Cumani's Postponed Gutsy King George Winner
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Postponed and Eagle Top fought out the finish in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Eng-I), but Postponed got the best of the favorite to win by the slimmest of margins July 25 at Ascot.
Ridden by Andrea Atzeni for trainer Luca Cumani, Postponed proved superior on the day, getting the victory by a nose over in the thrilling finish. Postponed becomes the ninth individual group I winner this year for Darley world-class sire Dubawi.
Eagle Top, the 5-2 favorite with the race-day scratch of unbeaten Investec Epsom Derby (Eng-I) victor Golden Horn because of rain-softened ground, outfinished stablemate Romsdal, the pacesetter, by 3 3/4 lengths for second in the field of seven.
Romsdal set a strong pace, with Hardwicke Stakes (Eng-II) winner and supplemental entry Snow Sky and Postponed tracking in behind and Eagle Top settled in sixth with Frankie Dettori.
Postponed saw off Romsdal with a quarter-mile to run and took a clear lead, but Dettori moved with Eagle Top, who closed in on his advantage and edged ahead in the final furlong. Postponed would not submit and dug in. The two crossed the finish line eyeball-to-eyeball, but Postponed got the win.
Postponed covered the 1 1/2 miles in 2:31.25, snapping a three-race winless stretch and giving Cumani his first British group 1 victory in 10 years. He came in off a controversial third behind winner Snow Sky and runner-up Eagle Top in the Hardwicke June 20 at Royal Ascot.
"Being the pessimist, I didn't think we had won it," said Cumani, who previously was second three times in the King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes. "I had got my hopes up all the way up the straight, but I had thought they robbed us. It was a courageous performance and Andrea gave him a wonderful ride."
The exciting finish was not without repercussions for Atzeni and Dettori, as both were suspended for whip violations. Atzeni was slapped with a six-day ban a (August 8-13) for using his whip above the permitted level and down the shoulder in the forehand position on three occasions.
Dettori was banned for four days (August 8-11) for using his whip above the permitted level.
Postponed is owned by Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum, for whom Cumani trained High-Rise to win the 1998 Epsom Derby. Dubawi is from the same family as High-Rise
With the King George win, Postponed earned a fees paid, automatic starting berth to the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT) Oct. 31 at Keeneland.
The connections of both Postponed and Eagle Top said their colts will be aimed for Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-I) in Oct. 4 at Longchamp. Sheikh Mohammed said the Postponed will stay in training in 2016.
Bred in Ireland by Andrew Stone's St Albans Bloodstock, 4-year-old Postponed is out of the winning Dubai Destination mare Ever Rigg, a daughter of Irish group I winner Bianca Nera. Bloodstock agents Charles Gordon-Watson and John Warren collaborated in securing Postponed for 360,000 guineas (US$605,102) from Highclere Stud at the 2012 Tattersalls October yearling sale.