Royal Applause enjoyed a good weekend with a brace of black-type winners on Saturday in England and America.
The consistent three-year-old Battle of Hastings added another Graded Stakes win to his burgeoning CV with a hard-fought win in the G2 Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs. Bred by Myriad Communications and New England Stud, this is his third Stakes triumph since transfering to the US after being sold at last year's horses-in-training sale.
In the UK, another son of Royal Applause, Crime Scene, led home a Darley-sired and Godolphin-trained one-two in the Listed Shadwell Beech House Stud Stakes at Newbury on Saturday. Covert Ambition, a four-year-old colt by Singspiel out of the Yorkshire Oaks winner Super Tassa, was second.
Six-year-old Crime Scene, who was bred by Gainsborough Stud Management, is now the winner of eight races and he is the sixth Stakes winner for his sire this season. Among Royal Applause’s other top performers in 2009 are the highly promising juveniles Habaayib, winner of the G2 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot, and Corporal Maddox, who won the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom on Derby day.
Singspiel had two Listed-placed horses on Saturday with the Marco Botti-trained Princess Taylor finishing runner-up in the Plantation Stud Stakes at Newmarket.
Exceed And Excel juvenile Shamandar, who impressed when winning on debut at Ripon last month, finished just half a length behind Monsieur Chevalier to take second in the valauable Weatherbys Super Sprint at Newbury. This is the second year running that an Exceed And Excel filly has just missed out on the big pot in this juvenile contest: in 2008 Kheleyf's daughter Jargelle narrowly defeated Infamous Angel, who went on the win the G2 Lowther Stakes.
