Richard Fahey’s youngster won despite the heavy ground.
Powerful Glory did his name justice in winning a remarkable victory in the Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury, under testing conditions, and proved that he is resilient and talented. Richard Fahey's two-year-old colt, who had impressed on debut with a dominant win at Pontefract, ensured his presence was noted in the Group Two contest as he crossed the line with a powerful surge to clinch the gold. A 5-2 chance in the betting market, Powerful Glory went to post behind the 15-8 favorite, Brian, in what was going to be a poorly attended field after leading contenders Defense Minister and Shadow Of Light were declared out due to the heavy ground.
Although not convinced the colt would be able to repeat his performance on such soft ground, his trainers decided to take their chance, and that eventuated to be one that paid dividends. The early stages of the race were run at a threatening tempo, with Sarab Star tracking down the far side of the track. That was like it might be for a moment and the favorite, Brian, was closing on Sarab Star when, on the stands side, Oisin Orr was urging Powerful Glory to action only just as he was on terms with the leads. Cotai Glory Colt responded well to a determined push, finding his stride to reel them in and surge ahead.
Although La Bellota was little better than an outsider, he stiffened the challenge with a strong run to finish placed second, a neck ahead of Powerful Glory, who ran on late for the third spot and passed Brian, who was now tiring. It was a performance that showed not only the potential but also the grit of Fahey's charge. Speaking after the race, Philip Robinson, a representative of the owner, Sheikh Rashid Dalmook al Maktoum, confessed to hesitation about running under such difficult conditions.
"We considered not running, but as this was his last of the season, we decided to take our chance," he said. Robinson said the ground wasn't right for the colt and added, "his jockey said he wasn't enjoying it from halfway, but his true class got him through it." With wins now on both firm and heavy ground, Robinson concluded, "It's a big plus to know he can handle extremes like that. I think the best horse won today, and it's onwards and upwards from here.
Trainer Richard Fahey also commented on the Ayr races in which he was present, just like everybody else on that racing day, and complimented the colt for being hardy. "It's great to see him win," Fahey said to ITV Racing. "He's a horse I do like, but I was very worried about the ground because he's such a good moving horse."I spoke to Sheikh Rashid, and he said to go out and give it a lash, so fair play to The trainer might have bottled it out himself if he was left to his own devices!
Powerful Glory's season is now over, allowing the colt to go on a well-deserved break. "He's on his holidays now."I told him, 'If he does that, that's the end of the season,' Fahey said. "He's a pretty scopey horse. We've prepared him for a breeze, so I want to just leave him alone now and let him develop," Fahey said. It wasn't just confirming Powerful Glory as a rising star but also doing it in the manner of such adaptability that sees him do very well no matter the conditions, that Powerful Glory confirmed his success in the Mill Reef Stakes. After a well-deserved break, excitement now builds for what the future holds for this talented juvenile as connections eye even greater targets in the coming seasons.
