Marvelman and Puerto Rico impress on Doncaster St Leger undercard…
- Sean Levey wins Champagne Stakes for O'Brien
- Park Stakes winner Marvelman could be supplemented for Foret
Sean Levey's association with Ballydoyle on St Leger Day started with a success, as Puerto Rico dominated the seven-furlong Group 2 Champagne Stakes .
A maiden after five starts over six furlongs, the Aidan O'Brien-trained colt was expected to appreciate the step up to seven after finishing fourth to Power Blue in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh.
Levey set out to make all on the son of Wootton Bassett, using the colt's anticipated stamina to his advantage. He repelled the late challenge of the John and Thady Gosden-trained Oxagon with ease, to win by a length with a further length-and-three-quarters back to Cape Orator. The highly anticipated Gewan was disappointing, fading in the closing stages.
In an interview with ITV Racing, Levey said: "Speaking to Aidan [O'Brien] and Ryan [Moore] beforehand, tactically everything was going to be straightforward, ride him as though there was nothing else in the field, go forward, get into a rhythm. We knew he'd get the trip and like the ground, and every furlong I was happy with him and he picked up quite nicely.
"I don't think he needs these conditions but he definitely found improvement stepping up in trip.
"I wasn't going slow, I felt as though we were going solid enough fractions and was able to build on it. He's got very good form, and he was always going to put his head in front if he found any sort of improvement, which he did by stepping up in trip."
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Marvelman was an impressive winner of the Group 2 Park Stakes for trainer Andrew Balding, continuing his upward progression.
Although the three-year-old had previously recorded no wins from seven starts on turf, he had shown some useful form in defeat, placing third in the Hungerford Stakes at Newbury.
With a strong early pace, Oisin Murphy was always sat prominently aboard the son of Invincible Spirit, content to sit behind confirmed front-runner Quinault. As the field passed the 400m marker, Marvelman took the lead and ran out a comfortable winner over King's Gamble, with Audience back in third.
In an interview with ITV Racing, Murphy said: "We were delighted with him at Newbury on his last start and today he was excellent. His work at home has been fantastic, he doesn't mind this ground being by Invincible Spirit and Andrew [Balding] had a lot of confidence.
"Andrew will have a chat with the owners, all options are available but he looks like a very good horse. Hopefully now he'll go the right way.
"Seven furlongs to a mile will be his ideal distances. He's pretty versatile and the same with the ground, from nice ground to quite deep ground comes all the same to him.
Balding added: "I'm thrilled, he's a lovely horse and we had a feeling he'd be better suited with slower ground and it showed and he's a talented horse.
"He's just a horse who has improved all year and we really liked his chances in the Jersey Stakes, for some reason he just lost his way midway through the season but now he's back with a bang.
"I didn't put him in to the Prix la Foret, but I can supplement him. We'll talk to the owner, Rex Gorell, and I was quite keen on taking him to Sydney in the Autumn but he wanted to have a European campaign so I'll to Rex and see what he wants to do."
