racing_news/

Shantaram Claims Victory in the Bahrain Trophy
12/07/12

1 Shantaram 9/4
2 Naseem Alyasmeen 20/1
3 Good Morning Star 20/1
6 ran Distances: 3¼l, 2¾l, hd
TIME 2m 53.07s (slow by 13.07s)

Shantaram earned a 14/1 quote with sponsors Ladbrokes for the St Leger on September 15 after his victory in the Bahrain Trophy.

Trainer John Gosden landed the Group Three contest last year with Masked Marvel before his triumph in the Doncaster Classic, and Shantaram is likely to follow a similar path.

William Buick’s mount had finished second to Main Sequence in the Lingfield Derby Trial before shedding his maiden tag here last time out and the 9/4 chance quickened away on this occasion to score by three and a quarter lengths.

Gosden said: “He ran well at Lingfield on the artificial surface and I undercooked him here last time out when the ground was also loose.

“He has improved a lot and he is entered in the Great Voltigeur and will also be entered in the Leger. He needs his racing so we will head in that direction.

“We also have Michelangelo for the Leger but both horses are owned by different people and both are entitled to run.

“Shantaram stays well and he has grown a lot. He’s probably the biggest horse in the yard - he’s 17hh and change - and it’s taken him time to mature.

“It’s beautiful ground today - it’s a little bit slow but it’s pristine. It hasn’t been raced on for a year and it’s probably the best strip of ground in England. It’s a pity that it is going to rain tonight because I think there are not a lot of excuses on the ground today.

“He will be put into the St Leger and every owner musty make their own decisions with their management team. He’s in the Voltigeur and he’s the type of horse who ought to go there because he needs racing and educating.

“Michelangelo is in top form. He was entered in this race but he would have been coming back after 12 days and we didn’t really want to do that, so he will go for the Gordon Stakes.

“He’s won at Goodwood before and he is in top order. He’s doing extremely well and we would then go from the Gordon to the St Leger, like we did with Arctic Cosmos. Someone’s got to take on Camelot, haven’t they?”

Buick added: “That was probably the first time that the penny has dropped for him. He did everything properly today and he is a good horse but has just needed loads of time. He has got better with racing and has done a lot of growing.

“He has got a good quality - he travels well and he can also pick up but he stays very well - for a stayer, that is a very good attribute.

“The ground is on the soft side. It rode a lot better than I thought it would considering the all the rain that we have had.”

Owner Lady Bamford said: “It’s a great thrill. We knew that he had it in him but today he looked a man instead of a boy and he did it very well.

“It’s lovely to have a home-bred win and I couldn’t be more happy. I bought the dam, who is by Darshaan and the Darshaan - Galileo cross is great. He was always going to be good but this is better than I had hoped. I don’t think I know that much about breeding, I have just been lucky, but I do believe that the Darshaan - Galileo nick is proven.

“I hope that the St Leger would be on the agenda. I think that he can stay further than he did today - he wasn’t tired and he was going on. William felt that he was a different horse today.”

Bahrain Trophy (Group 3)
Going: Soft

Position	Horse Trainer	Jockey Weight	Starting Price Beaten Distance
1	Shantaram J H M Gosden	William Buick 9st 0lbs	9 - 4 Winner
2	Naseem Alyasmeen M R Channon	M Harley 8st 11lbs	20 - 1 3 1/4 lengths
3	Good Morning Star M Johnston	J Fanning 8st 11lbs	20 - 1 2 3/4 lengths
4	Rewarded J A R Toller	Kirsty Milczarek 9st 0lbs	10 - 3 Head
5	Valiant W J Haggas	R L Moore 9st 0lbs	15 - 8 5 lengths
6	Yazdi B J Meehan	K Fallon 9st 0lbs	8 - 1 3/4 length

DELIGHTED WITH SECOND

Michael Channon junior, assistant to his father Mick, was delighted with the gutsy second of filly Naseem Alyasmeen who was stepping up to Group Three level after handicap success.

He said: “It was a great run - she is improving all the time and, as Martin (Harley - jockey) said, she will go to war for you.

“She is light-framed because she is quite hard on herself and wants to get on with it like a lot of Clodovils.

“She has never run a bad race and is full of guts. She has come to herself but there are no plans at the moment.”