Dawn Approach confirmed his reputation as the best juvenile seen on either side of the Irish Sea this season with an authoritative success in the listed Alfred Nobel Rochestown Stakes at Naas yesterday.
Trained by Jim Bolger, Dawn Approach is from the first crop of New Approach, who won the 2,000 Guineas and Derby for the Co Carlow stable in 2008. He appears to have inherited much of his sire’s ability and attitude, showing plenty of determination to reel in the front-running Mister Marc.
It was only in the final furlong that Dawn Approach asserted his authority over Richard Hannon’s British raider, ultimately scoring convincingly by 2¾ lengths.
“He’ll go to Ascot for either the Coventry or the Chesham,” Bolger said. “He has the choice. Kevin [Manning, his jockey] said they went five-furlong pace the whole way. It was a fierce gallop but he stuck at it well. Trip doesn’t really matter to him. He’s got a great temperament.”
Coral cut Dawn Approach to 11-4 favourite from 9-2 for the Coventry Stakes. Looking farther ahead, he is already as short as 10-1 favourite with Stan James for next year’s 2,000 Guineas.
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Bolger reported that Parish Hall, who missed both the Irish 2,000 Guineas and the Derby because of a leg infection, will also miss the royal meeting. The trainer said: “I had to enter him at Ascot, but he won’t make it. He has a small wound where the infection broke out and it will take a bit of time.”
Hannon and jockey Richard Hughes went one better when Sky Lantern landed the Coolmore Stud EBF Sprint Stakes for juvenile fillies.
The trainer’s son and assistant, Richard Hannon Jr, said: “She’s a lovely filly and crying out for seven furlongs. We’ll enter her for the Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot and see what happens.”
Ektihaam, one of several to have lost all chance when badly hampered in a rough race for the French Derby on Sunday, is now likely to be given a break.
Reflecting on the classic, Angus Gold, racing manager to owner Sheikh Hamdan al-Maktoum, said: “It was such a rough race. Paul [Hanagan] said in all his days riding it was the roughest race he’d ever been in.
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“Over that trip at Chantilly it was too many runners. I think they have to address that. A lot of people never got a run and we are going into the middle of the season not knowing what we’ve got.
“He just got murdered so many times Paul left him alone, so we’ve got to go back to the drawing board and start again. There’s every chance we’ll have to give him a bit of a break depending on how he is, then we’ll see what the options are and take it from there.”