Shadow Of Light storms home to shade tight Dewhurst tussle
Shadow Of Light justified the faith connections placed in him earlier in the week having been supplemented for the Darley Dewhurst Stakes by getting up late in determined style.
Winner of the Middle Park over six furlongs just two weeks ago, trainer Charlie Appleby intimated afterwards that his colt would likely be put away for the season and aimed at the Commonwealth Cup next term.
Therefore, it was a surprise on Monday morning when Shadow Of Light’s name was added to the Group One, which traditionally decides the leading juvenile of the season.
Not many colts win the Middle Park and the Dewhurst, and for some years they were on the same day, which rendered it impossible, but US Navy Flag did manage the double in 2017.
Appleby already had one leading contender for the Dewhurst in unbeaten youngster Ancient Truth, but William Buick kept faith with Shadow Of Light, despite having an extra furlong to travel.
However, with each drop of rain turning the ground softer by the minute, confidence began to waver in the eventual even money favourite, despite the absence of The Lion In Winter due to a foot problem.
Only five went to post yet they still split across Newmarket’s great expanse, with Seagulls Eleven leading Shadow Of Light and Rock Of Cashel, while Expanded gave Ancient Truth a lead until two furlongs out.
Having initially been behind, the smaller ground held sway heading into the dip and James Doyle went for home on Ancient Truth, but he could not shake off Aidan O’Brien’s once-raced Expanded.
As the two groups began to get closer, Shadow Of Light once again displayed his smart turn of foot and for the first time showed off his stamina, as he stayed on strongly to get home by a neck from Expanded, with Ancient Truth another neck back in third.
Appleby said: “He’s some horse to do what he has done the last few weeks and full credit to the team. He’s another homebred who is a half-brother to Earthlight.
“Going forward into the spring, we can look at both divisions, I suppose. What Will was most encouraged by was the way he raced – and when he hit the rising ground, he just kept finding and found again when they came close to one another.
“Will said he can’t tell me not to look towards a Guineas in the spring. If we go there and don’t stay the mile on the day, he wouldn’t be the first horse to drop back into the Commonwealth Cup. We’ve seen it done before and I imagine that would be our programme in the spring now.”
He added: “I was delighted with Ancient Truth’s run, he was a bit fresh off his lay-off there and James (Doyle) was just having to manage him a little bit for the first two furlongs and got him into a rhythm.
“I actually thought he was going to be the one who was going to hit the rising ground and see it out the best, because at that stage William was under the pump a little bit.
“But as William said, ‘he kept finding for me’, and when the others came closer, he found again.”
Buick said: “He’s a good Middle Park and Dewhurst winner now and he’s obviously an exceptional horse. The race didn’t really play to him at all. A five-runner field, you just think we will race up the middle and everyone will have their chance.
“I needed cover and he was a six-furlong winner stepping up to seven in soft ground, so I had to conserve where I could.
“I knew if I showed him daylight too early, he would probably burn out, so I had to follow Oisin (Murphy on Seagulls Eleven) wherever he went, and Ryan (Moore on Expanded) and James went on the stands’ rail and we were far-to-middle.
“Oisin was cooked approaching the three and I had to make my way home from there and luckily, I’ve managed to make touch with Ryan and James and I just managed to get over a little bit to them – once I did, my fellow got really competitive.
“He hit the rising ground and was well on top in the end. He is really tough and responded to everything I asked him – and what really pleased me the most is, for such a quick Middle Park winner, how he showed that stamina over seven furlongs on this soft ground here.
“I can’t remember many horses I have ridden, especially two-year-olds, who would be able to do that.
“He was running on his own doing fine but once he got a sniff of the opposition, he found another gear. It was a big performance and through that you can definitely mark it up.
“You have to give credit to Charlie and the team for having a crack – he was a four-length Middle Park winner and now two weeks later he’s a Dewhurst winner.”