Australia: Addeybb outruns Verry Elleegant in Queen Elizabeth

The score so far: Addeybb 3, Verry Elleegant 1.

On Saturday at Royal Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia, the two older horses met for the fourth time in the last 13 months in a Group 1 race, this time in the $3.09 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Addeybb, the English gelding, had first jump on Verry Elleegant, the Australian mare, and won the race at 1 1/4 miles on turf by a half-length.

Verry Elleegant had beaten Addeybb for the first time in the Group 1 Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse in March. In March and April of 2020, Addeybb beat Verry Elleegant in the Ranvet and Queen Elizabeth. In all those races, they finished first and second.

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In Saturday’s running of the Queen Elizabeth, Addeybb ($6.10 in American pools) raced in a stalking position under jockey Tom Marquand, while 4-5 favorite Verry Elleegant was farther back in the field and unsettled at times under jockey James McDonald. Verry Elleegant had a better stride through the final three furlongs, but could not catch Addeybb, who was fitted with blinkers for Saturday’s race.

“She went amazing,” McDonald said. She “was pulling a bit hard early, and was jostled a bit, which got her upset.”

Marquand, who relocated from England in recent months to ride briefly in Australia, said one of Addeybb’s best assets is his run through the stretch.

“I was completely unaware of which horses were where, all I could feel (is) that they were all pushing to the line,” he said. “If ever there is a horse to have at the 200 meters in a scrap, it is him.”

Dalasan (30-1) finished third in the field of seven.

Addeybb is scheduled to be flown to England for the flat season in that country. Last year after his early season success in Australia, Addeybb was second in the Group 1 Prince of Wales Stakes at Royal Ascot in June and won the Group 1 Champion Stakes at Ascot last October.

There were three other Group 1 races at Randwick on Saturday.

Hungry Heart, the winner of the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes at 1 1/4 miles for 3-year-old fillies at Rosehill Gardens on April 3, handled 1 1/2 miles for the first time in the $774,400 Australian Oaks.

Ridden by Kerrin McEvoy, Hungry Heart ($7.50) finished 1 1/4 lengths in front of 12-1 Duais in a field of 10.

Chris Waller trains Hungry Heart as well as Selino, the upset winner of the $1.54 million Sydney Cup at two miles. Ridden by Ron Stewart, Selino ($74) closed from ninth in a field of 14 to finish 1 1/4 lengths in front of 10-1 Rondinella.

In the day’s final Group 1, Nettoyer ($65.90) closed with a wide rally to catch 4-5 favorite Probabeel in the final strides of the $774,400 Queen of the Turf Stakes for fillies and mare at a mile, winning by a short head.

Nettoyer, a 7-year-old mare who was ridden by Tommy Berry, has won 7 of 41 starts, and ended a 10-race losing streak since the Group 1 Doncaster Mile at Randwick last April.