Pedigree expert Cassie Tully traces the remarkable rise of Diamond Jubilee Stakes contender Sceptical, who was a Godolphin cast-off in his youth.
It was a mere 11 days ago that Sceptical confirmed himself as Ireland’s top sprinter after a devastating display in the Listed Woodlands Stakes at Naas. In doing so, he earnt a Timeform rating of 122 and launched himself into favouritism for the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot on Saturday, after a decision to bypass the Kings Stand.
The hype and excitement has only been interrupted by Stradivarius since.
It is seldom that sprinters become the big story. The milers and middle-distance heroes of racing usually claim all of the glory due to the fact that there is more opportunity for them to showcase themselves and are often more consistent at the highest level.
But this horse has speedily become a big story not only because of his sudden ascension to the top of Ireland’s sprinting ranks, but also because of his phenomenal account.
Bred by Godolphin, Sceptical never raced for Sheikh Mohammad’s operation and citing a wind problem, he was offered at Goffs UK last August to be snatched up by James McAuley for a modest £2,800.
Representing a beacon of hope for the masses with a smaller budget, Sceptical would not only be a first Group 1 win for his County Tipperary based trainer Denis Hogan, but a first Group winner for him.
Sceptical is by Exceed And Excel. Champion Australian sprinter in their 2003/2004 season and winner of two Group One races over six and seven furlongs. The reverse shuttler to Ireland has been Champion sire in Australia and is a source of many top speed performers in Europe.
With fifteen Group One winners and 172 stakes winners worldwide, 78 of those are in the Northern Hemisphere including top level winners Excelebration, Margot Did, Mr Stunning, Outstrip and so on.
As well as this, many of his progeny have performed effectively at the Royal Ascot meeting. Excelebration placed behind Frankel on his two visits in the St James’s Palace Stakes and The Queen Anne; Nunthorpe Stakes winner Margot Did placed in the Albany Stakes; and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Outstrip placed in the St James’s Palace as well.
Buratino won the Coventry Stakes, Best Terms won the Queen Mary Stakes, Sound And Silence won the Windsor Castle and Threading and Cotai Glory placed in the Coronation and King’s Stand Stakes respectively.
On top of this, Sceptical’s dam Jealous Again, who is by South African Champion sire Trippi, won the Group two Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot on her third of only three starts for Wesley Ward.
She had also won her maiden on debut and placed in a Group three contest over five furlongs before that.
Godolphin purchased Jealous Again later that year and Sceptical is just her third foal, after already producing Group three performer Queen Of Sicily.
Finishing third behind the Aidan O’Brien trained Yale on his debut at Dundalk all-weather track back in October, Sceptical won his next three races at the same location by a combined total of twelve lengths over both five and six furlongs and made his debut on turf just eleven days ago with an easy three length win over the opposition.
In the past twenty years, the Diamond Jubilee has only been won by Irish trainers three times, Aidan O’Brien has won it twice and Edward Lynam once. While similarly, the King’s Stand has only been won by one Irish trainer in the same time frame, Edward Lynam.
But those sprinting stats don’t matter to this colt or his handler, Frankie Dettori has taken the ride and there is every chance this potential fairytale will become reality.
Nine oppose Sceptical in the field headed by last year’s Haydock Sprint Cup winner Hello Youmzain. The fourth Group One winner for his sire Kodiac, is also the half brother to German Champion three-year-old Royal Youmzain.
The daughter of Fastnet Rock, One Master actually has her best form over a furlong further, winning the Qatar Prix de la Foret over seven on two occasions, but has also placed second in the British Champions Sprint Stakes over six and the Falmouth Stakes over a mile. Bearing that in mind, Fastnet Rock did also supply us with the winner of this race in Merchant Navy two years ago.
Meanwhile, the six year old Dream Of Dreams has not yet won a Group One but did place a close second to Blue Point in this race last year and is back for a second shot at the prize. A son of Dream Ahead, sire of top sprinters Glass Slippers and Donjuan Triumphant, Dream Of Dreams is also out of a half sister to Champion Sprinter Airwave, who is the grandam of Champion miler Churchill and the Champion two-year-old and Galileo’s sole Group One winner over six furlongs, Clemmie.
Airwave placed second in this race in her day, while her daughter Meow placed second in the Queen Mary and Churchill won the Chesham. There are lots of positives here.
Attempting this race for the fifth time, twice the age of Sceptical at eight years old, is the 2017 winner The Tin Man. The sole European Group One winner for his Kings Stand Stakes winning sire Equiano, this gelding has placed in nine top level races and won three of them.
While Sand of Mali won the Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot in October in 2018 and the other Irish invader Speak In Colours for Joseph O’Brien placed fourth in this last year, it is sometimes impossible to predict which sprinter is going to re-emerge and at what point.
But what we do know is, Sceptical is the new kid on the block. He has the pedigree, has the jockey and has the bare form to take his team to new heights against these more experienced rivals.
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