Newmarket: Emotionless, Air Force Blue top pair in Dewhurst

Air Force Blue already is a two-time Group 1 winner for trainer Aidan O’Brien, easily the best resume among seven 2-year-olds entered in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes on Saturday at Newmarket in England. So why isn’t he the ante-post favorite to win the Dewhurst?

Watch the replay of the Group 2 Champagne Stakes on Sept. 12 at Doncaster and you’ll find the answer. The Godolphin colt Emotionless won the Champagne by 3 1/2 lengths over decent-seeming Ibn Malik, but it was the way he won that caught the eye. Even as his mount went steadily clear in the Champagne, William Buick sat, well, motionless on Emotionless. Taking the lead from pacesetting Ibn Malik, Buick twisted about looking for competition. There was none. Emotionless cantered across the line.

Emotionless’s running form wasn’t flawless -- he ran with his head cocked to the right for much of the trip – but that made it two easy wins from two starts for trainer Charlie Appleby, and Emotionless appears to have plenty more to give. He’s 2 for 2 at the Dewhurst’s seven-furlong distance and has the pedigree of a top-class horse as a son of Shamardal and Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Unbridled Elaine.

Air Force Blue, meanwhile, won his debut, finished second to the precocious Buratino over six furlongs in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes, then won the Group 1 Phoenix over six furlongs and the Group 1 National over seven, both races at The Curragh. The second-place National finisher, Herald the Dawn, also is a Godolphin colt, and last Sunday in the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere he could only finish seventh of 11 runners.

The other five in the Dewhurst have combined to account for only one Group victory, Sanus Per Aquam’s nose win in the Group 3 Tattersalls. Tashweeq, for Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum and trainer John Gosden, has won his last two starts and looks promising, but he’ll need to come forward significantly to threaten the pair of favorites.