From the archive: LOG-IN for FREE and watch career highlights of Dawn Approach
By Sporting Life
06:57 · FRI April 24, 2020
It's Irish week for us and today's recommended essential viewing is a look back on highlights of the Jim Bolger-trained chestnut Dawn Approach.
Our video replay library is completely FREE and goes back to 2009. Simply log-in, click on the links, scroll to the bottom of the results and and press play to watch the videos. Here are some of Dawn Approach's highlights.
Dawn Approach was a superb, unbeaten two-year-old and had already gained four wins, including the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, prior to his Group One debut in the National Stakes. He slammed what turned out to be a relatively poor field of rivals in imperious fashion, the winning margin four and three-quarter lengths.
A fifth Dewhurst success for trainer Jim Bolger and he also saddled the pace-setting runner-up, Leitir Mor, for good measure. Now proven on the track, it was a victory which marked him down as the red-hot winter favourite for the 2000 Guineas.
It was straight back to Newmarket for the start of his three-year-old campaign and New Approach never let down those who weighed in at short prices (he returned the 11/8 market leader on the Rowley Mile). Good to Firm the official description on Guineas day but they'd watered the track and a heavy downpour didn't help many of them as the race seemingly fell apart three furlongs out. Class rose to the top with Dawn Approach scoring by five lengths from Glory Awaits.
It didn't work out in the Derby where the colt raced far too freely and ultimately trailed in last at Epsom. But dropping right back to a mile sparked an immediate return to form for the Guineas hero as he just prevailed in a photo finish with Richard Hannon's Toronado, the horse who went on to beat him by half a length in the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood the following month.
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