Godolphin won a Melbourne Cup with a son of Teofilo in Cross Counter (GB) and the same sire has given them their latest Group I winner in the US and Nations Pride holds an entry for this year’s Cox Plate.
A Listed winner at Newmarket in April that finished eighth in the Group I Epsom Derby, the Charlie Appleby trained three year-old Teofilo colt Nations Pride has been campaigning in the US in recent weeks.
Second in the Group I Belmont Derby Invitational last month, he went one better in the $1million Group I Saratoga Derby Invitational (1 3/16th m ) on turf scoring by a length and three quarters for William Buick.
A homebred for Godolphin, Nations Pride has been super consistent with five wins and two seconds from eight starts.
“I came in yesterday and saw them train this morning [Nations Pride and filly With The Moonlight, who starts in Sunday’s GIII Saratoga Oaks] and as a physical, I think they’ve done very well. The style of training [both recorded four breezes in an 11-day span], they’ve adapted to it,” said Charlie Appleby, who was on track for the win.
“On the back of Belmont, they were a touch unlucky. He was a bit slow from the gate there and had that wider trip around. It was a little bit messy, but that was by the by. We came in today confident that if we could just get him to break a bit quicker and William could get him up in behind the pace that we felt he was the right horse in the race and could go on and get the job done. It was a great ride by William.”
Nations Pride is the best of two winners from stakes-winning Oasis Dream mare Important Time, a daughter of Group I winner Satwa Queen and half-sister to the dam of Yulong owned Group I winner and now promising young sire Lucky Vega, who stands at their Victorian farm this spring.
Nations Pride is the 23rd Group I winner for Teofilo and is his third bred from a daughter of Oasis Dream joining Melbourne Cup winner Twilight Payment (IRE) and Tawkeel, the nick producing five stakes-winners from 16 runners so runs at 31% SW to runner.
