A step up to seven furlongs proved right up Aomori’s City’s street as the promising colt powered home to land the HKJC World Pool Vintage Stakes at Goodwood.
A comfortable winner on his Nottingham debut in mid-June, the Oasis Dream colt was last seen finishing third behind Aidan O’Brien’s Whistlejacket over six furlongs in the Group Two July Stakes at Newmarket.
In the absence of Whistlejacket’s stablemate The Parthenon, Aomori City was a 2/1 favourite to get back on the winning trail on the Sussex Downs and ultimately did so in some style under William Buick.
After sitting on the tail of the pacesetting Cool Hoof Luke for much of the way, Charlie Appleby’s youngster quickened up smartly when the gap came to grab the lead inside the final furlong and he passed the post with a length and three-quarters in hand over the staying-on Wolf Of Badenoch.
“He’s quite a hardy horse and he had to be there because we had to fight for our position around the turn and this fella was brave,” said Buick. “Once we got into the slipstream of Oisin (Murphy, on Cool Hoof Luke), it was just a matter of getting out and this fella picked up instantly and won going away.
“He will stay a mile, whenever he needs to. For now seven furlongs is a good trip for him. He’s come through the ranks this horse and Charlie was adamant that seven furlongs would suit him.”
Betfair and Paddy Power introduced the winner at 33/1 for next year's Betfred 2000 Guineas. Sky Bet go 25s.
Appleby was claiming the Group Two prize for a second time, having previously struck gold with star juvenile Pinatubo in 2019.
“He’s a horse that we felt coming into the race on the evidence of the July Stakes, stepping up to seven would suit,” said the Moulton Paddocks handler. “He’s cut it at a decent level there, that was a marked improvement and he’s a horse that’s neat. He had to be brave there, he got tight enough on the turns and there’s no harm in educating him towards the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Turf).
“When you watch him at home, he’s not a work horse. In the past couple of weeks we’ve had horses who are working over him, like Al Qudra and a couple of maidens, but they are working out at a decent level themselves, so he’s not doing much wrong.
“In the pecking order he’s doing what he’s doing. I’m not saying he’s just going to be a two-year-old but he’s neat, he’s professional and he knows what he is now so we’ll just keep pressing on. He’s a very straightforward horse. He’s always been a christian of a horse and very professional.”
Hugo Palmer was thrilled with the performance of runner-up Wolf Of Badenoch, who won on his only previous outing at Doncaster.
“I am absolutely delighted. He still looks like a work in progress. He was the first one off the bridle and ultimately the winner just got first run on him,” said the trainer. “He is a horse with a really exciting future and he will stay a mile this year. His dam stayed a mile and three-quarter and he might get a mile and a quarter next year. He has some nice entries. We put him in the Group One National Stakes in Ireland and we will put him in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere as well now.”
Andrew Balding said of the third placed Cool Hoof Luke: “It was a good effort. Seven furlongs is probably stretching him at this moment in time so we will probably drop him back to six furlongs for the remainder of the season. Something like the Mill Reef Stakes is possible for him.”
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