3 minute read
Youth Spirit impresses in Chester Vase Stakes
Former Coolmore Stud shuttler Camelot (Montjeu) sired 36th stakes winner and his second winner of the Chester Vase (Gr 3, 1m4¼f) when his son Youth Spirit (3 c ex Rocana by Fastnet Rock) landed the Group 3 at Chester on Wednesday.
Trained by Andrew Balding, the colt was most recently seen finishing second in the Feilden Stakes (Listed, 9f) at Newmarket on April 13 and on Wednesday he finished strongly to beat Sandhurst (Galileo) by a length and three-quarters.
Fancy Man (Pride Of Dubai) - looked to have the race in the bag with a furlong left to travel - but he emptied quickly to finish another length further back in third.
Balding was represented by his wife, Anna Lisa, and she was unwilling to commit the colt to a start in the Derby (Gr 1m4f) at Epsom next month.
“Andrew has always thought a lot of him and today has shown what we wanted to find out.
“I’m sure the owner will be looking forward to a runner in the Derby so I’d be amazed if he didn’t show up at Epsom.
“Somebody made me aware the other day that it is 50 years since Mill Reef won the Derby for Kingsclere, which is fantastic, but it will be a little bit quieter this year.
“When Tom got on him he said ‘a Camelot round here on soft ground, he’ll love it’ and he was right. He was a massive price, I couldn’t believe it.
“Andrew’s record in the Derby isn’t great, but he was second and fourth last year.”
Youth Spirit is out of the unraced Fastnet Rock (Danehill) mare Rocana and she was purchased by Ringfort Stud for 60,000gns at the 2017 Tattersalls December Mares Sale when carrying the colt in utero.
The colt himself was purchased by Global Thoroughbred Services for €60,000 at the 2018 Goffs November Foal Sale, before being bought by Federico Barberini for €48,000 at the Arqana Deauville August Yearling Sale the following year.
Rocana herself is out of winning Tagula (Taufan), making her a half-sister to Group 2 winner Blaine (Avonbridge), Listed winner Bogart (Bahamian Bounty) and stakes-placed Legal Attack (Shalaa).
Camelot’s other winner of the Group 3 was Sir Dragonet, who landed the race in 2019, before being sold to Australia and he subsequently went on to land this season’s Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) and Tancred Stakes (Gr 1, 2400m) for co-trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.
The Coolmore Stud-based stallion Camelot shuttled to Australia for one season and his seven Group 1 winners include the aforementioned Sir Dragonet and fellow Australian dual top-flight winner Russian Camelot, who will cover his first book of mares at Widden Stud’s Victoria base in 2021 at a fee of $22,000 (inc GST).
Youth Spirit (Camelot) picks up well under @TomMarquand to land the Chester Vase for Andrew Balding!pic.twitter.com/dj4Ogk2qo3
— Sporting Life (@SportingLife) May 5, 2021
