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| Sumita Pawar |
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Modern Games won his fifth Group One victory and his first in the UK by using his signature impressive burst of speed to claim the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.
Charlie Appleby's Eclipse Award-winning colt had already established himself as an exceptional performer on the global platform, having secured victories in the Poule d'Essai des Poulains, Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, Woodbine Mile, and Breeders' Cup Mile at the highest level.
Modern Games started well from his high draw and then settled in the middle of the pack on the stands' side, while Mutasaabeq led the 12-strong field down the center of the course.
Modern Games Shows His Class
Entering the final quarter-mile, it seemed like the runners racing with Mutasaabeq had the upper hand and Modern Games, who is a half-brother to this season's 1,000 Guineas heroine Mawj, had a lot of ground to cover.
After Chindit replaced Mutasaabeq, Modern Games accelerated and overtook them both just before the finish line, despite Chindit's attempt to interfere. With William Buick on board, Modern Games finished strongly and won by a length and a half, giving Godolphin their ninth Lockinge Stakes triumph, a record-breaking achievement.
Charlie Appleby said, “I am delighted for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, Godolphin and all the team back at Moulton Paddocks. Modern Games deserved this – he was already a four-time G1 winner but it’s a huge feather in his cap for him to do it on home soil.
“There was strength in depth in the field, and they went a good gallop. I said to William [Buick] to try and keep Modern Games up in the van and keep him interested. He is an older horse now, so you need to keep the interest there, while it also gives him a target. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do but William gave him a fantastic ride. Horse and jockey know each other so well now, and William knew when to deliver his challenge.
“Modern Games started his career off with the likes of Native Trail and Coroebus, so he was going out in the mornings with some star milers. We have seen Modern Games winning the French Guineas and out in North America, and I thought finishing second to Baaeed in the Sussex Stakes was a huge race. He was one of the few horses who put Baaeed under the pump and I felt he gained a lot of recognition in the UK from that point onwards.
“We will head to Royal Ascot for the Queen Anne Stakes now. We will keep an eye on the Sussex Stakes afterwards and see what the three-year-olds are achieving through the summer. Ultimately, we would like to head back to America to try and win at the Breeders’ Cup for a third time.”
William Buick added, “Modern Games has been top-class all throughout his career and is a real top-class miler. You forget that this is his first G1 in this country, so I am delighted for him to achieve it. He really deserves this after running Baaeed so close in the Sussex Stakes last year.
“Any time when you are drawn on the wing, you are always reliant on pace around you but Modern Games is a very versatile horse. He can make things happen around him, rather than relying on other things to happen. I was quite comfortable throughout and he responded very well to everything I asked of him.
“He is very straightforward and there are no idiosyncrasies. He is just a very, very good horse.”