Pinatubo wraps up perfect season in Dewhurst Stakes

Pinatubo set the bar so high in his last two starts that a two-length victory in one of Europe’s most important juvenile races, the Group 1 Dewhurst, felt like a letdown.

After winning the Group 2 Vintage Stakes by five lengths and the Group 1 National at The Curragh by nine in a Frankelesque performance, Pinatubo drew away late to beat Arizona by two lengths in the straight-course, seven-furlong Dewhurst on Saturday at Newmarket. The Godolphin colt, trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by William Buick, ends his 2-year-old season with six wins from six starts and as the heavy winter-book favorite for the English 2000 Guineas the first Saturday in May.

Pinatubo, by Shamardal out of Lava Flow, by Dalakhani, does his best work during the second part of races and hewed to that style Saturday settling midpack as Arizona cut out the pace. Pinatubo crept into contention halfway through without being asked, came up to engage Arizona with a quarter-mile or so to run, and after getting a half-furlong of resistance from the leader forged to the front and steadily pulled away.

Arizona, improving and coming seven lengths closer to Pinatubo than he had last out in Ireland, finished a clear second, 2 3/4 lengths in front of Wichita as Aidan O’Brien-trained horses swept the second through fifth positions, Year of the Tiger and Monarch Of Egypt filling out the next two finishing positions.