Tag Archive for: cathedral

Juvenile duo firing Egan’s winter Classic dreams

David Egan feels there is plenty more to come from exciting duo Cathedral and Angelo Buonarroti after both showcased their potential at Newmarket recently.

The Amo Racing-owned pair are both trained by Ralph Beckett and took their place in the recent two-year-old group contests on the Rowley Mile, producing displays that signal a bright future.

Cathedral may have failed to add to her impressive debut success at Lingfield when thwarted by Aidan O’Brien’s Merrily in the Oh So Sharp Stakes, but departed Headquarters having entered many people’s notebooks by the way she travelled stylishly through the contest.

The future looks bright for the €800,000 breeze-up buy, with her big-race pilot excited to see what the daughter of Too Darn Hot can do on better ground in the spring.

“I think Cathedral will be a really nice filly in the spring on a sounder surface,” said Egan.

“I thought she travelled beautifully through the Oh So Sharp and just got beat by a hardened, experienced rival.

“I think on a sounder surface she might have quickened up better and may have put the race to bed, but I’m really excited for her next season.”

Angelo Buonarroti was a winner at York in the summer
Angelo Buonarroti was a winner at York in the summer (Mike Egerton/PA)

A few weeks prior, Convivial Stakes winner Angelo Buonarroti had not been disgraced when third to James Owen’s Wimbledon Hawkeye in the Royal Lodge and having cost €1millio at the sales earlier in the spring, the son of Justify is another fancied to thrive during his three-year-old season.

“Angelo Buonarroti shaped very well in the Royal Lodge and is definitely capable of more considering he has size and scope and was always going to be a better three-year-old,” continued Egan.

“He’s nearly 17 hands and to achieve what he has done at two is quite impressive and I’d like to think there is more to come.

“I’d like to think they will both be running in some sort of trials next year and the races they’ve ran in at two have some strong form in them. They probably deserve to take their places in a trial as long as they winter well.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns

Merrily provides Oh So Sharp cheer for O’Brien

Aidan O’Brien’s second-string Merrily caused an upset in the Godolphin Lifetime Care Oh So Sharp Stakes at Newmarket.

With Ryan Moore choosing to ride Ecstatic in the Group Three contest, Wayne Lordan stepped in for the mount on Merrily, who despite showing useful form in her five previous races seemingly had her limitations exposed.

The market concentrated on Ralph Beckett’s Cathedral, impressive winner of her only outing to date, and Ollie Sangster’s Flight, who had run well in the May Hill last time out.

With two furlongs left to run Flight appeared to be travelling very strongly indeed for Oisin Murphy on her drop in trip, but Cathedral was also beginning to hit top gear for David Egan in the Amo Racing silks.

As they began to meet the rising ground Cathedral was getting on top of Flight, but on her outside Merrily came with a sweeping run and readily accounted for the better-fancied filly to win by half a length at 25-1. Flight was over three lengths away in third.

O’Brien said: “She was very unlucky in Goodwood, she had to kind of jump two or three hurdles up the straight there and Declan (McDonogh) thought she was very unlucky.

“Wayne rode her the last day and thought it all went wrong then for him too, and he didn’t get any cover and she did too much. That’s why she was here.

“She’s a fine, big filly and Wayne gave her a lovely ride today. She won very nicely and I think she is a Guineas filly now, looking at her. It will be interesting as she is a big, rangy filly with lots of class and she handles dig in the ground.

“We can at least train her for a Guineas trial now and see how we go.”

Cambridgeshire Meeting – Juddmonte Day – Newmarket Racecourse
Kia Joorabchian just missed out with Cathedral (Mike Egerton/PA).

Cathedral’s owner Kia Joorabchian said: “That was a big ask on her second start and her first time on turf. We asked her a big question and she has given it an amazing try.

“She is definitely next year’s filly, but we had to give today a go because she was so well at home and we wanted to give her the experience on here, because she could be a Guineas filly.

“She has done us proud there and she’s picked up with the winner and drawn clear of the third. It was a great run.”



Try Tix for Better Tote Returns