Billy Loughnane’s exceptional season continued at Newmarket on Saturday when he steered Irish raider Comanche Brave to a brilliant sprint success in the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai July Cup Stakes.
It was the 2000 Guineas-winning jockey who pounced to partner Donnacha O’Brien’s four-year-old – who had taken up the challenge with Ka Ying Rising in Hong Kong earlier this year and had dazzled at home at the Curragh before being disgraced at Royal Ascot.
Japanese raider Satono Reve tried to keep it simple at the front with dreams of repeating Agnes World’s win in this race 26 years ago, with Aidan O’Brien’s Mission Central also among the early movers.
But the eye was always drawn to 11-1 chance Comanche Brave as he effortlessly broke into contention and slipped an extra gear as he met the rising ground to see off the running Venetian sun. Satono Reve was a further neck back in third place.
O’Brien said: “He was very impressive today I thought – he looked like he did the day he won at the Curragh.
“There’s not much between these sprinters and he had won a Group Two, so where else to go but to keep trying to win Group Ones? We’ve seen a couple of times horses that have been beaten in the Jubilee at Royal Ascot come and win this race, so we weren’t afraid to give it a go and it worked.
“There wasn’t much pace on paper, which is a funny thing to say in a six-length race. I told Billy to just let him jump and if there’s someone going well in front, and if not, go with yourself. He got a nice place behind Satono Reve and he took him as long as he wanted.
“I thought he was super impressive today, he traveled beautifully and Billy gave him a nice ride. He never looked anything but the winner. He never looked in trouble, it was an easy watch.”
It will likely be Group Ones all the way for Comanche Brave for the rest of the season, with plenty of options open to him.
“He ran very well in Hong Kong earlier this year behind Ka Ying Rising and it was his first trip back at six furlongs on a right-handed course, he had only been right-handed once before and he had traveled half way across the world and was in no way disgraced,” added O’Brien.
“It would be great to see a horse like Ka Ying Rising travel and come and take us here. It’s not easy to do but we traveled there and everyone should travel their horses too.
“I don’t know where we’ll go next. He’s in all the sprints and I think it’s likely we’ll travel at some point as well.
“He’s in the Haydock Sprint Cup, there’s plenty of opportunity. Billy said you could even get back to five furlongs with him.”
Loughnane said: “Tony Hind, my agent does a great job, he said we could have Comanche Brave for the July Cup and I said ‘you’re kidding’ but luckily it was confirmed and the rest is history.
“It was a great extra trip to pick up and he is a horse who is really just learning to sprint as he has obviously been tried longer.
“The race today couldn’t have gone better. I got on the back of the Japanese horse, who was a perfect target, and my one instruction was just to nurse him as long as I could. I managed to wait for the long pole and he picked up well from there.
“He traveled so sweetly, the fast ground was perfect and I think he could drop back in the trip – I backed up all the way through and he’s got a lot of gear on this horse. Hopefully the sky’s the limit.
“I get a lot of kick out of riding in these big races. I’m 20 years old and I’m lucky enough to ride in them and just learn from it, that’s all.
“To be lucky enough to win some Group Ones is what I wanted. I didn’t know Bow Echo would blossom to what he has, but to ride three Group One winners in England this year is brilliant and we’re only half way through the season – hopefully we’re just getting started!”
Al Hudaiba denies Abraham Lincoln with superlative performance
Al Hudaiba took on Abraham Lincoln in a thrilling finish to the battle for racing’s superpowers in Newmarket’s Boodles Superlative Stakes.
Aidan O’Brien’s Abraham Lincoln was the 8-13 favorite to follow up his impressive Curragh victory on debut and add his name to a roll of honor that includes the classy Ballydoyle-lit City Of Troy.
It looked like Wootton Bassett’s son was about to make another impression when Ryan Moore kicked home with a long time to run.
But William Buick conjured up an outstanding closing display from double winner Charlie Appleby, whose racing experience saw him answer every call from his jockey and chase down Abraham Lincoln in the final stride to eclipse a 5-2 short-head verdict.
Al Hudaiba would be unbeaten in four starts had he not thrown away sure victory when dispatching Tom Marquand at Yarmouth and Appleby said: “He’s a horse with plenty of talent and for the first half of the race we were happy with where we were but Will said he started to shift under him and it’s a tough job to stay on let alone keep trying to get him.
“I wasn’t confident when they get that close, especially with the luck I’ve had in recent weeks, but I was kind of confident when he got his head down and started to gallop because he’s got a lot of ability in this horse, we’ve seen that at home.
“Full credit to the lads at home just to stay on him. Billy (Loughnane) has ridden him a couple of times for us and he’s putting in some form!
“I’m hoping he’ll grow out of it, whether we have to put something around his head (headgear) to make him concentrate a little harder, I don’t know. He’s one of those horses that has it very easy because he’s got that motor there, but if he’s going to get to the big leagues, he’s going to have to concentrate a little harder.”
Appleby, who won the superlative for the third year in a row and seventh time overall, added: “I think we will look at the National Stakes in Ireland. I think the ground will potentially suit him there as one thing Will said today was that he felt the ground.
“We’ll see over the coming weeks as the two-year-olds come out what other people have got and more importantly what else we can try to figure out at home.”
Of second place, O’Brien said: “He ran a nice race, he was just very green when he got there (in front), wasn’t he?
“He did the first day too – he got there and pulled up. We’ll just get there later!”
Aalto once again proves his Bunbury expertise
Aalto committed favorite backers to both avenge last year’s narrow defeat and regain the Betway Bunbury Cup at Newmarket.
Ian Williams’ six-year-old has a real affinity for the July track and this contest in particular, having won the seven-furlong event in style in 2024 and only finding William Haggas’ top-class operator More Thunder a nose too good 12 months ago.
Ridden by William Buick, the 4-1 market leader had a wall of horses in front of him going into the final quarter of a mile, but once he found daylight, regular HQ stormed home to score by half a length from market rival Back In Black.
Aalto led home a one-four for both Williams and the owners, with stablemate Supido fourth.
Aalto, ridden by William Buick, on his way to winning the Betway Bunbury Cup at Newmarket
Of the winner, the trainer said: “He did very well today. He had a lot of ground to make up two (furlongs) down but William said when he got stuck into him he actually picked up and really flew.
“It’s a massive result. I didn’t think it was inevitable that he would get there, I thought we had a lot of ground to make up. We also saw Supido who I thought had run his race two out and then held on really well.
“I think it’s probably just the time of year that Aalto comes alive. He wouldn’t have the best lungs on him, so we have to look after him and look after him, and at this time of year it’s a bit easier to do as the pollen levels are down and we can use the paddocks as much as we want.
“We mainly train handicappers – we don’t have that much at group level – so these big handicaps are really important to us and you have to keep an eye on them from a long time and you have to prepare the horses to come here.”