Adam Houghton chats to Richard Spencer, who is set to be double-handed in Sunday's QIPCO 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.
Naomi Lapaglia and Sweet Harmony might be among the outsiders for Sunday’s QIPCO 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, but owner Phil Cunningham has sprung a surprise on this Classic weekend before.
Between 2005 and 2011, Cunningham ran three horses in the 2000 Guineas and they all finished in the first four despite being totally unfancied in the betting.
Most memorably, Cockney Rebel became one of the longest-priced winners of the 2000 Guineas this century when successful at 25/1 in 2007, while Rebel Rebel was a 100/1 shot when filling the runner-up spot behind Footstepsinthesand in 2005 and Slim Shadey returned an SP of 200/1 when finishing fourth behind Frankel in 2011.
Cunningham certainly won’t be daunted by taking on the likes of the Aga Khan, Coolmore and Godolphin on Sunday, and nor is trainer Richard Spencer, whose only previous Newmarket Classic runner was with Rajasinghe in the 2018 edition of the 2000 Guineas.
That proved to be a rare low point for Cunningham when targeting the opening Classic of the season as Rajasinghe beat only one rival home, but the team at Sefton Lodge in Newmarket have two chances of bettering that result when Naomi Lapaglia – who is co-owned by Ed Babington – and Sweet Harmony make the short journey to the Rowley Mile for the 1000 Guineas.
Successful on her only start in a fillies' novice event at Kempton in November (watch the replay below), 33/1-shot Naomi Lapaglia has the edge over her stablemate according to the ante-post betting and Spencer is clearly optimistic of a bold showing from a filly who is firmly in the 'could-be-anything' category.
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"We wouldn’t be running her in it if we didn’t think she could run a big race," Spencer said. "She was one we took a bit of time with as a two-year-old, there were no issues. She was a breeze-up filly and there was no rush to run her after buying her there. We took our time with her and ran when we felt she was ready to go and win.
"We had very high expectations when she ran at Kempton. She showed us enough at home to suggest she’d go very close on debut and she couldn’t have done it any better. We were just pleased that she confirmed the promise of what she’d been showing us."
Naomi Lapaglia lacks experience
While that comfortable Kempton success was undoubtedly full of promise, it's fair to say that Naomi Lapaglia doesn't have the profile of your typical 1000 Guineas winner. In fact, I went back 50 years and I couldn't find a single filly who won the race on just their second start, while the last five winners had all run at least seven times at two.
Described in Timeform's Horses To Follow as a filly "who seems sure to progress and win more races when tackling middle-distances", there's also a good chance on pedigree that Naomi Lapaglia might need longer trips to be seen to best effect.
Her sire Awtaad never raced beyond a mile, notably winning the Irish 2000 Guineas, but her dam, Cumberland Lodge winner Hawaafez, and her half-sister, Lingfield Oaks Trial winner Rogue Millennium (by Dubawi), both showed their best form over at least a mile and a quarter.
For his part, Spencer didn't rule out going up in trip with Naomi Lapaglia at some stage this season, but first it's all about Sunday and the race which has been the plan throughout the winter, with no temptation to take in a trial en route.
"The plan was always to go straight there," Spencer confirmed. "She’s had a racecourse gallop and she’s worked well since then. It’s her first run of the year and we can then look forward to having a fun season with her.
"We’ll take each run as it comes, but we have her entered in the Oaks and she’s been entered in two races at Royal Ascot. Sunday will tell us a lot about which route we’ll be taking and I’m not pigeonholing her to be anything yet.
"Her pedigree suggests she should get further and I’m hoping on Sunday she’ll be hitting the line strong in the Guineas. We’ll get that out of the way first and, fingers crossed, we’ll know a bit more afterwards."
Sweet Harmony better than she showed in Nell Gwyn
We already know a bit more about Sweet Harmony, who raced four times as a two-year-old and outran odds of 66/1 when signing off with a good fourth in the Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket in September.
Bookmakers give her even less chance of getting involved in the 1000 Guineas with general quotes of 100/1, but Spencer is at least confident that she's better than she showed when finishing seventh – at 66/1 again – on her reappearance in the Nell Gwyn Stakes back at Newmarket a couple of weeks ago (watch the replay below).
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Discover Sporting Life Plus BenefitsHe explained: "I thought she’d finish a bit closer in the Nell Gwyn if I’m honest but, having gone back and watched the race and spoken to Hollie [Doyle, jockey], I think there were reasons why she didn’t.
"I think she would have preferred better ground and the part of the track we raced on that day was a negative. If we’d been drawn differently, we would have finished a bit closer.
"She hasn’t been beaten that far [six and a half lengths] and she ran well over the same course and distance last year in the Rockfel when she wasn’t beaten far behind Commissioning and Electric Eyes, who were fancied for the 1000 Guineas through the winter but have obviously been ruled out."
Commissioning and Electric Eyes might be missing on Sunday, but most of the other top two-year-old fillies from last season are set to be in opposition – headed by Tahiyra and Meditate – and Spencer's two fillies will certainly need to step up markedly on the form they've shown so far to cause another Classic upset on the Rowley Mile.
Whilst pragmatic about the scale of the task facing Naomi Lapaglia and Sweet Harmony, Spencer is also excited to see what they can do with jockey plans now confirmed and the big day fast approaching.
He added: "I think everyone dreams about it [winning a Classic], but it’s one thing dreaming about it and another thing doing it. It would be nice one day to be able to do it and it’s great to have two fillies good enough to line up in the race.
"We’ve obviously got a good jockey booking for Sweet Harmony in Billy Loughnane, the up-and-coming star. We had Hollie pencilled in to ride the filly, but I think she’s elsewhere on the day unfortunately.
"Billy is definitely a good substitute and Kieran Shoemark had a sit on Naomi Lapaglia this morning just to get to know her. It’s an exciting week and fingers crossed they can both run well."
Rajasinghe key to future of Rebel team
It could be an exciting year full stop for the Rebel Racing team, thanks in no small part to the aforementioned Rajasinghe, who will always have a special place in the hearts of both Cunningham and Spencer despite his 2000 Guineas flop.
A breakthrough Royal Ascot winner for the pair when landing the Coventry Stakes in 2017 – only Spencer's second year with a licence – Rajasinghe didn't race again after the 2000 Guineas and was retired to the National Stud where he stood his first season at a fee of £5,000 in 2019.
Four years on and it's fair to say that any breeders who sent mares to Rajasinghe at that lowly fee – and there weren't many of them – have reaped the benefits, not least Cunningham and Spencer, who can look forward to a bright future with his offspring judged on the results of his first two-year-olds in 2022.
For context, from only 10 individual runners Rajasinghe had eight winners – giving him a remarkable 80% winners to runners – and six of the eight who managed to win a race represented the Cunningham/Spencer combination.
They included Waiting All Night, who finished fifth when sent off 150/1 for the Coventry, while the team also had the Dark Angel filly Ivory Madonna finish third when sent off 66/1 for the Albany Stakes at the same meeting.
If it wasn't clear already, this is a team that should never be underestimated, even when the odds seem stacked against them.
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