Ben Linfoot's Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes Analysis | Alkumait sizzles in hot Mill Reef
Ben Linfoot unpicks the result of the Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes and wonders whether Marcus Tregoning's Alkumait could be another Commonwealth Cup winner for Showcasing.
Saturday Reports...
This had the look of a very good renewal of the Group 2 Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes and, with that in mind, it looks like we saw an above-average winner in ALKUMAIT for Marcus Tregoning and Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum at Newbury on Saturday.
The eight-strong field contained the Prix Morny third, Rhythm Master, the Gimcrack second, Devilwala, the Ripon 2yo Trophy winner, Bahrain Pride, and four other last-time out winners including Alkumait who had shown a good display of speed to win a Goodwood maiden back in July.
The question here was whether he could deliver a similar performance against much stiffer opposition and the emphatic answer was ‘oh yes he can’ as he put the race to bed with a swift turn of foot after travelling well throughout in the rear.
They split into two groups in the early stages before coming together as one at about halfway. First Edition led for the first four furlongs with Fivethousandtoone racing keenly, about two lengths behind, in his slipstream.
Two furlongs from home they were all racing, but Crowley had been noticeably quiet on Alkumait in the rear and when he switched him to the far side it was clear he was going best of all.
At the furlong pole he hit the front and the son of Showcasing still showed signs of inexperience when drifting a little to his right when first gaining the lead. All it took was one corrective tap from Crowley and he was off, scampering clear under hands and heels to win by three-parts-of-a-length.
Considering he was a bit of a handful going down to the start – trainer Marcus Tregoning said he didn’t like the wind – this was a taking performance on just his third run against a deep field.
The Mill Reef has produced some exceptional winners in recent years, notably Harry Angel, who subsequently won two Group One sprints in the July Cup and Haydock Sprint Cup, and Ribchester, who developed into a four-time top-level winner over a mile.
At this stage Alkumait looks the sprinting type, judging by his demeanour and the style of this victory, and the potential for him to become another Group One winning sprinter by the sire Showcasing, on the back of Quiet Reflection and Advertise, is there for all to see.
Those two horses both won the Commonwealth Cup as three-year-olds, a race which could well be on this horse’s radar – Sky Bet inserted him as 12/1 co-favourite - but we are likely to see him again as a juvenile with Tregoning saying that ‘one more run wouldn’t do him any harm’.
The obvious race for him is the Middle Park, but Shadwell have the ultra-impressive Gimcrack winner Minzaal for that assignment, so it has to rate unlikely that we’ll see him there.
Tregoning wasn’t averse to trying him over further when discussing future targets in the immediate aftermath and, given his recently retired miler Mohaather was also by Showcasing, the temptation will be there to try and stretch him out beyond sprinting trips.
Wherever he goes, he’s a juvenile with enormous potential, but he looks more of a sprinter than a miler at this stage.
The runner-up, Fivethousandtoone, named after Leicester City’s title-winning odds, was sent off the 5/2 favourite despite being fifth best in on official ratings. He clearly has a big reputation at home and this was a big enough step forward from his Newcastle novice success last time out.
He could do with settling better, as he ran with the choke out early on, but considering that he kept on well and he pulled almost three lengths clear of the third despite being a little short of room very late in proceedings when trying to close the deficit on the winner.
The son of Frankel is in the Dewhurst and a step up to seven furlongs looks within his compass already, even if he would have to settle better over that trip.
Rhythm Master gives a very solid look to the form and reason to believe the front two have more to offer.
He was third in the Group One Prix Morny on just his second start, arguably the best piece of juvenile form this season, with the winner, Campanelle, backing up her Queen Mary win and the second, Nando Parrado, showing his 150/1 Coventry Stakes success was no fluke with another good run in second.
Rhythm Master was narrowly behind Clive Cox’s horse at Deauville, but if he lacked for anything there it was a bit of pace and he was just taken off his feet here before running on well for third.
He’s got a sprinter’s pedigree, but he might need a stiffer test, either by going a bit further or by encountering softer ground, if he’s to get his head in front again this year.
First Edition ran well at 33/1 for Clive Cox.
The Invincible Spirit colt was quick out of the blocks and took them along under Adam Kirby, showing good early speed to open up a lead of a length and a bit more.
He couldn’t go on with Alkumait and Fivethousandtoone when flanked on either side, but he’s in the right hands to develop over this sort of trip, although he’ll likely get a good bit further judging by his pedigree on his dam’s side.
Bahrain Pride was another who raced keenly and, though he had every chance two out, his early exertions got the better of him late on and he faded in the closing stages.
This was the hottest company and the fastest ground he’d ever faced.
The race developed away from Cairn Gorm, Devilwala and Line Of Departure who were a bit marooned towards the stands’ side.
Devilwala didn’t run up to the level of his Gimcrack second, so it would be dangerous to assume that Alkumait is the better of the Shadwell duo on that line of form.
This was further evidence that Sheikh Hamdan has strength in depth in the juvenile division, however, with the next performances of both Owen Burrows’ Minzaal and now Tregoning’s Alkumait both eagerly-awaited.
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