Lavender's Blue Upsets Benbatl in Celebration Mile

The majority of the 10,626-strong crowd at Goodwood Aug. 28 might have plumped for the familiar blue colors of Godolphin and the assistance of champion jockey Oisin Murphy in the saddle on 9-4 favorite Benbatl  in the tote Celebration Mile (G2), but those who stayed local were cheering a 20-1 winner as Lavender's Blue  kept on gamely for a warm success for the Amanda Perrett operation.

Perrett, the daughter of Dancing Brave's celebrated trainer Guy Harwood, is based 16 miles from the picturesque Sussex track and her family also boasts a formidable record in the stakes race.

Harwood, who handed over the reins in 1996 upon his retirement, saddled three Celebration Mile winners, while Perrett also captured it in 2002 with Tillerman .

Group victories for her Coombelands stable have been few and far between in the interim, so it was easy to comprehend what this meant to the team, even if its leader was miles away near Haydock overseeing the showjumping exploits of teenage children Ryan and Emma.

Perrett's husband Mark, a Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey and trusted Martin Pipe lieutenant during his time in the saddle, was on duty and relief seemed his main emotion.

"It has been frustrating she hasn't bagged a big one, but a few things have gone against her," he said of the 5-year-old, who is owned and was bred by Abba star Benny Andersson.

"Amanda's just called me in tears, but I'll have to celebrate on my own because they won't be back until midnight." 

Lavender's Blue, who could be set for an ambitious crack at the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) at Del Mar Nov. 6, had supplied the Perretts with their most recent group win at Sandown in 2019, but the stable had recorded just one other at that level between 2007 and that success.

"We need all the help we can get because it's so tough—it's tougher than it's ever been," Perrett stressed of an industry he has lived and breathed most of his life.

"People, through lockdown, weren't spending money, but we're not doing anything different from what we were doing 10 years ago yet would have only around 30 in now, which would be the lowest we've ever had.

"You can only keep your head down and keep grafting. I had 20-odd years riding and that was tough, but this is probably tougher. We live in hope, though—it's what this game's all about, dreams and hope."

Dreaming and hoping of days like this would have been in winning jockey Rob Hornby's mind as he sat out the first four months of the year with a worrying shoulder injury.

"That's my biggest winner," he beamed after seeing off Murphy and Benbatl by a short head.

"I've had some group 3s and was second in the Lillie Langtry (G2) here in 2018 so I'm delighted.

"She's a horse I don't know a lot about as I rarely ride for Amanda, but Sean Levey was supposed to ride and he had to go elsewhere. It's about time I got in front of Oisin."

He was not the only one thrilled with that outcome.