Thesecretadversary Confirmed All His Potential and Crowned a Perfect Week for Fozzy Stack

The son of St Mark's Basilica defeated Take Charge Star by a neck in the Jersey Stakes (G3) at Royal Ascot

BERKSHIRE, England (Special for Turf Diario).– If there was a horse coming into the Jersey Stakes (G3-1,400 m, turf) with unfinished business after the Guineas, that was Thesecretadversary. And the son of St Mark's Basilica took care of settling them this Saturday at Royal Ascot, overcoming a 3-pound penalty to give Irish trainer Fozzy Stack an extraordinary perfect record: two runners, two winners.

Ridden by the experienced Seamie Heffernan, the colt took the lead upon entering the final 400 meters and resisted with immense courage the late surge of his compatriot Take Charge Star (Starspangledbanner) to prevail by just a neck. Both finished 4 1/2 lengths clear of Morris Dancer (Palace Pier), who returned to the tracks with a meritorious third place.

Winner of a G3 at Leopardstown during his seasonal reappearance this year, Thesecretadversary had left good impressions in the English and Irish 2,000 Guineas, where he finished fifth and sixth respectively after enduring unfavorable race shapes.

"He had run two massive races in the Guineas, where things simply didn’t go as we expected," Stack explained. "He had to carry a 3-pound penalty, but honestly, this result didn’t surprise me. What did surprise me was seeing his odds drift so much."

The trainer, who had already celebrated on Thursday with Nola Soul in the Chesham Stakes (L), added: "Most of the horses competing here have quality; many times they just need some luck and for everything to go right. Winning one race is already fantastic, but taking home two is unbelievable. I am very happy for the owners, Mrs. Rupert and the Magnier family, who have been great supporters for a long time."

Heffernan did not hide the high regard he has always held for the winner: "He is our best 3-year-old colt. He won a Guineas trial and then ran brilliantly at Newmarket, where he was a bit too fresh. Afterwards, in the Irish Guineas, we got boxed in. Neither of those races went as they should have, and I think he should have finished hit the board in both."

The jockey added: "Fozzy pointed to this target from the very beginning. There was no room for hard-luck stories here. He has a lot of speed, even more than he had shown up to now. Cutting back in distance helped him tremendously, and it wouldn't surprise me to see him drop even another furlong. He is a very good horse, and it's fantastic that everything went according to plan."

For Johnny Murtagh, the defeat of Take Charge Star left mixed emotions: "He is probably the best horse I have in the yard. He always showed us a lot of talent. The mile was perhaps a bit too long for him in his recent outings, and this race seemed ideal for him. I am proud of his performance, though nobody remembers the runners-up."

Another prominent name was Green Sense (Starman), who finished fourth after an encouraging performance. David Redvers revealed that the filly was acquired this very week during the London Sale by the group headed by Randy Boyd, and that the plan now would be to travel to Saratoga to continue her campaign there.

Meanwhile, the dream week for Fozzy Stack has already been secured. Two horses, two victories, and the confirmation that both Nola Soul and Thesecretadversary seem destined to keep making headlines on the big European stages.

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