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| Sumita Pawar |
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Exciting young racehorse Vandeek, who was the favorite at odds of 11/8, continued his winning streak in the prestigious G2 Markel Richmond Stakes. Trained by Simon & Ed Crisford, this 2YO son of Havana Grey proved his talent once again with a remarkable performance.
After a successful debut at Nottingham just 13 days ago, where he received strong support from bettors, Vandeek confidently stepped up to compete at the Group level. Under the skilled ride of jockey Andrea Atzeni, the colt traveled smoothly throughout the race, gradually moving closer to the leading pack.
Vandeek Dominates Final Furlong
As they entered the final furlong, Vandeek demonstrated his class by effortlessly taking control of the race. With a length advantage at the finish line, he left no doubt about his superiority. Ballymount Boy, who showed improvement since his victory at Hamilton last month, finished strongly to secure second place, albeit a fair distance behind the winner. Another five lengths back, Gr.2 July Stakes third-place finisher Toca Madera completed the top three.
Vandeek's unbeaten record and impressive display in the Gr.2 Markel Richmond Stakes solidify his status as a rising star in the racing world. With such a promising start to his career, there is no doubt that this talented young colt has a bright future ahead.
Simon Crisford said, “Vandeek was bought at the Craven Breeze-Up Sale and we were very lucky he was allocated to us – if you get the good horses in your stable, you have half a chance of doing well.
"It is nerve-wracking [when a horse has cost 625,000gns] because you don't want to miss your lines as he nearly did at Nottingham. It makes you think twice about your campaign, but I think with a horse like that having won the way he did at Nottingham, he had to go and do something better.
"A little bit of juice in the ground suits him, but next year he will go on quick ground. This year as a two-year-old we will keep him to sensible ground and not too firm. His bones still aren't mature enough to cope with really quick ground.
“I think there’s tonnes of room for improvement to come. We will head to the Prix Morny on August 20. Obviously that’s dependent on Shaikh Khalid’s [bin Hamad Al Khalifa, owner] wishes, but he likes to be bold and brave, and I am sure he would very much like us to go for the Group One in Deauville.
When asked about the potential of this horse as a contender for the Guineas, the individual responded that it is uncertain how this form will compare. They mentioned that the Prix Morny, a different type of race, will provide more insights. In terms of stamina, the horse comes from an Exceed And Excel mare and has a pedigree with abundant speed. However, based on their observations at home, it appears that the horse has the potential to go further than just sprinting distances.
“I was questioning whether we should go to the Acomb for his next race, rather than the Richmond. He’s always looked like a horse that will go further. And he’s big, scopey, and stands over a lot of daylight. He will stay.”
Atzeni said, “Vandeek looked pretty special when he won first time out at Nottingham. He was obviously very green that day – a little slow out of the gates – but he made up a lot of ground and picked up quite nicely.
“Obviously when you step up at this level, you never know how good you are until you try. He has a bit of a pedigree and has obviously improved since Nottingham. He showed today how good he is – I think he is a very good horse.
“He has a great mind for a breeze-up horse. He has won at Group Two level now and he is going to go up to Group One level – I can’t see why he wouldn’t be good enough. I think he is a horse that will get better with racing as physically he is still a bit immature. He is only going to strengthen up and will be a nice horse for next year.”
Adrian Keatley said, “Ballymount Boy didn’t help himself early on – he was a bit slow to get into his stride, but he is a fair horse and we were expecting that kind of run from him. We will see where we go with him next, but we might contemplate seven furlongs. He was similar today to what he did the first time he ran – he was slowly away and took time to get going, but when he gets into top gear, he is a fair horse. He is a Group horse for sure, so it is onwards and upwards.”
Jason Hart added, “I was really happy with him. Just at halfway on the ground, he got a bit flat-footed, but he stayed on strongly and galloped past everything up to and after the line. He will definitely stay further. He is a nice horse and Adrian has always said of his homework that he really likes him, and he has trained an [Irish] 1,000 Guineas winner.”