Wootton Bassett Enjoys Quickfire Stakes Double
Wootton Bassett’s incredible run continued on the first day of the Irish Champions Festival, as he landed the first two races on the card, bringing his juvenile Stakes tally to five for the month so far.
Green Impact (2c Wootton Bassett – Emerald Green, by Galileo) became his sire’s fourth Group winner of the month when producing a taking performance in the Group 2 Champions Juvenile Stakes, a race previously won by the likes of Auguste Rodin and Australia.
A smart maiden winner over course and distance last time out, the Jessica Harrington-trained colt raced prominently under Shane Foley and was ridden to lead a furlong from home, keeping on well to beat the favourite Delacroix by half a length.
“Green Impact was always a lovely horse, very laid-back and very easy to train,” Harrington later said of Marc Chan’s homebred. “He's a very big horse and I think we probably haven't seen the best of him yet. We can dream all winter. I think we'll see a really nice horse next year.”
Coolmore sires dominated the preceding race, the Listed Ingabelle Stakes, in which the Ger Lyons-trained Chantez (2f Wootton Bassett – Lady Lara, by Excellent Art) justified favouritism under Colin Keane.
Like Green Impact, she had won her maiden over course and distance, and race prominently throughout on Saturday. Ridden to lead a furlong from home, she overcame signs of greenness to win by three parts of a length, while Garden Of Eden (Saxon Warrior) claimed runner-up honours. Bubbling (No Nay Never) finished a close third ahead of Easy Mover (Wootton Bassett) in fourth and Nancy J (Ten Sovereigns) in fifth.
“She's a lovely filly,” Lyons commented, while on future plans, he said, “We won't make a decision for a week or two. Coming into this it was 'put her away till next year' but it's all about ground as she's a top of the ground filly.”
Bred by BV Sangster and owned by Newtown Anner Stud Farm, Chantez provides an important update for her Camelot half-brother catalogued at Goffs next month.