by Myra Lewyn
The stage is set for a tantalizing meeting on Saturday between Princess Haya’s Vodafone Epsom Derby (Eng-G1) winner New Approach and Duke of Marmalade, who is bidding for a sixth straight Group 1 win, in the $1,466,889 Tattersalls Millions Irish Champion Stakes (Ire-G1) at Leopardstown.
Duke of Marmalade, the world’s top-ranked turf runner, defeated New Approach in the Juddmonte International Stakes (Eng-G1) on August 23 at Newmarket to remain unbeaten in five Group 1 races this season.
Duke of Marmalade captured the Prix Ganay-Grand Prix du 40th Anniversaire Air Mauritius (Fr-G1) on April 27 at Longchamp to begin his four-year-old season for trainer Aidan O’Brien and owners Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor.
The Danehill colt continued on with victories in the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Ire-G1) on May 25 at the Curragh, the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (Eng-G1) on June 18 at Royal Ascot, and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Eng-G1) on July 26 at Ascot prior to scoring a three-quarter-length win over Phoenix Tower and New Approach in the Juddmonte International.
O’Brien has won 18 Group 1 races this season, and is seven shy of trainer Bobby Frankel’s world record 23 wins at the highest level, set in 2003.
Highly regarded New Approach has not started since capturing the Derby by a half-length from Tartan Bearer on June 7. The Galileo (Ire) colt, trained by Jim Bolger, then was expected to start in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (Ire-G1) but missed the classic with a hoof injury. He subsequently developed soreness in his hindquarters that sidelined him during the summer.
New Approach won all five of his starts as a two-year-old, including Group 1 wins in England and Ireland, en route to honors as Europe’s champion juvenile male. He began 2008 with runner-up finishes to Henrythenavigator in both the Stanjamesuk.com Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) and Boylesports Irish Two Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1), before capturing the Derby on June 7 for Princess Haya, wife of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum.
Earlier on the card, Bolger will send out Darley Yorkshire Oaks (Eng-G1) winner Lush Lashes in an attempt to turn the tables on O’Brien’s Irish classic winner Halfway To Heaven in the $383,800 Coolmore Fusaichi Pegasus Matron Stakes (Ire-G1).
Halfway To Heaven won the Boylesports Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1) on May 25 at the Curragh, then held back a furious late rush from Lush Lashes to prevail by a head in the Blue Square Nassau Stakes (Eng-G1) on August 2 at Goodwood.
Myra Lewyn is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor
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