26 Jun Rogue Millennium takes the Duke of Cambridge
Paying back her supplementary to Wednesday’s G2 Duke of Cambridge S. in spades, The Rogues Gallery’s Rogue Millennium (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}–Hawaafez {GB}, by Nayef) was steered to a surprise 10-1 success for the Tom Clover stable by one of the meeting’s recent success stories Danny Tudhope.
Dropped to a mile after chasing home Free Wind (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G2 Middleton Fillies’ S. over an extended 10-furlong trip at York last month, last year’s Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial winner raced off the pace early and was delivered with perfect timing to collar the long-time leader Random Harvest (Ire) (War Front) inside the final 100 yards for a neck verdict, with one of the 100-30 co-favourites Prosperous Voyage (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) a length away in third.
“This was the shortest trip she had ever run over and they went quite steady, but she picked them up nicely, Tudhope said after guiding his 11th Royal winner. She ran a cracking race last time at York and it was a big ask bringing her back in trip here today, but it was the right thing to do.”
One of the Shadwell cast-offs that the operation will regret, Rogue Millennium had by her second start already shown her 35,000gns price tag at the 2021 Tattersalls December Sale to be all wrong. That Lingfield Oaks Trial win put her into the Oaks picture, but she was probably ill-equipped stamina-wise and wound up seventh before running second in the G3 Hoppings Fillies’ S. on Newcastle’s Tapeta. Third in testing ground in the G3 Prix Allez France at ParisLongchamp in April prior to her dustup with Free Wind at the Ebor Festival, she showed here she has the ability to produce miling splits with her :11.15 from the three to the two the decisive one before her stamina helped her to the line.
“It’s just been amazing. It’s what we all do it for,” Clover said. “I love the filly, I love training for The Rogues, and she’s just the most wonderful filly. She is gorgeous to look at and she’s just improved from three to four. In her work at home early on, she was travelling really well behind six or seven-furlong horses and finding it very easy. Danny got it absolutely spot on. He’s a classy jockey and his record here speaks for itself. I didn’t put her in the Falmouth, so we might go to Deauville.”
Ed Walker said of Random Harvest, whose rider Saffie Osborne was able to get away with relatively soft fractions in front, “This time last year, she was just touched off in the Kensington Palace on a mark of 81, so she’s come a long way since then. Saffie is class–she’s gutted, but gave her a very good ride. I reckon we will go to the Falmouth, why not? There’s nothing to lose, even if she gets placed in a Falmouth, that’s massive and she’s getting better with every run.”
Pedigree Notes
The G3 Cumberland Lodge S. and Listed Aston Park S.winning dam Hawaafez, who was also offloaded by Shadwell for just 14,000gns when knocked down to Blandford Bloodstock at the 2022 Tatts February Sale, is descended from the GIII Monrovia H. and G3 C L Weld Park S. winner and G1 National S. and G1 Phoenix S.-placed Wedding Bouquet (Ire) (Kings Lake). A half-sister to the great Generous (Ire) and the Oaks and Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Imagine (Ire), she is also the second dam of the multiple Group 1 winner Moonlight Cloud (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). Her 2-yearold filly Kafiyah (GB) is by Kingman (GB), while she also has a yearling colt by Masar (Ire) bought for 110,000gns by Yeomanstown Stud at the Tattersalls December Foal Sale.