Epsom, England// Godolphin are yet to win the English Derby with their Royal Blue silks but connections of their Cloth Of Stars and Moonlight Magic were in bullish form here on Tuesday.
Cloth Of Stars was one of several Derby runners who underwent a leisurely workout at the racecourse’s Breakfast With The Stars event.
Postponed, the Dubai Sheema Classic winner, also cantered under Andrea Atzeni ahead of his Coronation Cup bid, while English Derby favourite Wings Of Desire found the contours of Epsom to his liking under Frankie Dettori.
Cloth Of Stars worked over 2,000 metres under Mickael Barzalona in tandem with Foresee, who is winless in four starts and who was partnered by Derby-winning rider Willie Ryan. Although Cloth Of Stars was not totally relaxed, he managed to handle Epsom’s unique layout with aplomb.
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“We did very easy work and I was very pleased with it,” Barzalona said. “In France, most of the tracks are really flat, so the undulations here are very different.
“He is a really well balanced horse. He travelled a bit keenly, so there would be a question mark but today he did not have a bad action.
“He is very fast out of the gates, which will be a big help to get a good position in the Derby.”
Barzalona knows all about the value of positioning in the Derby after he announced himself to the racing world in some style in 2011 on Coolmore’s Pour Moi, who, like Cloth Of Stars, is also trained by Andre Fabre.
It was Lester Piggott with his nine Derby victories who defined the classic ride of securing a place one off the rail in about sixth position, but Barzalona turned all that on its head with his first ride in the race at just 19.
Barzalona guided Coolmore’s Pour Moi from the rear of the field to then stand up jubilantly in his irons across the line as his mount was involved in a photo finish with Treasure Beach.
With Cloth Of Stars in possession of a very different skill set to Pour Moi, a more mature and worldly Barzalona will have to be at his very best with 22 still entered in next Saturday’s contest.
“Pour Moi had a lot of acceleration, whereas Cloth Of Stars is quite workmanlike,” Barzalona added. “In France he proved he is the best over a mile and a quarter. I have the horse to win it again so I am going to try my best.”
In the absence of Linguistic, who was turned over at Newmarket on Saturday, Godolphin will throw two darts at the greatest prize in Flat racing with Jim Bolger’s Moonlight Magic.
Bolger does not send over horses from his Coolcullen base in Ireland just for the day out. He won the Derby with Princess Haya’s New Approach in 2008, he sent out St Jovite to finish second in 1992 and the rank outsider Blue Judge to occupy the same position 12 months later. He has had only five other runners.
“I rate him as a good Derby prospect and I wouldn’t swap him for anything in the race,” the 74-year-old trainer said.
“He has the looks, demeanour, balance and temperament to go with his pedigree and there are no holes in this fella. He is a beautifully balanced horse so hopefully he will handle Epsom.
“I thought the day he won the Derrinstown Stakes the other day I thought he was as good as St Jovite. We’ll have to see after the various Derbies whether he gets up to the level of St Jovite but I’m really happy with him.”
Godolphin have had better luck in the Oaks, and Skiffle is primed to hand the Dubai-based operation a fourth success in the fillies’ event on the previous day.
Skiffle won a Listed Oaks Trial over just shy of 2,000 metres at Goodwood last week on what was just her second start.
Initially trainer Charlie Appleby felt that Royal Ascot might be the best option for the daughter of Dubawi, but Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will make the final decision this weekend in Newmarket as to whether he pays £30,000 (Dh160,800) to enter her.
Later on in the day Japanese raider A Shin Hikari put up a mesmerising performance in the Group 1 Prix D’Ispahan at Chantilly, France.
Ridden by Yutake Take, the son Of Deep Impact shrugged off the unsuitably heavy going to win by an effortless 10 lengths from Dariyan, the Group 1 Prix Ganay winner.
A Shin Hikari’s connections are targeting the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot next month.
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