While Bedtime Story was as impressive as a Royal Ascot winner can look when successful in the Listed Chesham Stakes for two-year-olds on Saturday, the Australian interest will be when Ciaron Maher brings the second-placed Pentle Bay to our shores.
While Bedtime Story, by champion racehorse and now sire Frankel, demolished the field by nearly ten-lengths over the 1400-metre journey, Pentle Bay worked his way through showing enough with a view to spring carnival features.
“Pentle Bay was quickly put to sleep by Bedtime Story in the Chesham but the winner was one right out of the box and Pentle Bay did well to be best of the rest, returning a Racing and Sports Rating of 94,” says Racing and Sports Senior Handicapper, Adam Blencowe.
“The Caulfield Guineas hasn’t taken as much winning as it can in the past couple of seasons with last year’s winner Griff only rated 95 at this point and 2022 winner Golden Mile 88, both having just won maidens by June.
“But Broadsiding and Storm Boy are rated 116 — a typical Guineas-winning figure already in their reach — and so Pentle Bay will have to come a long way, both literally and figuratively, if he is to land that valuable prize.”
Bedtime Story was in a league of her own in winning the Chesham Stakes; picture Liesel King
The plus sides are there for Pentle Bay’s current trainer, George Broughey. “He has shown plenty at home and did the race the right way round, which was really key — it’s really key for him to relax. He’s a horse with a big future, he said.
“The winner looks a superstar — she’s by a champion, out of a champion. [But] Ciaron Maher and his team are going to have a really fun horse when he does get down to Australia.
“He’s still very raw. I think a race that stands out immediately is probably the Vintage at Goodwood. Not many [by sire] New Bay feature this early in the season. He’s out of a Galileo mare and the pedigree would suggest that he’s going to be a miler, possibly a 10-furlong horse.”
The Royal Ascot Saturday card also saw Maher’s involvement in Middle Earth who was third-placed in the Group 2 Hardwick Stakes (2414m) and is also likely to head to Melbourne.