Dr Rascal Maintained His Undefeated Record and Gave Kaiya Fraser an Unforgettable Day at Goodwood
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The son of Sottsass captured the Vintage Stakes (G2) with a brave inside charge, handing the young jockey his first group victory; it was also the first stakes win at that level for Oliver Cole, who now dreams of the Dewhurst Stakes (G1)
SUSSEX, England (Special for Turf Diario).- The Coral Vintage Stakes (G2) delivered one of the most emotional moments of the second day of the Goodwood Festival. Dr Rascal, a promising son of Sottsass, kept his undefeated record intact by securing his third consecutive victory and, in doing so, allowed Kaiya Fraser to celebrate the first group success of his career with a ride as brave as it was precise.
In a tightly contested finish over seven furlongs, Fraser found a razor-thin gap along the inside rail as they hit the final furlong. Though he appeared to lose momentum for a brief split second, the colt responded with immense courage to prevail by half a length over Haffner (Justify), while race favorite Al Hudaiba (Dark Angel), carrying a 3-pound penalty, finished third just a head behind the runner-up.
The victory also held special significance for Oliver Cole, who notched his first group win since taking over the training license, exactly two decades after his father, Paul Cole, claimed the last of his three victories in this historic event.
"This means everything to me. It's for moments like this that you get out of bed every morning," said an emotional Fraser after dismounting.
"I've worked so hard to get to this point and I can only thank the owners for putting their trust in me, my agent, and all the trainers and owners who have given me opportunities. Without them, I wouldn't be experiencing this right now."
The jockey also explained the decisive maneuver: "Dr Rascal needed a bit of help loading into the stalls after what happened at Ascot. During the race, I was tracking the Amo Racing horse and saw that the gap along the rail was just barely big enough. Having ridden him in both of his previous starts, I knew exactly what kind of horse I had under me and trusted he'd be brave enough to push through."
Looking toward the undefeated juvenile's future, Fraser remained optimistic: "Right now he's a very sharp colt, but being by Sottsass, you'd expect him to stretch out to further distances over time. He has a really exciting future."
Cole was equally open about the confidence he held heading into the race: "To be honest, I was quite relaxed because I've always had immense faith in this horse. At Ascot, he had the misfortune of getting loose before competing, and today he practically ran into trouble again right down the stretch, but he still won."
The trainer believes his pupil is primed for even greater challenges: "He is a horse of supreme quality, very fast, and extraordinarily well-bred. We'll likely look toward the Dewhurst Stakes (G1) as our next main target. We're very fortunate to have a horse like this in the yard."
From the beaten connections, there was also plenty of satisfaction. Charlie Appleby felt Al Hudaiba emerged with his reputation enhanced despite the defeat: "William Buick had mentioned to me at Newmarket that the ground was a bit fast for him, and today he felt something similar. Plus, he was conceding a 3-pound penalty to two opponents with a lot of upside. I don't think he lost any prestige today, and we're very pleased with his effort. We might even consider traveling with him further down the road."
Aidan O'Brien likewise praised Haffner's performance, though he stopped short of mapping out his next engagement: "We are very pleased. He ran really well. We don't know yet what his next start will be."
With just three racetrack appearances under his belt, Dr Rascal continues to build a flawless record. Undefeated, with a first G2 trophy in the bank, and a trainer already pointing toward the Dewhurst, the son of Sottsass is firmly establishing himself as one of the most intriguing two-year-olds of the European season.
