More explosive racing at Royal Ascot on Day 4 and Inspiral wasn’t the only star 3YO competing with last season’s dual Group I winning colt Perfect Power confirming his potential as an elite sprinter of the future when winning the Group I Commonwealth Cup (6f).
Trained by Richard Fahey, Perfect Power was tried at a mile in the 2000 Guineas when he finished unplaced, but dropped back in trip to his favoured 6f, the son of Ardad showed his class and has now won six from nine with three of those wins at Group I level.
Bought from the Goffs Breeze Up Sale last year for 110,000 pounds by Blandford Bloodstock, Perfect Power is the first winner for Sagely, a winning half-sister to stakes-placed Sagaciously from the family of Group I stars Sagamix, Sageburg, Sagawara and more recently Japan and Mogul.
Perfect Power is the best performer to date for his young Overbury Stud based sire Ardad, whose oldest progeny are 3YO’s. Ardad is a Group II winning son of Kodiac, who is the sire of dual Group I winner Hello Youmzain, standing his second season at Cambridge Stud this spring at a fee of $30,000.
The Group II King Edward VII Stakes (1m4f) for 3YO’s was won by the Aidan O’Brien trained hot favourite Changingoftheguard in a thrilling head bobbing finish for Ryan Moore over Churchill colt Grand Alliance, who made the favourite work for his win.
A last start fifth in the Epsom Derby, Changingoftheguard is another stakes-winning 3YO this year for legendary sire Galileo and has won three of seven starts. He is the first winner for his Group II winning dam Lady Lara.
The Group III Albany Stakes (6f) was also won by Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore, who combined with No Nay Never filly Meditate to beat Godolphin’s race favourite Mawj, a daughter of Exceed and Excel.
Meditate was bought for 360,000 euros from the Arqana Deauville Yearling Sale last year by Jamie McCalmont for the Coolmore partners and has won three from three with this win her second at Group III level.
She was the highest priced No Nay Never filly sold at this sale and interestingly the highest priced colt by her sire was Little Big Bear, who sold for 320,000 euros and won the Listed Windsor Castle Stakes for the Coolmore team on Day 2 at Royal Ascot.
Meditate is the second winner from Pembina, a winning half-sister by Dalakhani to Group winners Johnny Barnes and Albisola.
No Nay Never shuttled to Australia for Coolmore for four seasons and his last crop of foals will race as 2YO’s next season. The son of Scat Daddy stood at a fee of 125,000 euros at Coolmore Ireland in 2022.
