We could hardly claim it upstaged the triumph of Notable Speech in the 2,000 Guineas – but Godolphin certainly had further cause to celebrate a few hours later when Ardad colt Dorney Lake took the 6f maiden at Yarmouth in particularly taking style.
Jumping fastest, the 110,ooogns yearling (and 58,000gns foal) never saw a rival, drawing some five lengths clear before being eased by jockey Benoit De La Sayette for a three-and-threequarter-length victory. Conditioned by John and Thady Gosden, in the same yard of course as Ardad himself was trained, Dorney Lake stopped the clock in by far the fastest furlong-for-furlong time of the day. We urge you to watch the race on the Racing Post website: the commentator, for one, was impressed, declaiming ‘Look at this one go!’
Dorney Lake is out of the Dark Angel mare Dora’s Sister, a 63-rated Catterick winner who has bred a pair of winners, and was bred by Mickey Stud – big supporters of Ardad – in partnership with Tim and Miranda Johnson. It’s a cross that’s worked before: Tipperary Sunset, Timeform-rated 94 (and also co-bred by Mickey Stud), and the 91-rated Pure Angel are among the four winners from six runners out of Dark Angel mares. Stakes-placed youngster Rush Queen is out of a mare by Dark Angel’s sire Acclamation.
The form amounts to very little at this stage – the next four home had only two runs between them, but they were all expensively purchased and are in leading yards. Not so Dorney Lake’s one previous start, at Glorious Goodwood last August in a £60k maiden. In a short sunny spell on a wretchedly wet afternoon, he ran with promise, only fading late on into fifth, beaten only by horses with previous experience – and the first three are already Group or Listed performers, including the runner-up Array who went on to win the G2 Mill Reef Stakes. Godolphin’s runner in the race the year before, Mischief Magic, has since won a sprinting G1 in the US. Perhaps Dorney Lake will be of a similar quality.
