Shadow Of Light won the Middle Park Stakes | report and free video replay
By Sporting Life
17:07 · SAT September 28, 2024
Shadow Of Light (11/4) pulled clear of the field in winning the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes.
Charlie Appleby had been due to run his juvenile in the Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury last weekend only to withdraw his colt following the latest downpour. Conditions were thought to have dried out sufficiently at Newmarket to allow Shadow Of Light to take his chance and the colt proved that decision correct in no uncertain terms.
Whistlejacket, already a Group One winner, was expected to take the beating and William Buick, drawn close to the 4/5 favourite, was keen to keep his market rival in his sights from the off.
Shadow Of Light was never far away from Whistlejacket until asked to go and win his race when he showed a sharp turn of foot, making the Prix Morny winner look laboured in comparison.
Whistlejacket did stick to his task to claim second but he was four lengths adrift of the impressive Shadow Of Light at the line.
The winner had won his first two starts in novice company before finishing second in the Gimcrack Stakes at York but took his form to a new level in winning this Group One prize.
Shadow Of Light was cut to 10/1 from 33/1 by Paddy Power for the 2000 Guineas and is also 6/1 favourite for the Commonwealth Cup with Coral.
The winning jockey said: "He'd improved a lot since York since he was second in the Gimcrack where, the way the track was riding, he probably didn't get the rub of the green. Every race he's improved and we knew he was in very good form coming into this race. The ground was an unknown as it was for most of the field.
"He's won very well, just cruised through the race and picked up as he liked.
"He's a horse who is growing up the whole time and I think he's very versatile with regard to how races are run. He's a very quick horse, obviously next year is a way off but he's got plenty of speed being Earthlight's half-brother by Lope De Vega. You're hoping he could get further I guess but at the moment he's a six furlong horse and, to what I know, that's how he looks as well; he rides like a fast horse."
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Appleby agreed that Shadow Of Light was more likely to head down the sprinting route but didn't entirely rule out a tilt at the 2000 Guineas.
"It's nice to have a nice horse like him," he said. "I'll probably put him away for the winter now, see what he does and what everyone else is doing as well, whether you look towards the Guineas or say we'll stick to the Commonwealth sort of programme. I would say (the latter) on his page, there's a lot of speed in there and I think this horse will get stronger and as they get stronger, they get quicker.
"I'm only going back to the years of Blue Point. We went into the winter with a clear mind that we were going to sprint and I think it's the same with this horse. We feel he's a sprinter, we'll treat him as a sprinter and we'll work back from the Commonwealth.
"Paul Eddery, again, has been rock solid in his advice and opinion all year. He rides this horse and has been on him since the summer and was very confident going into this weekend that he felt this horse was a Group One horse. We came here with a bit of confidence today. It's great for the whole team.
"The ground had gone heavy at Newbury and the last thing you want as a two-year-old is having an experience on that sort of ground and being put away for the winter on a tough race so we made the decision that we would come here."
Shadow Of Light may be done for the season but Appleby could still be represented on Future Champions Day with Ancient Truth on course for the Dewhurst Stakes.
"Delighted with Ancient Truth," he continued.
"We didn't go to the National Stakes as we didn't feel he was a horse ready to go two runs at the backend so we diverted from there for no other reason than we wanted one run and the Dewhurst was the race we all like to win."
Aidan O'Brien said of the runner-up: "Ryan said he might have preferred a stronger pace early but he ran a very good race and we're happy with his run. Ryan said he jumped a little bit slow and then he said he decided to get a lead and he just travelled a little bit strong.
"He's a fast horse and he can go a very high tempo and I think Ryan felt that maybe if he had a go back again he'd have preferred a stronger tempo in the first half of the race but that's it, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
"He's a hardy, straightforward, honest horse. He's not blowing much after the race so I'd imagine he could go back and run again if the lads decided to go to America or somewhere like that with him."
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