Commonwealth Cup |
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| Group 1, Ascot 15:05 £650,000 guaranteed, 3yo, 6f, Class 1  |
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In a clash of the sexes that could set the turf alight, Shadow Of Light and Babouche lock horns in a contest brimming with intrigue.
Charlie Appleby’s Shadow Of Light, the standout juvenile of last season, comes in with serious credentials, having run a gallant third in the 2000 Guineas. But facing him is Ger Lyons’ filly Babouche, the tenacious talent who upstaged the colts in last year’s Phoenix Stakes — and looks primed to prove it was no fluke.
Adding further spice to the mix is Jonquil, trained by Andrew Balding and carrying the familiar Juddmonte silks — the same as Babouche. Should both line up, it may leave Colin Keane with a classic rider’s dilemma: which one to choose?
How high can Jonquil fly in 2025?
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) April 12, 2025
Now 12/1 in places for the Newmarket 2,000 Guineas...👀 pic.twitter.com/Bkuz4AFZho
And just when you thought the plot couldn’t thicken further, along come two late supplements: Shisospicy, making the trip across the Atlantic under the care of Jose Francisco D’Angelo, and Rayevka, the French raider from Francis-Henri Graffard’s yard. Both are fresh faces, but neither arrives without ambition.
Mick Appleby is set to keep Big Mojo at six furlongs as all roads now lead here.
Wearing the same colours as the popular Big Evs, Big Mojo mirrored much of his stablemate’s juvenile campaign—landing the Molecomb at Goodwood before lining up in both the Flying Childers and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. But while Big Evs proved a pure five-furlong operator en route to a career at stud, Big Mojo has hinted at broader range.
His return to action saw him step up to six for the Commonwealth Cup Trial at Ascot, where he obliged smartly. A follow-up in the Sandy Lane at Haydock saw him finish fourth, beaten just a length and a half, but the bare result perhaps masks the tale of the race.
“There was no way through,” said Appleby. “He got stuck behind a wall of horses—otherwise, I think he wins. He’s come out of it well though, and we’re very happy with him.”
With that in mind, there’ll be no deviation from course or distance. Royal Ascot beckons, and the Commonwealth Cup remains firmly on the radar for a colt still on the upgrade.
Commonwealth Cup (Group 1)
£650,000 guaranteed, 3yo only, 6f, Class 1
23 remaining entries
Going:
NO. FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY
1 166-35 Ain't Nobody 3 9-2 Kevin Ryan Tom Eaves
2 14-454 Arabie 3 9-2 K R Burke
3 2-1316 Arizona Blaze 3 9-2 Adrian Murray
4 21114 Berkshire Whisper 3 9-2 Andrew Balding
5 424-14 Big Mojo 3 9-2 Michael Appleby
6 16-142 Diablo Rojo 3 9-2 Raphael E Freire Rossa Ryan
7 117-22 Ides Of March 3 9-2 A P O'Brien
8 16-12 Jonquil 3 9-2 Andrew Balding
9 6-1 Seattle 3 9-2 A P O'Brien
10 1211-3 Shadow Of Light 3 9-2 Charlie Appleby
11 1811-5 Soldier's Heart 3 9-2 Simon & Ed Crisford
12 1-12 Strong Warrior 3 9-2 Richard Fahey
13 125-12 Whistlejacket 3 9-2 A P O'Brien
14 73-452 Arabian Dusk 3 8-13 Simon & Ed Crisford
15 114-41 Babouche 3 8-13 G M Lyons
16 01-43 Carla Ridge 3 8-13 Eddie & Patrick Harty
17 318-11 Lady With The Lamp 3 8-13 Joseph O'Brien
18 1137-4 Leovanni 2 3 8-13 K R Burke
19 216-41 Rayevka 3 8-13 F-H Graffard
20 316-13 Sayidah Dariyan 3 8-13 Richard Hughes Billy Loughnane
21 3-211 Shisospicy 3 8-13 Jose Francisco D'Angelo Oisin Murphy
22 111-3 Sky Majesty 3 8-13 William Haggas
23 132-32 Time For Sandals 3 8-13 Harry Eustace
COMMONWEALTH CUP WINNERS
YR GR WINNER TRAINER JOCKEY OWNER AGE/WGT SP
2024 1 INISHERIN Kevin Ryan Tom Eaves Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum 3-9-02 9/4F
2023 1 SHAQUILLE Julie Camacho Oisin Murphy Hughes, Rawlings, O'Shaughnessy 3 9-02 9/1
2022 1 PERFECT POWER Richard Fahey Christophe Soumillon Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum 3 9-02 7/2J
2021 1 DRAGON SYMBOL Archie Watson Oisin Murphy Yoshiro Kubota 3 9-00 4/1
2020 1 GOLDEN HORDE Clive Cox Adam Kirby AlMohamediya Racing 3-9-00 5/1
2019 1 ADVERTISE Martyn Meade Frankie Dettori Phoenix Thoroughbred Limited 3-9-03 8/1
2018 1 EQTIDAAR Sir Michael Stoute Jim Crowley Hamdan Al Maktoum 3-9-03 12/1
2017 1 CARAVAGGIO Aidan O’Brien IRE Ryan Moore Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith 3-9-03 5/6F
2016 1 QUIET REFLECTION Karl Burke Dougie Costello Ontoawinner, Strecker & Burke 3-9-00 7/4F
2015 1 MUHAARAR Charlie Hills Dane O’Neill Hamdan Al Maktoum 3-9-03 10/1
