Streaking Too Darn Hot romps in Dewhurst Stakes

Sizzling 2-year-old Too Darn Hot made it four wins from four starts with a blowout victory Saturday at Newmarket in the Dewhurst Stakes, his Group 1 debut.

Too Darn Hot, tracking the pace with cover under Frankie Dettori, looked like he might disappoint a quarter-mile out, but once he found his balance through the downhill and bottom portion of Newmarket’s straight mile, Too Darn Hot finished with a flurry. Powering through the uphill final stages, he drew steadily away putting 2 3/4 lengths on runner-up Advertise, Dettori raising up in the saddle to celebrate before hitting the line.

Advertise, a Group 1 winner over six furlongs, stayed on decently stretching out to seven Saturday and was 1 1/2 lengths in front of third-place Anthony Van Dyck at the finish. Well beaten in fourth was Sangarius, who didn’t run badly but had to be considered at least a slight disappointment after two encouraging wins to start his career for trainer Michael Stoute and owner Khalid Abdullah.

Kuwait Currency finished fifth, followed by Christmas, who set the pace for his Aidan O’Brien-trained stablemate, Anthony Van Dyck.

Anthony Van Dyck, as was the case in the Vincent O’Brien National Stakes last out in Ireland, failed to produce the requisite acceleration in the final 1 1/2 furlongs while running competitively. Mohawk, another O’Brien charge, failed to run back to his Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes win and finished last.

It would be very surprising to see either of the first two home in the Dewhurst show up at Churchill Downs for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, but Anthony Van Dyck might be the right sort of horse for that race.

Too Darn Hot added the Dewhurst to wins this summer in the Group 3 Solario at Sandown and the Group 2 Champagne at Doncaster, and he heads into winter the strong early favorite for the English 2,000 Guineas the first weekend in May. John Gosden trains Too Darn Hot for his breeder, Andrew Lloyd-Weber, who mated Dubawi and Dar Re Mi to produce this high-class performer. Dar Re Mi’s daughter La Ti Dar is the favorite for next Saturday’s Group 1 QIPCO Champions Filly and Mare Stakes at Ascot. Too Darn Hot is a different sort of horse – faster, more a miler-type - than mother or sister. And he is pretty darn good already.

*** A race before the Dewhurst, France-based 2-year-old Persian King won the Group 3 Autumn Stakes over one mile, beating Magna Grecia by a neck. A son of Kingman trained by Andre Fabre, Persian King won his maiden second time out at Chantilly before shipping across the English Channel for a run over the Guineas course at Newmarket on Saturday.