The John Quinn-trained Liberty Beach (11/8 favourite) recorded her fourth win from five starts with a smart success in the £75,000 G3 Markel Insurance Molecomb Stakes.
Ridden by Jason Hart, the two-year-old daughter of Cable Bay defied trouble in running to quicken up smartly to score by a length from the Joseph O’Brien-trained Alligator Alley (8/1) in second.
Quinn has high hopes for the filly who could tackle the G1 Prix Morny or the G2 Lowther Stakes on her next start. The Settrington handler was recording his second victory of the week from three runners at the Qatar Goodwood Festival following Cobra Eye’s win in yesterday’s European Breeders Fund EBF Maiden.
Quinn said: “Liberty Beach did not get the best passage through the race as a few horses got in her way, but she showed once again a very special acceleration. She nearly ran her race to get to avoid all the trouble, but once Jason pulled her out and found the gap, off she went and he couldn’t pull her up.
“It’s a very good sign that it took her a long time to pull her up. I put her in the Prix Morny (G1, Deauville, Sunday, August 18) this morning as I felt she was good enough to go for that race, but she had to prove it on the track this afternoon.
“She is in the Lowther (G2, York, Thursday, August 22) and the Prix Morny so we shall see – I like the Morny! She is a very high-class filly.
“Liberty Beach did not have her first run until May 27 and then she ran three times quickly after that, including in the Queen Mary and at Sandown, so for a filly who had made her debut in May, I thought she needed a little break.
“I’m delighted we didn’t run her in the Papin and gave her a break as we thought she would have an outstanding chance in this race and this is a great place to win.
“The form of the Queen Mary in which she finished fourth is really good and all she has done since then is keep progressing.
“I think we will also target the Prix de l’Abbaye and then the Breeders’ Cup. She has a lot of tactical speed and America could suit her – that is my plan. I have been training for a long time and if she is well in herself, you just need to keep kicking with these fillies and don’t worry too much about next year right now.
“Liberty Beach is very laid-back and helps her rider. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was well able to cope with six furlongs which could even make her a Cheveley Park type.”
Liberty Beach’s owner Philip Wilkins had received offers for Liberty Beach. He said: “We just love racing, so that is why we are here. The money wasn’t going to make that much difference to our lives, so we thought why not keep her?
“I have only been breeding horses for about three years – this is the second one and she has an older half-sister who hasn’t performed quite as well but she was a little weak as a yearling. We are just hoping that we can get a bit more out of the family because it is an incredible family.
“I lost a racehorse that I paid a lot money for, who didn’t even reach the track, and I got very disappointed about the game. I decided to take the mares that I had and to breed. From that, we are back racing again and I am over the moon.
“We keep going one rung up the ladder. We have the G2 next and hopefully she can get to a G1 as well. I would like to see Liberty Beach in the Cheveley Park at the end of the season and that is probably my dream.”
Donnacha O’Brien, who partnered second-placed Alligator Alley for his trainer brother Joseph, commented: “I would have won if I had a clear run.”
HART FINDS A FILLY WITH A BIG HEART
“She has a heart of gold,” was Jason Hart’s description of Liberty Beach after he had ridden her to victory in the G3 Markel Insurance Molecomb Stakes.
The two-year-old speedster, who was sent off the 11/8 favourite, burst clear of her rivals inside the final furlong to beat Alligator Alley (8/1) by a length. There was a further length back to Show Me Show Me (25/1), who missed the break and made up considerable ground near the finish.
He, plus the fourth-placed Fan Club Rules and fifth home Wheels On Fire, are due to be sold at this evening’s Goffs UK Goodwood Sale, to be held in the winner’s enclosure after racing.
After riding his third career winner at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, Hart said: “I was quietly confident for the first couple of furlongs, but in the last furlong and a half she had to be tough. There was plenty of competition and she needed to be good.
“I put her in a small gap and she was tough to go through it. It got tight enough with the American horse [Maven] coming back in my lap a bit. I had planned to follow Frankie [on Maven] and thought he would have taken me a bit further, but I got dragged out of the race a tiny bit and had to make my move sooner than ideal.
“She’s very quick – you could see through the early part of the race that she was so keen to run.”
Hart admitted he underestimated the filly before she ran in a race, and said: “I always thought she was up to winning a maiden!
“She is just one of those unassuming fillies and at home you could stick a baby on her, she is that laid back. She only really comes alive once the gates open. Ascot was a bit frustrating [fourth in G2 Queen Mary Stakes] because we were drawn on the wrong side. She did well to win the race on her side, so to come here today and win a G3 for her owner [Philip Wilkins], who also bred her, is very nice.”
3.00pm Markel Insurance Molecomb Stakes (Group 3), 5f
1 Liberty Beach (Philip Wilkins) John Quinn 2-8-12 Jason Hart 11/8 fav
2 Alligator Alley (Paul Smith) Joseph O’Brien IRE 2-9-01 Donnacha O’Brien 8/1
3 Show Me Show Me (Ontoawinner 8 And Partner 4) Richard Fahey 2-9-01 Patrick Mathers 25/1
13 ran
Time: 58.88s
Distances: 1, 1
Tote Win: £2.20 Places: £1.10, £2.50, £6.60 Exacta: £13.70
Breeding: b f Cable Bay (IRE) – Flirtinaskirt (GB) (Avonbridge (GB))
Breeder: Phillip Wilkins
John Quinn – 6th Goodwood winner (5th at Qatar Goodwood Festival)
Jason Hart – 3rd Goodwood winner (3rd at Qatar Goodwood Festival)