Caballo De Mar recovered his best form at Doncaster
The stayer returned to the winner's circle in the Doncaster Cup (G2) and will now defend his crown in the Prix du Cadran. Final Objective and Forbidden Fire spearheaded the action for the two-year-olds
DONCASTER, England (Special for Turf Diario).— A pair of subpar performances had raised a few doubts surrounding Caballo De Mar. Last in the Gold Cup (G1) at Royal Ascot and fourth in the Lonsdale Cup (G2) at York, the stayer needed to deliver a convincing signal. And he provided it this Friday in the Betfred Howards Wright Doncaster Cup (G2), the marquee race on the eve of the historic St Leger (G1).
Oisin Murphy was in no rush with the son of Phoenix of Spain, who made steady headway before seizing the lead with roughly 200 meters remaining. From there, the favorite drew clear to defeat Beylerbeyi (Invincible Spirit) by 1 1/4 lengths, putting any doubts about his current form to rest.
The scratch of Queenstown (Galileo) had removed one of the event's main attractions, while Winday (Galiway) arrived at the gate very nervous and finished last, far back. None of that rattled Caballo De Mar, who looked far more comfortable under an even tempo than in his previous outings.
“His last two races had complicated circumstances. In the Gold Cup, he faced two of the best stayers we've seen, and at York, they went a blistering pace. Today everything was much more suited to him,” explained his trainer, George Scott.
The victory will allow the Victorious Racing runner to return to ParisLongchamp to attempt a title defense in the Prix du Cadran (G1) during the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) weekend. He remains undefeated in two starts at the French venue, and the 4000-meter distance appears tailor-made for his traits.
“We needed to see him run like this to go back to Paris. He loves Longchamp, the rhythm of those races, and the distance. He is a world-class athlete, and today he showed his true personality again,” added Scott, relieved by the recovery of one of his barn's key stars.
Murphy also had early reasons to celebrate with Forbidden Fire, who held on by a head to take the Flying Scotsman Stakes (L-1400 m), restricted to two-year-olds. The daughter of No Nay Never and the notable Arabian Queenarrived off a dominant debut at Salisbury and confirmed those good impressions by defeating the colts.
Under the care of Andrew Balding, the filly traveled effortlessly throughout and opened up a commanding advantage entering the final 200 meters. Rock Montreal (Blue Point) rallied strongly from the back along the outer rail, but the wire came just in time for the filly. Nabati (Night of Thunder), the market favorite and stablemate to the runner-up, finished third.
Forbidden Fire demonstrated significant improvement from her initial mornings when she proved difficult to control. Her professionalism has raised high expectations for 2027, with connections considering a step up to 1400 meters and long-term targets like the 1000 Guineas (G1). Before that, she could appear in the Rockfel Stakes (G2) at Newmarket.
The other featured test for juveniles was the Flying Childers Stakes (G2-1000 m), where Final Objective relied on his experience to prevail in a thrilling finish. Previously second in the Gimcrack Stakes (G2) at York, the son of Sioux Nation dropped down to 1000 meters for the first time and answered with a narrow victory.
James Doyle had to hard-ride him to stay in touch during the early stages, but found the necessary acceleration in the closing stretch to catch Crownbreaker (Minzaal) virtually on the line, prevailing by a neck. Flann Sunna (Blue Point) and the pacesetter Fast Track (Blue Point) finished right there, while In The Black (Havana Grey) suffered severe traffic issues and nearly clipped heels near the finish line.
Final Objective still displayed a slight tendency to wander once in full battle, though he made it clear once again that he possesses both speed and quality. With Forbidden Fire as another name to watch and Caballo De Mar back at his best, Doncaster set the stage for Saturday's grand showcase.
