Chilean Triple Crown Winner a September Stakes Stunner?
Group-3 contests on an all-weather surface usually attract nice horses but not world-beaters. Kempton Park’s Unibet September Stakes is clearly no ordinary race. Its roll of honour outstrips its status in some considerable way. Last year’s winner, Mostahdaf, went on to claim a £750,000 prize in Saudi Arabia. This summer, he has won two Group-1s.
The 2018 and 2020 Unibet September Stakes went to Enable. The wonder mare would use the contest as her stepping stone to the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. She won Europe’s most prestigious race twice.
Benoit de la Sayette will ride Fortino for his boss, John Gosden, in the September Stakes. ©Getty
John Gosden trained both stars. On Saturday, the trainer, now officially sharing training duties with his son, Thady, will hope Israr or a new recruit, Fortino, can land his Clarehaven Stables a sixth September Stakes in nine years.
Weight Not Enough to Bridge Form Gap
Israr, disputing favouritism with Sir Michael Stoute’s Bay Bridge, ended 2022 as a good handicapper. His three outings in 2023 have seen him progress markedly, and he most recently won a Newmarket Group 2.
He may be officially rated six pounds below his market rival – and has to concede five pounds to him – but, as Bay Bridge was lifeless when last seen in action, Israr looks the obvious choice on all known form.
And therein, the spanner lands in the works. What does the form of British debutant Fortino amount to? On paper, it would appear quite a lot. Ten career starts in his native Chile have yielded seven wins and three seconds. Fortino is also two-from-two on an all-weather surface.
Vitally, his latest victory came in the Chilean Derby. This contest was the third and final leg of the Chilean Triple Crown, and this four-year-old was the first winner of all three Triple Crown legs in over 30 years.
A Runner With a Serious Form Chance
Only one horse could trouble Fortino – a son of the former Saaed bin Suroor trained Midshipman – in Chile. That horse is called Racatan, and he was sold for a “substantial sum” to connections in Kong Kong, where he is yet to race.
Admittedly, recent Chilean Group-1 winners exported to the U.S. have yet to make an impression. But the Gosden’s could find a more straightforward assignment for Fortino and, never ones to overface a horse, it is safe to say he must have shown his trainers something noteworthy.
The colt, a winner over five different trips from five furlongs to a mile-and-a-half, is quoted on 14/1 by the UK’s best horse racing betting sites. Under the 2022 Champion apprentice, Benoit De La Sayette, in a race that has attracted a field of seven, he could easily prove good enough to make the frame and may do even better.
Steel Fancied With His Stainless Record
Saturday’s feature race is the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown. Aidan O’Brien has won this 10-furlong contest for the past four years and 11 times in total. This time, he relies on Auguste Rodin (7/2), Luxembourg (10/1) and Point Lonsdale (100/1).
Auguste Rodin and King of Steel finished 1-2 in the Derby, but in Saturday’s Irish Champions Stakes, the runner-up is expected to take his revenge. ©Getty
Auguste Rodin is an intriguing contender. A Group-1 winner at two, he flopped badly as a 13/8 favourite in the 2000 Guineas on his seasonal debut. He won the Derby on his next outing in an amazing turn-around in fortunes. But Auguste Rodin now returns after a diabolical effort in the King George.
With no explanation coming to light and odds hovering around 7/2, in our opinion, Auguste Rodin cannot sensibly be supported in Saturday’s contest. A better bet is his old adversary, King Of Steel, who was beaten by half a length in the Derby.
Comfortable success in Royal Ascot’s Group-2 King Edward VII Stakes followed. King Of Steel’s most recent effort saw him finish third in the King George, where soft ground went against him – not for the first time in his career.
But Roger Varian’s colt ran a solid race to take third, and his performance appeared to suggest a two-furlong drop back in trip – to Saturday’s one-mile-two-furlong distance – would be beneficial.
What Are Our Best Bets for Saturday?
Fortino 1.35 pm Kempton
King Of Steel 3.20 pm Leopardstown
*Both races will be broadcast live on ITV3.
