Navan Races Review: Scandinavia the Star of the Show
What a day of racing Navan served up on Saturday April 25th.
It was a day that saw the Ascot Gold Cup favourite, Scandinavia, make a winning seasonal return in the BAR 1 Betting Vintage Crop Stakes, the powerful Charles Darwin make a winning return in the Committed Stakes, and Thundering On lay down her Classic credentials in the Group 3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Salsabil Stakes.
Furthermore, we also saw probably another very good renewal of the card’s two-year-old contest, and a good winner, too, of the card’s 10f40y maiden for three-year-olds.
Tribeca Wins a Hot Maiden
Taking each race in turn, they looked a good group in the paddock ahead of the two-year-race contest, with lots of quality on show.
The race-favourite, West Of Eden, was bidding to give trainer Aidan O’Brien a fifth-successive win in the race but he struggled to hold a position from early on (he also received an early bump) and eventually finished fifth. There will be other days for him, probably on ground with less ease in it.
Take nothing away from the winner, though, Tribeca, who made all the running in the hands of Donagh O’Connor and gamely held off the late challenge of Barrow Boy to win by half-a-length.
Owned by Amo Racing and trained by Robson de Aguiar, who has started the year strongly, the winner cost 575,000 guineas as a yearling and is clearly talented. Royal Ascot is now on his agenda.
The Gavin Cromwell-trained Barrow Boy lost very little in defeat. He is a half-brother to Snellen, who Gavin trained to Royal Ascot and Group 3 success. A lovely, strong individual, he won’t be long in winning a race.
Charles Darwin Makes All
Charles Darwin is a very powerful, imposing colt and looked as though a run would do him good ahead of the Committed Stakes, so the fact that he could win as he did, making all and keeping on well, suggests that the Aidan O’Brien-trained son of No Nay Never is very talented. He has the Commonwealth Cup in mind at Royal Ascot on Friday June 19th.
A Winning Return for St Leger Scorer Scandinavia
Scandinavia also has Royal Ascot in mind following his winning return to action in the BAR 1 Betting Vintage Crop Stakes. Last year’s Goodwood Cup and English St Leger winner drifted in the betting from 4/6 to 11/10 but, looking in very good shape in the paddock, he made a mockery of this with a highly pleasing one-and-a-half length win over Dallas Star, who is trained by Robson de Aguiar.
It’ll be the Saval Beg Stakes at Leopardstown next for the son of US Triple Crown winner Justify and then the Ascot Gold Cup on Thursday June 18th, for which he shortened in the betting with us from 5/2 to 7/4 favourite, with last year’s Gold Cup winner Trawlerman available at 7/2.
What a race it will be if they make it to Royal Berkshire in June.
Thundering On Took the Fillies Feature
With the Group 3 Salsabil Stakes having produced the 2024 Epsom Oaks winner (Ezeliya) and last year’s Irish Oaks second (Wemightakedlongway), all eyes were on the fillies ahead of this year’s renewal, and they proved to be a good-looking group.
Best of all out on the track was the beautifully bred Thundering On, who travelled well under Joey Sheridan and eventually got the gap she required close to the rail. Once she saw daylight, she quickened nicely to settle the race, running out a three-and-a-quarter length winner. It was a taking performance.
By Frankel out the Group 1 Pretty Polly Stakes-winner Thundering Nights, she has a lovely pedigree, and the looks to go with it. Joseph O’Brien, who also trained Thundering Nights, said that the winner will probably now be aimed at the Prix de Diane, the French Oaks, at Chantilly on Sunday June 14th.
Remaining Races Recap
The Johnny Murtagh-trained Latin America was all the rage ahead of the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Median Auction Maiden (Smullen Series) and he won decisively in the hands of Ben Coen as the 5/6 favourite. He will now step up in class.
In the card’s other three races, Joseph O’Brien secured a double on the card when the heavily-supported Obscenity (9/2 joint-fav) romped to victory (by five-and-a-half lengths) in a first-time visor in the Future Stars Raceday 16th May Handicap, while Sporting Hero (11/1) trained by William Durkan and ridden by Jamie Orr, foiled a good racecourse whisper and market move for the Danny Murphy-trained An Koachnor (5/1 fav), who had to settle for second place.
And there was a rousing finish to the card’s finale, the Cusack Hotel Group Family Day July 11th Handicap, in which the Conor Maxwell-trained Kool One (11/2 joint-fav) ridden by James Ryan, jut got the better of Granville Street (18/1), Radar Ahead (66/1) and the unlucky-in-running Celtic Druid (11/1). The winning distances were a a neck, a neck and a short head.
It all added up to an enjoyable and most probably very informative day of racing at Navan in County Meath on what was a wonderfully sunny day.
It was a pleasure for us to be involved once again.
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