group Two Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket. He was beaten by the 2008 Russian Derby winner and Rostoy breeding operation's Monomakh. Second was the Russian Jockey Club's Sunshine Lemon, a half brother to Bronze Cannon, while Russian-bred Galego was third. Bronze Cannon edged out last year's runner-up, Palander, from the Volgograd breeding operation.
Bronze Cannon, who had been delayed at the airport for a number of hours on his arrival from the UK, was expected to return to trainer John Gosden's yard in England. The raceday, which brought together the presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Moldova, also featured Lake Poet, a former Clive Brittain charge who has run in Dubai, and is now prepared by Yakub Musayev. Lake Poet ran in the colours of the Azerbaijan Jockey Federation for the first time.
Fine Silver, trained by Paul Cole, was the last British-prepared horse to contest a race in Russia, finishing unplaced four years ago. stregoning@thenational.ae
