THE SPECIAL ONE
Pinatubo’s gritty win best so far says Buick
PINATUBO battled difficult conditions as well as the opposition to keep his unbeaten record and reputation intact with a twolength win in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes.
After significant overnight rain, soft ground at Newmarket added an element of the unknown to Pinatubo’s run but, six days after Enable’s shock defeat in the Arc, William Buick’s mount dug deep to secure his coronation as the season’s top two-year-old.
Success from Arizona, winner of the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, with Wichita back in third ensured the Charlie Appleby- trained 1- 3 favourite ended his season with a perfect six wins from six races.
Pinatubo heads into the winter as short as evens favourite for next season’s 2,000 Guineas. Longer odds than Frankel in 2010, but his nine- length win in last month’s National Stakes at the Curragh means that his best runs as a twoyear-old will be rated better than those of Frankel.
Doing better than that iconic racehorse as his career progresses will be an enormous ask but there is little doubt how highly Pinatubo, a son of 2004 Dewhurst winner Sharmardal, is rated by Appleby, Buick and owner-breeder Sheik Mohammed, who did a jig of joy on the winner’s podium.
Having conquered yesterday’s opponents, he was going further clear with every stride in the last 50 yards. Appleby said: ‘He has been a very special horse this year as we have all seen. He has that demeanour about him walking around the paddock.
‘He showed great courage today. I told Will to hold on to him until he reached the rising ground in that ground. Once it came to the fight he was not going to lie down.’
Winning jockey Buick missed 12 weeks of the season with a serious head injury. He was forced to sit out Pinatubo’s first four races but said the thought of getting back on the colt he spurred his recovery.
Buick added: ‘It was a war of attrition and he overcame everything thrown at him. Today he had to be brilliant in a different way. Only very good horses can adapt. I would say it was his best performance.’
On a big day for Sheik Mohammed’s Godolphin operation, Saeed Bin Suroor-trained Military March won the Group Three Autumn Stakes under Oisin Murphy.
Irish trainer Willie Mullins won the Cesarewitch Handicap for the second year running when Jason Watson-ridden 25-1 shot Stratum beat Party Playboy, trained by Mullins’ brother Tony, by half a length.
At Newmarket’s Future Champions Day, trainer Ralph Beckett and jockey Harry Bentley secured four wins with Tomfre, Max Vega, Richenza and Feliciana De Vega.