Los Angeles digs deep to grind out Great Voltigeur victory
The star of Los Angeles continues to rise after the Irish Derby scorer registered a gutsy success in the Sky Bet Great Voltigeur Stakes at York.
Third behind Ballydoyle stablemate City Of Troy at Epsom, Aidan O’Brien’s son of Camelot gained his own Classic triumph at the Curragh in the Irish equivalent on his last start.
Supplemented into this Group Two event, he was sent off 5-4 favourite in the hands of Ryan Moore as he became the first horse to win the Knavesmire contest under a penalty.
Los Angeles was settled in third as O’Brien-trained pair Euphoric and Illinois took the field along, but once shaken up to bridge the gap to his stablemates, he responded to Moore’s urgings to work his way to the head of proceedings.
The challengers mounted at all angles as Los Angeles needed to pull out all the stops inside the final furlong but neither rallying runner-up Illinois or Harry Charlton’s King’s Gambit could get past Moore and his willing ally as he hung on by a neck.
He was made the 5-2 outright favourite for the St Leger by Paddy Power in the aftermath, but it remains to be seen in which direction connections will head in the autumn.
O’Brien said: “He was very tough and we were delighted with him. He’s just a lazy horse that gets a mile and a half well.
“Obviously the lads will make that decision (where he runs next), but the second horse stays very well and a mile and six (furlongs) is probably where he is going to be seen at his best.
“Ryan’s horse (Los Angeles) can do either – he can go up in trip, but he has plenty of class, so he could go back for an Irish Champion Stakes and finish in the first four and go on to an Arc, or he can go to the Leger with the others.
“The horse that won in Goodwood (Jan Brueghel) would probably get the Leger trip very well, Illinois would probably get the trip very well and Los Angeles could get it as well, but would have an option of going shorter trips as well.
“He’s a massive, handsome, powerful horse and he has the options and he’s very versatile ground-wise.
“I’m delighted for the lads and everyone. It’s hard to win these races, so it for it to come together, especially at a place like this, is great.”
Charlton was satisfied with King’s Gambit’s effort but has yet to consider future plans.
He said: “He ran a lovely race. William (Buick) just thought he stays a mile and a half but that felt more like a mile and six on him the way they rode it.
“He came there to win his race but he was slightly on empty, but he’s run great. He made a lot of ground from three out to close up but then he just emptied.
“He’s a 10- or 12-furlong horse but 12 in less extreme circumstances.
“We’ve nothing in mind, I’ll talk to Mohammed Jaber and see what he wants to do.”