Juddmonte Middle Park: Blackbeard far too good for rivals
By David Ord
18:12 · SAT September 24, 2022
Blackbeard led home an Aidan O'Brien one-two in the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes.
Sent off at 10/3, the teak-tough son of No Nay Never was settled off the pace as favourite Marshman compromised his chance by pulling his way to the front and over-racing.
Ryan Moore asked the winner to go on two furlongs out and he soon mastered old rival Persian Force.
The race was over from there as he went on to score by two lengths from the running-on The Antartic.
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"He's very fast, a very quick horse, he always was," the winning trainer told ITV Racing. "He's a very professional and precocious two-year-old and I'm delighted to have him. He's very consistent and Ryan gave him a lovely ride.
"The team do a great job at home. He started off very early and has held his form very strongly - and this looks to have been his strongest run yet.
"He's a character, there's no badness in him whatsoever but he doesn't have a lot of patience, he likes to get on with stuff and is very genuine. He likes to get on with it. Speed is his thing really. He was always very quick and today he got to the front and wasn't killing himself afterwards."
🌟 He's special alright - Blackbeard follows up his Prix Morny triumph with victory in the (Group 1) Middle Park Stakes at @NewmarketRace!
Moore, partnering his first Middle Park Stakes winner, said: “He is a straightforward horse to ride and he has never run a bad race all year. He was still a bit green when he ran in the Coventry and we were still learning about him.
“He has won two Group Ones but he is a character. The horse is never going to cause any harm and he is a pleasure to ride as you know what he is going to do. He has just got his own personality but he has got ability and he has won two Group Ones now and a Group Two and that was his seventh run. He is a hardy individual and tough. He just keeps turning up and performing.
“I think he just does what he has to at the moment. He has got plenty of pace but at the same time he has seen out that stiff six well today.”
Sky Bet cut Blackbeard to 8s from 14s Commonwealth Cup with Betfair and Paddy Power 5/1 for the same race.
"He’s clearly a character but with huge ability. The path Ballydoyle take next year will be interesting and we now go 8/1 for the Commonwealth Cup and 14/1 for the 2000 Guineas," said Sky Bet Head of Sports PR Michael Shinners.
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