Minding Tallies Seventh GI in QE II Stakes

Filly phenom Minding tallied a seventh top-level win Oct. 15 when holding off Ribchester by a half length in the £1.2 million Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Eng-I) on British Champions Day at Ascot.

Galileo's 3-year-old daughter, the 7-4 favorite, easily handled older males for the first time. With Ryan Moore aboard, she asserted herself in the final furlong, opening a two-length advantage, and then hung tough to repel a strong bid from group I winner Ribchester to win the one-mile test in 1:38.53 on good turf. Lightning Spear was third.

Minding was racing at a mile for the first time since her Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-I) runner-up finish in May. 

"She's had a hard season and to bring her back to a mile is some achievement really" Moore told England's Press Association after Saturday's victory. "She was too good for them, too strong. She has lots of pace and masses of talent."

Trainer Aidan O'Brien, posted his 21st group I win of the year n pursuit of the late Bobby Frankel's record of 25. He won Queen Elizabeth II Stakes for a fourth time as Minding added to her group I tally, which includes the Investec Epsom Oaks (Eng-I) and QIPCO One Thousand Guineas (Eng-I) this spring. 

"She's an incredible filly—a mile, a mile and a half, then bring her back to a mile in an all-aged group I against the boys, they have to be special to do those things," O'Brien said. "I'd imagine that would be it for this year and the lads have talked about bringing her back next year, hopefully."

Trainer Richard Fahey said Ribchester might have over-raced a little bit.

"He's a horse with a high cruising speed and they can't go quick enough early on," he said.

Coming into Saturday's race off a third behind Almanzor and Found in the Irish Champion Stakes (Ire-I) Sept. 10 at Leopardstown, Minding is the first filly since Milligram in1987 to win the QE II Stakes. Campaigned by Coolmore and partners, she has an 8-3-1 career line from 12 career starts out. Her dam is group I winner Lillie Langtry, by Danehill Dancer.

The Champions Day card also included The Tin Man's victory in the QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes (Eng-I) and Journey's win in the QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes (Eng-I).

The Tin Man, supplemented into the race, rallied widest of all and won by a length at 13-2 odds from Ayr Gold Cup runner-up Growl, with the winner of that race, Brando,  third and Signs Of Blessing fourth. 

Final time was 1:12.15 for six furlongs.

The Tin Man, by Equiano, was ridden by Tom Queally for trainer James Fanshawe, who conditioned the winner's Compton Place half brother Deacon Blue to capture the British Champions Sprint in 2011. He is campaigned by Fred Archer Racing-Ormonde.

George Strawbridge's homebred Journey improved on her runner-up finish in last year's Fillies and Mares Stakes by winning this year's edition by four lenghts from Fanshawe's Prix de l'Opera (Fr-I) winner Speedy Boarding, with Queen's Trust third, Pretty Perfect fourth, and favorite Seventh Heaven fifth in the field of 13.

By Dubawi, British-bred Journey finished 1 1/2 miles in 2:28.41 with Frankie Dettori riding for trainer John Gosden. She has a 6-3-1 record from 13 starts.

Dubawi's son Sheikhzayedroad got the card underway with a half-length triumph over Quest For More in the QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup (Eng-II).

Trained by David Simcock for Mohammed Jaber, he covered two miles in 3:31.52 with Martin Harley.