Circus Maximus finds mile to his liking in St. James's Palace Stakes
Circus Maximus was cut back from longer distances to a mile and gave trainer Aidan O’Brien and jockey Ryan Moore their second big-race win on opening day of the 2019 Royal Ascot meeting by winning the Group 1 St. James’s Palace Stakes.
Earlier on the card, 2-year-old Arizona won the Group 2 Coventry stakes for Moore and O’Brien.
While Arizona races for O’Brien’s primary client, the Coolmore principals, Circus Maximus is owned by Coolmore interests in partnership with by Flaxman Holdings, nom de course of the Niarchos family, whose silks Circus Maximus carried to victory Tuesday. Flaxman bred Circus Maximus by mating Coolmore’s great stallion Galileo with its mare Duntle, who ran unplaced trying the 2013 Beverly D. Stakes at Arlington at a 1 3/16-mile distance perhaps longer than her best.
Duntle excelled at one mile, and her son Circus Maximus appears to be cut from similar cloth. A winner of one race from four starts at age 2, and fourth in the Grade 1 Vertem Futurity Trophy Stakes in his last race as a juvenile, Circus Maximus won the Dee Stakes over 1 5/16 miles at Chester in his 3-year-old bow before finishing sixth of 13 in the Derby at Epsom less than three weeks ago. O’Brien elected to shave off a half-mile in trip to try the St. James’s Palace, a race to which Circus Maximus was supplemented last week, while racing the colt in blinkers for the first time.
“It was a big challenge for the horse,” O’Brien said. “He was going to have to deal with coming back in trip and that's why he had the blinkers on, because he didn't have much time to learn.”
Moore’s ride Tuesday made all the difference. Circus Maximus, a 13-1 shot in North American wagering, broke alertly from post 1 and went forward, crossing behind Fox Champion, who was sent from post 11 and made the lead, to take up a two-wide pressing journey around the St. James’s Palace’s one right-handed turn. No sooner had the field bent into the long home straight than Moore went to riding his mount, playing on his trip and Circus Maximus’s staying power while forcing quicker horses behind him to be used earlier than ideal in order to keep up.
Phoenix of Spain, the sharp front-running winner of the Irish 2000 Guineas and one of the two favorites Tuesday, had been tracking Circus Maximus but was left reeling by Moore’s move and could never come close to matching stride. Too Darn Hot, the other short price in the race, stalked the pace along the inside and came out to make a run at Circus Maximus, but after nearly reaching the leader’s flank in the final furlong, Too Darn Hot ran out of gas and flattened out very late to finish third. King of Comedy, who had two horses behind him and seven in front turning for home, was the one finishing fastest, but Moore’s timing was perfect and Circus Maximus hit the line a neck to the good, King of Comedy besting Too Darn Hot by three-quarters of a length. Skardu was fourth as Phoenix of Spain slipped back to sixth.
In the 17-runner Coventry, favored Arizona beat Threat by a half-length while looking more superior than the bare margin of victory. By No Nay Never out of Lady Ederle, by English Channel, Arizona raced in mid-pack before coming forward with three furlongs to run and cruising to the front with long, solid, well-balanced strides. Arizona’s sire, whom Coolmore stands, excelled at sprint distances but this colt has the look of a horse who might get a mile.