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Saturday Group Roundup: Awesome Adayar but Mohaafeth needs more

There was a feast of group level racing in the UK and USA on Saturday as July bought the heat on the flat.

Planet Sport is here with a recap of the best action from worldwide stakes racing, including an awesome win for Godolphin's Adayar at Ascot, a debatable ride from Jim Crowley on William Haggas' Mohaafeth, and a shock for Shadwell at Saratoga.

King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes (Group 1): Adayar

Adayer showed the might of the Godolphin operation and the best of Frankel's progeny by blitzing Love and taking this mightily competitive Group 1 at Ascot.

Observers will point to the weight to age advantage of Charlie Appleby's colt over AP O'Brien's star filly Love and John and Thady Gosden's international player Mishriff, but there are few horses in the world that will live with the Epsom Derby winning Adayar's relentless galloping at present.

All you need is Love sang the Beatles but all Love needed was a little bit of room, being boxed in by David Egan on Mishriff, but the Ballydoyle filly will surely bounce back.

Adayar, ridden by the smooth Will Buick, became the first horse since grandsire Galileo to win the Derby and the King George in the same season.

Available at a general 5/1 for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp, Godolphin have an embarrassment of riches to target the big one at Longchamp with Hurricane Lane, another of the sons of Frankel with beastly ability.

Sky Bet York Stakes (Group 2) : Bangkok

William Haggas' talented Mohaafeth continued his less than straightforward Summer with a shock third at York over one mile two and a half furlongs in this Group 2.
Infamously pulled from the Epsom Derby due to the watered ground, the rain stayed away at York but Mohaafeth couldn't find enough when push came to shove under Jim Crowley, opening the door to 14/1 outsider Bangkok.

Bangkok is owned by the family in control of Leicester City Football Club and proved a fox in the box to get up by a head from Mohaafeth who flunked an open goal when it was easier to score.

There were eyebrows raised from backers of 4/5 favourite as Jim Crowley arrived late in the Shadwell silks, looking to have the edge on Bangkok but the Haggas colt could find little in the final throes, finishing third behind Bangkok and Kevin Ryan's 8/1 shot Juan Elcano.
Meanwhile Shadwell's day was about to get worse.

Coaching Club American Oaks (Grade 1): Maracuja

They say there is beauty in imperfection and Rob Atras' Maracuja broke Malathaat's unbeaten record in a thrilling finish at Saratoga.
Shadwell had every reason to think that their Kentucky Oaks winning filly would go one better than Mohaafeth carrying the blue and white silks but hadn't reckoned on Maracuja's stamina at the Saratoga Springs track.

Tod Pletcher's Curling filly had the luxury of the rail and Maracuja took a wide course under Ricardo Santana Junior, but position mattered little when it came to true grit and saying power, as the 147/10 shot ground out a gutsy head victory on the dirt.

All in all, a disappointing day for Shadwell but all three races showed that it is the horses that keep their eyes on the prize and combine tenacious galloping with top level race concentration that prevail.

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