Comanche Brave bags July Cup

NEWMARKET – Rising stars Donnacha O’Brien and Billy Loughnane teamed up to perfect effect when Comanche Brave struck in the £800,000 (S$1.38 million) Group 1 July Cup (1,200m) at Newmarket on July 11.

The son of Wootton Bassett was sent off a $64 chance having followed up a commanding win in the Group 2 Greenlands Stakes (1,200m) at the Curragh on May 23 with a seventh behind the re-opposing duo of Almeraq and Satono Reve in Royal Ascot’s Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (1,200m) on June 20.

The eye was always drawn to Comanche Brave (Billy Loughnane) as he cruised into contention alongside the front-running Japanese raider Satono Reve (Christophe Lemaire) passing the 400m marker.

It was at this point that Satono Reve, who was sent off as the well-backed market leader, gave way and as he did so, Comanche Brave soon seized what looked like a golden opportunity, quickening up in fine style to put daylight between himself and the chasing pack.

The Karl Burke-trained Venetian Sun (Clifford Lee) set off in hot pursuit in attempt to try and run the new leader down, but Comanche Brave was not for catching and skipped clear to strike by one length.

Satono Reve held on for third.

Winning trainer O’Brien, whose father and mother bred Comanche Brave, compared his maiden Group 1 triumph to his win two starts ago.

“He was very impressive today, I thought,” said the 27-year-old former jockey. “He looked like he did the day he won at the Curragh.

“There’s not much between these sprinters and he’d won a Group 2, so where else to go but keep trying to win Group 1 ones?

“We’ve seen a few times horses that have been beaten in the Jubilee at Royal Ascot and have come and won this race, so we weren’t afraid to try it and today it worked.

“There wasn’t a lot of pace on paper, which is a funny thing to say in a six-furlong race.

“I said to Billy to just let him jump and if someone is going along in front, great and if not, go along yourself.

“He got a lovely slot in behind Satono Reve and he took him as long as he wanted to go.

“I thought he was super impressive today. He travelled beautifully and Billy gave him a lovely ride. He never looked anything but the winner really. He never looked in trouble and honestly it was an easy watch.”

The classy four-year-old posted respectable back-to-back thirds in the Middle East earlier in the season before finishing fifth behind Hong Kong’s superstar sprinter Ka Ying Rising in the Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m) at Sha Tin on April 26.

O’Brien, who let out a cry for foreign sprinters to attempt to complete the same fete on European soil, looks forward to travelling with Comanche Brave once more.

“He ran very well in Hong Kong earlier in the year behind Ka Ying Rising and that was his first go back at six furlongs on a right-handed track,” he said.

“He had only been right-handed once before and he’d travelled halfway across the world and wasn’t disgraced by any means.

“It would be great to see a horse like Ka Ying Rising travel and come and take us on here. It’s not easy to do, but we travelled there and everyone should travel their horses as well.

“I don’t know where we’ll go next. He’s in all the sprints and I think it’s likely we’ll want to go travelling as well at some stage.

“He’s in the Haydock Sprint Cup, there’s lots of options. Billy said you could even come back to five furlongs with him.”

The Group 1 Haydock Sprint Cup (1,200m) will be held at Haydock Park on Sept 5.

It had been a frustrating week for Loughnane after seeing George Boughey’s Group 3 Albany Stakes (1,200m) winner Libertango turned over in the Group 2 Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes (1,200m) on July 10.

However, it was all smiles for the iconic Classic-winning rider – who has already enjoyed a stellar season courtesy of Bow Echo’s successes in the Group 1 2000 Guineas (1,600m) and Group 1 St James’s Palace Stakes (1,600m) – as he punched the air with delight crossing the line.

“Tony Hind, my agent, does a fantastic job. He said we might have Comanche Brave for the July Cup and I said, ‘you’re joking’, but thankfully it was confirmed and the rest is history,” he said.

“It was a fantastic spare ride to pick up and he’s a horse who is really just learning how to sprint as he’s obviously been tried over farther.

“He travelled so sweetly, fast ground was perfect and I do think he could drop back in trip. I was taking back the whole way through and he’s got a lot of gears this horse.

“I get a lot of kick out of riding in these big races. I’m 20 years old and I’m fortunate enough to pick up rides in them and just learning from that is everything.

“To be fortunate enough to win some Group 1 ones is what I wanted. I didn’t know Bow Echo was going to flourish into what he has, but to ride three Group 1 winners in England this year is brilliant and we’re only halfway through the season.

“Hopefully we’re just getting going.” RACING AND SPORTS