Bracken's Laugh impresses at Chelmsford | report and free video replay
By Sporting Life
16:47 · SAT April 06, 2024
Bracken's Laugh (9/1) brushed aside a competitive looking field in the Woodford Reserve Cardinal Conditions Stakes at Chelmsford.
The race, part of the European Road to the Kentucky Derby series, had attracted a strong field with the Aidan O'Brien trained Capulet sent off the 8/13 favourite.
He was given every chance by Ryan Moore but had no answer to Bracken's Laugh who displayed a smart change of gear to leave his rivals trailing.
Produced by Finley Marsh in the straight, the son of Zoffany wandered off a straight line but quickly put daylight between himself and the chasing pack, winning by two and a quarter lengths.
The front-running Orne held on for second with Capulet third.
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Trained by Richard Hughes, whose string is in fine form, Bracken's Laugh was having the third start of his career and his first since finishing fifth of seven in the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud in October. The third home, Illinois, is a stablemate of Capulet and is forecast favourite for Sunday's Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown, a recognised Derby trial.
The winning trainer told Racing TV: "I don't think I've had many Group 1 winners but he won last year in the Haynes, Hanson And Clark and I thought I'd give him a go in that Group 1 at France and, as it turned out, we ended up on the wrong side of the track a little bit and the ground was very heavy and he just didn't quite get home but we felt he could be a Group 1 horse then.
"This year starting off, it was very important that he didn't have too hard a race first up and we learned a lot from it.
"This horse would gallop with everything at home. I feel he's a mile and a quarter horse and maybe not quite a mile and a half horse with the speed he shows at home so I was really looking forward to see him run over a mile on a better surface to see how he travelled and he travelled immensely well and quickened up really good.
"I made a decision two months ago that we'd come here first. You don't have to get them quite as fit on the all-weather as soft ground on the grass so I thought this was a nice introduction and the perfect race for him. If he'd been placed, I'd have been really happy as a stepping stone towards Chester; I don't feel he's a Guineas horse or a Derby horse so I'd like to go quietly and run at the Dee Stakes and then a Group 3 at Royal Ascot over a mile and a quarter.
"I didn't want to throw him in the Guineas, have a hard race and find out you're not good enough; I don't think he's able for that yet, his size and build, even this year he's put on 13 kilos more than last year. He ran off 500 kilos today and last year he was 465 or 470 going to Newbury so he's developed really well.
"Without a doubt (there's something left to work on). I have a month until Chester and have another month until Royal Ascot so the plan looks good at the moment; I hope we can pull it off."
Matt Brocklebank advised a 1pt win on Bracken's Laugh in our headline tipping column Value Bet.
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