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9 September 2006, The Ladbrokes St Leger Stakes
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| Racecourse |
Age |
Sex |
Distance |
| York |
3yo |
c&f |
1m6f132y |
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Sixties puts up iconic performance
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| Sixties Icon runs away with the St Leger |
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The final Classic of the season took place at York this year, as the normal venue (Doncaster) is closed for a multi million pound redevelopment. This didn’t detract from the quality of the field though, with the ever consistent Red Rocks (3c Galileo) taking on the improving Sixties Icon (3c Galileo).
As it turned out Sixties Icon provided Frankie Dettori with his fourth St Leger victory and his 100th winner of the season – and it’s unlikely he’ll ride an easier winner of a Classic in his whole career. Sixties Icon travelled supremely well, allowing Frankie to take a long and almost arrogant look round at his rivals with a couple of furlongs to run, before pressing the button and quickening clear in emphatic style.
The Last Drop (3c Galileo) belied his odds of 50/1 and returned to something like his early season form with a gritty performance to finish second. He could well develop into a useful stayer next season, with a bit more age and experience behind him. However, he simply didn’t have the class of the winner, who never looked to be troubled.
Red Rocks ran his usual consistent race in third, but he may just not quite have stayed, despite being given every chance to do so – he can take a lot of credit for this effort and he deserves a success at the highest level.
There was only really one horse in this race though – Sixties Icon. He boasts a superb pedigree, by the 2001 Vodafone Derby winner Galileo out of the 2000 Vodafone Oaks heroine, Love Divine. Bred in Newmarket by Trevor Harris' Lordship Stud, he was sold for 230,000 guineas to John Warren at Tattersalls in October, 2004, on behalf of Paul and Susan Roy.
Unraced as a two-year-old, he won his 3yo maiden before taking a huge step up in class to contest the Vodafone Derby at Epsom on June 3 and ran a superb race, staying on stoutly to finish seventh, beaten just over five lengths, behind Sir Percy.
Another solid effort followed at Royal Ascot with third in the King Edward VII Stakes, beaten under three lengths by Papal Bull. On his latest appearance, Sixties Icon duly advertised his credentials for the Ladbrokes St Leger by winning the BGC (Gordon Stakes) in impressive fashion at Glorious Goodwood on August 1.
Sixties Icon's owner Paul Roy was at Liverpool University in the 1960s and had the likes of George Best, the Beatles and Bobby Moore in mind when naming the horse. This victory will come as some compensation for the loss of his star miler Major’s Cast earlier this season.
As previously mentioned, Sixties Icon is the son of two Classic winners in Galileo and Love Divine. He is the second foal and first winner out of his dam, a daughter of Diesis who won the Oaks in 2000. She is a half-sister to the Listed winner and Gr.3 Park Hill Stakes second Floreeda (Linamix) and the Listed-placed Laurentine (Private Account). They are among five winners produced by the Gr.3 Lancashire Oaks second La Sky (Law Society), herself a halfsister to the Gr.1 Champion Stakes and Gr.1 Premio Roma Stakes hero and sire Legal Case (Alleged).
Love Divine’s yearling is a March-foaled colt by Red Ransom, who will be offered as Lot 264 by his breeder, Lordship Stud, at Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Part One. The mare foaled a Cape Cross colt this year and is now in foal to Montjeu, thought to be carrying a filly.
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