Godolphin’s Wild Beauty takes aim at wide-open G1 1,000 Guineas
Wild Beauty bids to continue a winning start to her season on her return to G1 company in the 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket in UK on Sunday.
The homebred daughter of Frankel steps back up to a mile ater staying on powerfully to comfortably score in a leading trial for the fillies’ Classic, the seven-furlong G3 Dubai Duty Free Stakes, at Newbury on Saturday, 16 April.
Wild Beauty rose through the ranks for Charlie Appleby last season, culminating with a decisive victory over subsequent Breeders’ Cup scorer Pizza Bianca in the G1 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine, Canada.
She makes a second appearance over the Rowley Mile having finished fith in the G1 Fillies’ Mile on her final two-year-old outing at October’s Dubai Future Champions Festival.
Charlie Appleby said: “Wild Beauty is in great order and has come on for her seasonal return at Newbury. Stepping back up in trip is certainly going to suit and we are looking forward to seeing her run in a Classic. She deserves to take her place in the field and I think she has a live chance.”
Another homebred Frankel filly will be hoping to advertise her Classic credentials for Charlie Appleby earlier on the same card as With The Moonlight makes her seasonal return in the Listed Prety Polly Stakes over a mile and a quarter.
Twice successful on the all-weather, the full-sister to Dream Castle ended her juvenile campaign with a clear third in the mile Listed Montrose Fillies’ Stakes at Newmarket at the end of October.
Her trainer said: “With The Moonlight is in great nick and, based on her run in the Montrose Stakes, we feel that she will be very competitive.”
‘Wild Beauty is in great order and has come on for her seasonal return at Newbury. Stepping back up in trip is certainly going to suit and we are looking forward to seeing her run in a Classic,’ said trainer Appleby
Meanwhile, improving three-year-old Mamounia has been trained to the minute but champion jockey Damien Oliver will have to produce one of his finest rides for the filly to give Godolphin its first G1 Australasian Oaks win in Adelaide on Saturday, April 30.
Mamounia goes into the G1 feature over 2,000m ater a placing in the G3 Adrian Knox Stakes (2,000m) behind stablemate Honeycreeper at Royal Randwick before a tough win in the Listed Galilee Series Final at Flemington.
The daughter of Medaglia d’oro outstayed her rivals over the 2,400m trip and the run should have her primed to tackle the big Oaks field at Morphetville field despite Mamounia drawing the extreme outside barrier.
Even with emergencies out, Mamounia will jump from gate 16 in a shorter race appearing devoid of natural speed, except for Ancient Girl.
But the booking of Oliver and her lead-up runs have given head trainer James Cummings confidence in Mamounia geting Godolphin on the Oaks honour roll and adding a precious G1 to her black-type success in Melbourne.
“She’s airborne, I think,” Cummings said. “She pulled up great from her last-start win.”
Mamounia beat The Cunning Fox and Fearentless that day, with the pair then franking the form with placings behind the Cummings-trained Alegron in the Listed VRC St Leger over 2,800m at Flemington on Anzac Day.
MYSTIC GUIDE RETIRES: Mystic Guide, a sensational winner of the 2021 G1 Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline, has been retired to take up stallion duties at Jonabell Farm for the 2023 breeding season.
Trainer Michael Stidham said: “Horses of Mystic Guide’s calibre just don’t come along too oten. To win the Dubai World Cup for Godolphin was obviously a special moment for me and my team and one that I’ll always remember. I’m sure the next chapter in his life will be equally as exciting.”
The homebred son of Ghostzapper became the first Godolphin horse trained in the United States to capture the centrepiece of the UAE season as he powered to a near four-length victory over Japanese Champion Chuwa Wizard.
That success came on the back of an imperious display in the G3 Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn Park on Mystic Guide’s four-year-old return. Scoring by six lengths on a sloppy track, the Stidham-trained colt ran to a Beyer Speed Figure of 108, a mark betered only by Essential Quality during the first half of 2021 beyond a mile.
Mystic Guide’s exploits were recognised at the 2021 Eclipse Awards, where he was a finalist in the Older Dirt Male category alongside Godolphin’s G1 Clark Stakes winner Maxfield and Breeders’ Cup Classic scorer Knicks Go.
In total, Mystic Guide won or placed in all nine of his career appearances, with four wins also including a determined victory in the G2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga in 2020 – a race won by current Darley stallions Medaglia d’oro, Street Sense and Essential Quality. He also ran second by just three-quarters of a length in the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup.