Godolphin’s Shrill and Fintry ride to title wins

abu dhabi — Even as the prestigious Royal Ascot week looms with many of Godolphin Racing’s contenders in the fray in the eight Group 1 races, the racing stables continued to leave their imprints around the world.

After Stiletto had begun the day with victory in Sale, Australia, Shrill and Fintry won in Ireland and France, respectively. Icefield notched a second in Belmont Park, USA, while Lovely Story was third in Hanover, Germany.

Shrill had a dream debut and seems to be following in her father Shamardal footsteps. Shrill won the Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Fillies Maiden in Cork, Ireland.

The two-year-old filly, trained by Willie McCreery, was out soon enough and was in second before upping the pace with a furlong left in the five-furlong contest. She maintained the pace under Billy Lee in the final furlong and won by two lengths over Planchart.

Shrill has rich pedigree with Shamardal winning six from seven starts, with all of them coming on turf across the world. His lone disappointment was a ninth place at the then Nad Al Sheba in the UAE Derby Group 2, back in 2005. Shamardal had wins in York, Newmarket, Goodwood and Ayr in the UK and in Chantilly and Longchamp in France.

Godolphin’s Gift Wrap, trained by Michael Halford and the ride of Shane Foley, finished seventh in the same race.

Meanwhile, in Chantilly, France, Fintry, clinched her fifth win in eight starts when the fouryear-old filly won the Prix Bertrand du Breuil Longines Group 3 run over a mile. Fintry, also the daughter of Shamardal, took the lead close to the rail and was two lengths clear. Fintry, saddled by Andre Fabre and ridden by Mickael Barzalona, then went three lengths clear before finishing half length over Avenir Certain.

Her previous win was last year at Sandown where she won the Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association Atalanta Stakes Group 3. Her previous win at Chantilly was also last year when she won the Prix Volterra (Listed Race).

Icefield, trained by Kiaran McLaughlin and the ride of Luis Saez, finished second, two lengths behind winner Lone Trader in the Maiden Special Weight at Belmont Park. Icefield is the three-year-old sire of 2002 Dubai World Cup Street Cry.

Meanwhile, victory continued to elude Lovely Story with the Henri-Alex Pantall’s charge, ridden by Sebastien Martino, third in the Grosser Preis der VGH Versicherungen (Listed Race) in Hanover, Germany. Lovely Story, the four-year-old sire of Cape Cross, has had a placed finish in all her five starts with three second places and two third-place finishes across Germany and France.