Royal Meeting proves best in Criterium International

There was not much new under the European sun this weekend as decades-old powerhouses Godolphin and Coolmore won Group 1 2-year-old races.

On Sunday at Chantilly, it was Godolphin’s colt Royal Meeting proving three-quarters of a length better than the Aidan O’Brien-trained Coolmore filly Hermosa in the Criterium International. Royal Meeting, trained by Saeed bin Suroor, was starting for only the second time following a Yarmouth maiden win but delivered an encouraging performance, tracking from third under Christophe Soumillon, coming with a wide run in the final quarter-mile and besting the more experienced Hermosa in this one-turn mile contested over good-to-soft going.

Royal Meeting is by Invincible Spirit and out of Rock Opera and gave Godolphin its third Group 1-winning 2-year-old this fall. Royal Marine, also trained by bin Suroor, won the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere on Oct. 7, while the Charlie Appleby-trained Quorto captured the Vincent O’Brien National Stakes over Anthony Van Dyck at Leopardstown. Soumillon winters in Dubai, and so will Royal Meeting, perhaps with an eye toward the 3-year-old dirt series at Meydan.

Hermosa was pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf but, having raced Sunday in France, would be highly unlikely to board an American-bound plane Monday in Ireland.

On Saturday at Doncaster, O’Brien and Coolmore came out on top in the Group 1 Vertem Futurity Trophy Stakes (formerly known as the Racing Post Trophy), but only just, as Magna Grecia edged Phoenix of Spain by a head. Bumping between the top two in the final furlong got a long look from the track stewards, but the result wasn’t changed. A younger O’Brien, Donnacha, rode the winner.

Magna Grecia, another Invincible Spirit colt, this one out of the Galileo mare Caberet, franked the form of the Group 3 Autumn Stakes, where he was beaten a head by Persian King, while Phoenix of Spain further confirmed the class of leading 2-year-old Too Darn Hot, who had comfortably beaten him in the Champagne Stakes, also at Doncaster. Magna Grecia stayed one mile on Saturday and is likely to race one mile when he sees action again next May in the English 2000 Guineas.

On Saturday at Saint-Cloud in France, it was neither Godolphin nor Coolmore, though both had runners, as Wonderment captured the Group 1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud, the longest 2-year-old Group 1 in Europe at 1 1/4 miles. The Aidan O’Brien-trained Sydney Opera House has been lightly regarded by bettors all autumn but was beaten just a neck by Wonderment as Norway, the O’Brien-trained favorite, was nearly four lengths farther back in fourth.

Stephane Pasquier rode Wonderment for trainer Nicolas Clement and owner Stella Thayer, and Wonderment, a son of Camelot out of Wiwilia, boosted the form of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf starter Line of Duty. Line of Duty beat Wonderment by 1 1/2 lengths in the Prix du Conde on Oct. 2 at Chantilly.

• Holdthasigreen won the Group 1 Prix Royal-Oak over 1 7/8 miles on Sunday at Chantilly. Called to the Bar finished second as favorites Bruntland and Flag of Honour checked in fourth and fifth.