Santosha provides Coulsty breakthrough in the Princess Margaret Gr.3

27 Jul 2020

Santosha wins Princess Margaret

Providing another boost to the form of the Gr.2 Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes, Santosha stepped up to capture Sunday’s Gr.3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot and provided her Rathasker Stud-based first-season sire with his initial black-type winner. Sent off at 5-1 coming off a third placing behind Gr.3 Albany scorer Dandalla and subsequent Listed Star Stakes winner Fev Rover in that contest at Newmarket’s July festival, the bay was reserved off the early pace by Thomas Greatrex and delivered to lead approaching the final furlong. She was always doing enough to hold Hala Hala Hala by ¾ of a length, with the winner’s stablemate Caroline Dale the same margin behind in third.

David Loughnane was enjoying his red-letter day, “It’s great to have my first Group winner at Ascot. It’s the Mecca, isn’t it, everyone wants to train winners here, ”he commented. We work very hard and we have had a lot of luck along the way, but it’s icing on the cake that our first group winner is here. Santosha should never have been the price she was – my surname might have something to do with it, but we are looking to change that. She was still very green today, but she is a very progressive filly and we’ve got a lot to look forward to. I think she will be a nicer filly next year, stepping her up to seven furlongs and a mile. She travels so sweetly, she never overdoes herself. She does what you want her to do and is push-button. I felt like we were the ones coming into the race with the strongest form. I said we were coming here very bullish and we’ve proved that. Today was the plan but the Lowther would have to be the top of our list next and the Cheveley Park is probably our long-term plan for this year.”

 

Santosha, the sole progeny out of a relative of Gold Academy who captured the Listed Strensall Stakes and was third in the Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and Gr.1 St. Jame’s Palace Stakes, went up against Dandalla and co as the 50-1 winner of a six-furlong median auction novice at Lingfield on the 26th of June. Also 50-1 there, she got within ¾ of a length of a major upset and could arguably have been closer had the winner not veered across her path late on. Staying true to Thomas Greatrex, Loughnane’s decision was rewarded by a ride belying a lack of experience in this company as Santosha was guided to a breakthrough success. The occasion was not lost on the jockey, who said, “we got a lovely run into the race and she has really stuck her head down and galloped. She got a bit lonely in the front in the end, but she was brilliant. Stepping up in trip will be no problem at all – she stayed really well. I was running in snatches during the race, but once I got a hold of her at the two-furlong pole she actually went down a gear and took off.” Massive congratulations to owner/breeder Paddy Murray who has just one broodmare at this Co.Down farm – a fantastic result for him!

 

Images:
Santosha wins Princess Margaret
Links:
Stallion: Coulsty

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