Venetian Sun made a successful foray to France for a first Group 1…
- Venetian Sun gives Starman a first Group 1 winner
- My Highness defeats Fitzella for Prix du Calvados success
Venetian Sun provided first-season sire Starman with a first Group 1 success in the six-furlong Group 1 Sumbe Prix Morny, preserving her unbeaten record.
Tony Bloom and Ian McAleavy's two-year-old was arriving on the back of a highly creditable debut campaign in which she landed back-to-back successes in the Group 3 Albany Stakes at Royal Ascot before stepping up in class to take the Group 2 Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes at Newmarket.
Jockey Clifford Lee opted to closely track Ryan Moore aboard Gstaad amidst a sharp early pace, settling his mount in a share of third place in a tightly bunched field. Lee deftly adjusted the filly toward the centre of the course at the two-furlong marker with Wise Approach who was also commencing his run after being last of the sextet. She drove to the lead with a furlong remaining, staying on determinedly in the closing strides to prevail by a short-head over the pursuing Gstaad. Wise Approach finished half-a-length adrift in third.
Speaking to Sky Sports Racing in the aftermath of the contest, winning trainer Karl Burke said: "She's unbelievable. She does everything so relaxed. You can see her now - there's hardly a blow on her!
"I've been saying for a while that she's a special filly and I think she's just proved it today.
"I wouldn't say she's a small filly, early on in the year she stood out in the string - she was big. She's got so much ability. She'll be better with easier ground. I was very worried when I walked the course earlier on. It's as quick as I've ever walked it here at Deauville and I've been coming here for a number of years now. I was a bit worried - that dampened my confidence.
"She'll be better over an extra furlong - I'm convinced of that. She'll head for the Moyglare Stud Stakes (Gr.1) now, and we'll see where we go from there. It's all very well me saying that she'll stay, but she's got to prove that. She's got a temperament to die for. She was asleep when we saddled her! I've been lucky to have some good fillies, but she's certainly the best of them all at this stage.
Venetian Sun is a first Group 1 winner by leading first crop sire Starman, who stands at Tally-Ho Stud. She is out of Johara, who placed twice in Listed company when trained in France by Henri Devin.
Elsewhere on the card, the progressive My Highness put on a highly impressive display to land the Group 2 Prix du Calvados, denying British raider Fitzella.
Unbeaten on her last two starts and not seeking to alter a proven winning strategy, Cristian Demuro was content to ride his mount patiently, fulfilling the role of backmarker in the far-side group as the field split into two divisions out of the stalls. With longstanding frontrunner Fitzella visibly tiring at the two-furlong marker, the Godolphin-owned filly began to launch her attack to reel in Hugo Palmer's British raider. Demuro began to drive his mount on from 300m out and assumed the lead with 200m remaining. Requiring only minimal encouragement, My Highness charged further clear to record a strong one-and-a-quarter length success over Fitzella in runner-up who stayed on. Of the remainder, Nandita finished nearest – three lengths further behind.
My Highness' success, as well as representing a fourth victory in the contest for Fabre, also broke the track and race records. The former 1400m course record held by Proviso was 1'21"10 - My Highness' victory came in 1'20"23.
