‘He’s got a lot of options and hopefully he’ll be a Guineas horse next year’.
Luther used excellent footwork to win Listed in the Betfair Daily Tips On Betting. Ascendant Stakes by Betfair at Haydock.
After winning at Salisbury over seven furlongs on his Charlie Fellowes debut in June, he returned there for his final race and, in the Stonehenge Stakes, only New Century proved to be too strong.
Regaining his composure after losing by half a length, Luther (16-5) easily handled a refined field when he was kept to Listed level and a mile again on Merseyside.
Godolphin's Age of Gold was the early favorite, but Luther was soon behind the lead and was eager to run for Danny Tudhope a few furlongs from home.
🚀 Impressive
Royal Lodge & Dewhurst entrant Luther oozes class in the Listed Ascendant Stakes@FellowesRacing | @haydockraces pic.twitter.com/3SG8xESHzn
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 7, 2024
Luther responded instantly to the rider's challenge when it was finally given a furlong out, and he soon pulled clear, winning by two lengths over outsider Qilin Queen.
"He had a very minor setback between his maiden and his second start," Fellowes said. "He won his maiden nicely." We ended up at Salisbury instead of Ascot, where I had planned to attend a Listed race.
"I simply wonder if, more than anything else, he needed the small run that day to help him mentally. His run impressed us, and today he looked more like the finished product.
"I wasn't concerned about the terrain today; in fact, I believed that a slight cut would better fit him, as he is by Frankel.
"I was simply hoping that he would be talented enough to perform like that, and he did a fantastic job.
"He's a horse we've always had a lot of interest in, he's done excellent work at home, he has a great mind, and hopefully he will be an exciting horse for the following season."
"Although he is not very large, he is a powerful and well-built colt." One important component is that he wants it and has a mind as excellent as any that I've trained."
Luther, a Musidora winner in Give And Take and a son of Frankel, was purchased for 250,000 guineas as a yearling last year. He has entries in the Group One Dewhurst Stakes on October 12 and the Royal Lodge Stakes at Newmarket later this month that are worthy of his lineage.
Luther is currently Fellowes' first option in the first-named Group Two contest, and a later run at either the Breeders' Cup or Doncaster is not ruled out. Luther is a 10-1 shot for the Royal Lodge and a 20-1 chance for the Dewhurst with Betfair.
"I guess the most obvious place to go next is probably the Royal Lodge," he continued.
It's fun to speak about these races, but after that, we'll see if we keep him here for a Futurity Trophy or put him away. We might even go for the Breeders' Cup.
"He's got a lot of options and hopefully he'll be a Guineas horse next year."
