River Tiber will relish moving up in distance

Ross Millar reflects on a number of taking performances by two-year-olds in the past week, nominates a winner in waiting and explains why he’s still no fan of the Brocklesby form.

It was heartening to see both juvenile contests at Naas on Sunday being won by a colt and filly that had been awarded this column’s ‘performance of the week’ after their respective debut runs.

A brief look at my social media feed told me that the response to the performance River Tiber delivered was mixed. Some felt he looked laboured and made hard work of landing the spoils as a 2-9, while others pointed to his powerful finishing effort and tenacious attitude when off the bridle.

I’m most definitely in the latter camp. I think it’s only fair that when trying to assess the merit of his performance we consider his pedigree.

His dam, Transcendence, is not easy to get a grasp on. By Arcano – a speed influence, she was unraced. Equally, how she influences her progeny is hard to gauge given her only other produce, Indian Guru, is a poor performer over both six and seven furlongs. However, her extended family does contain a number of solid performers at up to a mile.

River Tiber’s sire, Wootton Bassett, didn’t make his debut until June in his juvenile season and never raced at less than six furlongs. His standout performance came in the October of that season when he won the Group One Grand Criterium on testing ground at Longchamp. He almost certainly wasn’t added to the stallion ranks at Coolmore to produce sharp and early two-year olds.

When all this is taken into consideration, I think it’s reasonable to conclude that River Tiber is performing over an inadequate trip, that he can do so is testament to his undoubted ability.

I’m convinced we will see yet further improvement as he steps up to six and even seven furlongs later this season. He’s a high-class colt and the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot looks the next logical target.

After she made a winning debut at The Curragh, I suggested in this column that the performance of Porta Fortuna deserved to be upgraded given that she had been settled at the rear of the field in a race run at a steady tempo, which had therefore benefitted those ridden more prominently.

The small winning margin of that debut win, coupled with some smart opposition, meant she was sent off 8-1 on Sunday for the Coolmore Stud Fillies Sprint Stakes.

Gavin Ryan again settled her towards the rear but crucially on this occasion the race was run at a strong pace. She travelled smoothly to challenge and at the furlong pole had quickly moved two lengths clear, though that margin was eroded by the fast finishing Navassa Island.

Again, as on her debut, it was her uncomplicated nature and smart change of gear that impressed me most, though she wasn’t all that powerful at the finish.

I’m sure her connections will now want to target Royal Ascot. I wonder whether the Queen Mary Stakes over 5f might suit her best. It’s sure to be run at a frenetic pace and that could just suit her smooth travelling style and rapid change of pace.

I’d be concerned that she could be vulnerable to a stronger stayer over the 6f of the Albany. She’s uncomplicated and talented and should be respected wherever she is aimed.

Porta Fortuna after her taking success. (Healy Racing Photo)

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STAR OF THE WEEK

I’m sure if you were watching the racing this weekend you picked this one out yourself. Asadna made a breath-taking debut at Ripon on Sunday.

George Boughey’s colt, a son of the increasingly successful stallion Mehmas, broke smartly from the stalls though he did look to require a degree of help from William Buick in the early stages. Switched towards the middle of the track he effortlessly cruised to the lead before being ridden out all the way to the line to record an emphatic 12-length victory.

While Buick wasn’t overly hard on him, I did think it was noteworthy that he was pushed out to the line. It’s possible connections had already planned on heading straight to Royal Ascot, and were keen to give him as thorough education as possible, although as a graduate of the Craven Breeze-up sale, where he cost 160,000gns, he will have had a degree of racecourse experience.

Visually, he was the most eye-catching juvenile colt I’ve seen and he recorded a time faster than the handicap later in the card. His emergence has given Boughey a highly promising colt to go alongside his smart filly Soprano.

It’s hard to argue that he doesn’t deserve his place at the head of the market for the Coventry Stakes, though I’ll be keeping my powder dry for now.

JABAARA WARRANTS AN UPGRADE

At 1.32pm on Saturday (and a few seconds) I had the name Jabaara written down on my trusty notepad with the words “unlucky loser” scribbled next to her. Just twenty seconds later, I’d scrubbed that out.

Sent off favourite for the fillies’ novice stakes at Newmarket, this daughter of Exceed And Excel was marginally slow into stride.

She travelled powerfully, and possibly marginally too enthusiastically. In an attempt to get her plenty of cover, David Egan inadvertently found himself caught on heels and in a pocket just as the pace quickened.

He showed plenty of patience as he waited for a gap to appear before belatedly making a dynamic movement out to his left to circle the field.

Jabaara showed blistering speed to quicken up under hands and heels and to claim a victory that had looked most unlikely with a furlong to run. She’s clearly exceptionally well balanced to be able to make such a move to her left on an undulating track like Newmarket whilst still being able to quicken.

While her pedigree (her dam won four times over 7f for Roger Varian) suggests a step up in trip is well within range the speed she showed would tempt me to try her back a furlong in trip.

Roger Varian has an exciting prospect on his hands and it was only the unknown quantity of the opposition that prevented her from being star of the week. I will be a supporter wherever she goes next.

WINNER IN WAITING

Navassa Island (Territories) trained by Michael O’Callaghan

She was bought by her trainer (in whose colours she raced) for 240,000gns at the Craven Breeze-up sales.

Unusually for a breeze-up graduate she was exceptionally relaxed through the early stages and settled nicely towards the rear of the field.

Possibly this relaxation and lack of race experience meant she found herself temporarily outpaced at the tempo quickened. However, once finding her stride she finished with an exceptional final furlong and was only denied victory by a matter of strides.

The race was run at a fierce pace, which undoubtedly suited those ridden patiently – as she was – but that shouldn’t detract from her performance.

A half-sister to last year’s Cheveley Park Stakes winner Lezoo, she is well up to winning a maiden, although her young trainer is not afraid to run maidens in high grade affairs, so she may not be afforded that opportunity anytime soon.

I’d be surprised if she were carrying the colours of her trainer on her next racecourse appearance.

THE BROCKLESBY

In my opening column of the year, I said that I felt the form of Brocklesby should be opposed at every opportunity given it turned into such a gruellingly test on heavy ground.

That’s a stance that has borne fruit.

Since Doncaster, the colts and fillies that contested the opening two-year old contest have run a further 20 times, yielding just two winners and four beaten favourites (including at odds-on).

Of the two winners, Indication Call was beaten on his next two starts before getting off the mark at the fourth attempt. Sankari did win on his next start but has since been beaten under a penalty back at Doncaster. It’s a form line I’ll continue to oppose until results say otherwise.