Princely Heir led a British one-two in yesterday's Heinz 57 Phoenix Stakes at Leopardstown, beating the favourite Asfurah by a head, with Harbour Master, best of the locals, a length and a half back in third.
However there was a sting in the victory tail for jockey Jason Weaver, who picked up a four-day whip ban which rules him out of the prestigious York festival.
Although disappointed with the suspension, Weaver quickly banished it from his mind because he proceeded to add the Phoenix Sprint to the big race on another British raider, Cretan Gift, who overhauled Azizzi to give little-known trainer Nick Littmoden a victory in his first attempt at a Group race.
Such momentous events are long since in the past for Middleham trainer Mark Johnston, but it was a similar have-ago attitude which yielded him his fourth Group One race. Princely Heir's starting price of 12 to 1 reflected the disappointment many had felt over the colt's previous third to Lady Alexander and King Of Kings at the Curragh, but Johnston's willingness to give him a second chance paid huge dividends.
"The Curragh was the only blot on his copybook. Apart from that, we thought he was going to be a superstar but he coughed after that race, so we gave him a break. When I saw Aidan (O'Brien) had half the entries for this, I thought somebody had better take him on, and for only £196 to stay in, we had to speculate," Johnston said.
Hopping Higgins set a scorching pace, but Weaver never allowed her too much rope and Princely Heir collared her in the final furlong. It was then that Frankie Dettori launched Asfurah, but try as she did, Asfurah never quite looked like pegging Princely Heir back.
"I was always confident of catching Hopping Higgins. My fellow was feeling the ground and ducking in behind the filly, but when I got serious, he did it well," Weaver reported. The stewards, however, felt Weaver had used his whip excessively on Princely Heir and banned him after taking into account Weaver having also been banned for a whip offence at the track on April 19th. "I won't be appealing," Weaver said.
Dettori returned to say of Asfurah: "She took time to get organised but this was her first time against the colts and she is still learning." Aidan O'Brien was pleased with how well the hard-ridden Harbour Master finished to take third from stablemate Hopping Higgins.
Nick Littmoden, 34, is in only his third season training at Wolverhampton's all-weather track but broke into the big time when Cretan Gift, only a poor last of four over seven furlongs at Chester eight days ago, overhauled another raider, Azizzi, to complete Weaver's big-race double.
"We were bitterly disappointed at Chester but since then he has been so well we've been hanging off him. I have 30 horses in a mixed yard but this one has been a star for me, really got me going," Littmoden said. Theano started favourite for this race but finished lame.
It was one of the few disappointments of the day for Theano's trainer Aidan O'Brien, who introduced a very promising juvenile in Second Empire, who overcame greenness to beat Absoluta by an impressively easy five lengths.
"I'm very excited by him," O'Brien admitted. "He has the speed to win over any trip but has a good staying pedigree. We've only been cantering him up to now, but like King Of Kings, he has never given us any worries. The National Stakes may be next for him."
O'Brien saddled two other winners when Citizen Kane took the Mongey Handicap and Theatreworld, who will be going novice chasing soon, showed he is still a force on the flat when coming from 12 lengths off the pace on the turn in to comfortably beat Hill Society in the Larch Hill Handicap.
Christy Roche moved on to a Charles O'Brien horse to complete a four-timer with Night Raider, who sauntered past Moving On Up early in the straight and win the Fernhill Maiden in a canter.
