3 minute read
Colt hands Lope De Vega his 71st stakes winner
The William Haggas-trained Surf Dancer (3 c ex Beach Belle by Invincible Spirit) bounced back from his lacklustre seventh place finish in the bet365 Mile (1m) when he landed the King Charles II Stakes (Listed, 7f) at York on Sunday and in the process became Lope De Vega’s (Giant’s Causeway) 71st stakes winner.
The three-year-old colt - who was a €260,000 Goffs Ireland Orby Sale purchase by co-owners China Horse Club - scooted clear in the final stages to beat Boccaccio (Dubawi) by two and three-quarter lengths with another half a length back to Lincoln Bright (Lope De Vega) in third.
The trainer's wife, Maureen Haggas, said: "He deserves a nice win, as he was very unlucky at Sandown a couple of starts back.
"I think he liked that bit of cut in the ground and he just looked happy under a nice, complicated ride. I suppose we'll be looking at Group races now. He's always been a nice, solid horse and it's good for him to win a nice race."
The colt is out of Listed winner Invincible Spirit (Green Desert) mare Beach Belle, who is herself a half-sister to Naadirr (Oasis Dream), with the pair being out of fellow Listed winner Beach Bunny (High Chaparral), who was also placed at Group 1 level.
The colt’s fourth dam is Prix Marcel Boussac (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Miss Tahiti (Tirol), who in turn produced 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) winner Miss France (Dansili) and Listed scorer Mer De Corail (Sadler’s Wells) and the dam of Coongy Handicap (Gr 3, 2000m) winner Mask Of Time (Holy Roman Emperor).
This is the second stakes winner bred on the same cross as Group 2 winner Duke Of Hazzard.
Lope De Vega’s progeny is headed by ten Group 1 winners, including Australian elite level scorers Santa Ana Lane, Vega Magic and Gytrash, while he is represented in the southern hemisphere by his son Belardo, who will stand at Haunui Farm in 2020.
Haggas - who is enjoying a purple patch of form - sent out an across the card treble on Sunday which was kicked off by Roberto Escobarr (Galileo), who broke his maiden at the second time of asking, while Nahaarr (Dark Angel) proved too strong in the bet365 Handicap (6f) at Newbury.
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— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 19, 2020
William Haggas has enjoyed a good few days at @yorkracecourse and Surf Dancer (9-1) brings up a double for the trainer and Ryan Moore in the Listed King Charles II Stakes
Results & Replays https://t.co/GI57hUtDeF pic.twitter.com/Bv7bGmZoDm
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