Mabs Cross

Last updated
Mabs Cross
Owner Mr David W Armstrong.svg
Racing silks of David W Armstrong
Sire Dutch Art
Grandsire Medicean
DamMiss Meggy
Damsire Pivotal
SexMare
Foaled6 June 2014 [1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
Colour Bay
BreederHighfield Farm
OwnerDavid W Armstrong
TrainerMichael Dods
Record20: 7-2-4
Earnings£505,362
Major wins
Arran Scottish Fillies' Sprint Stakes (2017)
Palace House Stakes (2018, 2019)
Prix de l'Abbaye (2018)
Awards
Cartier Champion Sprinter (2018)

Mabs Cross (foaled 6 June 2014) is a British Thoroughbred racehorse. She did not compete as a two-year-old in 2017 and in the following year she ran mainly in minor sprint handicaps before being stepped up in class to win the Arran Scottish Fillies' Sprint Stakes on her final appearance of the season. In 2018 she made relentless improvement, winning the Palace House Stakes in spring and then being placed in the King's Stand Stakes and the Nunthorpe Stakes before recording her biggest success in the Prix de l'Abbaye. The highlight of her final campaign was a second win in the Palace House Stakes.

Contents

Background

Mabs Cross is a bay mare with no white markings by her owner, David Armstrong's Highfield Farm near Coppull in Lancashire. She was named after Mab's Cross, a monument in Wigan. In November 2015 the yearling filly was put up for auction at Goffs Doncaster sale and wasbought for £3,000 by Peter Fahey, whose father Richard Fahey trained many of Armstrong's horses. [2] Despite the "sale" Mabs Cross remained in Armstrong's ownership and was sent into training with Michael Dods at Denton, County Durham.

She was from the sixth crop of foals sired by Dutch Art, a British stallion who won the Prix Morny and the Middle Park Stakes in 2006. As a breeding stallion his other progeny have included Slade Power, Garswood (Prix Maurice de Gheest), Caspar Netscher (Nearctic Stakes), Dutch Connection (Jersey Stakes), Baccarat (Wokingham Handicap) and Producer (Topkapi Trophy). [3] Mabs Cross's dam Miss Meggy won three races for Armstrong including the Listed Hilary Needler Trophy. [4] She was a distant, female-line descendant of the Epsom Oaks winner Mrs Butterwick. [5]

Racing career

2017: three-year-old season

After being unraced as a juvenile Mabs Cross began her racing career by running unplaced in a six furlong maiden race at Pontefract Racecourse on 11 April 2017. Nineteen days later in a similar event at Thirsk Racecourse she produced a better effort as she finished a close third in a ten-runner field. For her other races that year she ran over the minimum distance of five furlongs and was partnered on each occasion by Paul Mulrennan. On 23 May on the Tapeta surface at Newcastle Racecourse she started at odds of 3/1 for a maiden and recorded her first success as she drew away from her rivals in the final furlong to win by almost four lengths. [6] On 12 June she followed up in a minor handicap race at Windsor, taking a clear advantage in the final furlong and winning "comfortably" by three quarters of a length. [7] Twelve days later she was matched against older fillies and mares in a handicap at Haydock Park and won "readily", coming home two and a quarter lengths in front of the four-year-old Midnight Malibu at odds of 10/11. [8]

Following a break of over three months, Mabs Cross returned to the track and was moved up in class to contest the inaugural running of the Listed Arran Stakes at Musselburgh Racecourse on 9 October. The race was intended to be run at Ayr in September but was rescheduled when the meeting was abandoned owing to waterlogging. [9] Starting at odds of 5/1 she recovered from a poor start to take the lead inside the final furlong and won by three quarters of a length from the favourite Clem Fandango. [10]

2018: four-year-old season

Mabs Cross began her 2018 campaign in the Listed Lansdown Fillies' Stakes at Bath Racecourse on 20 April. She started favourite, but after struggling to obtain a clear run in the closing stages she was beaten a neck by the three-year-old Mrs Gallagher. On 5 May the filly was moved up in class to contest the Group 3 Palace House Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse and started the 9/2 second favourite behind the Molecomb Stakes winner Havana Grey. After being restrained by Mulrennan in the early stages she began to make rapid progress approaching the final furlong, took the lead in the closing stages and won by a neck and half a length from Judicial and Alpha Delphini. [11] Paul Mulrennan commented "I think she learnt a lot from Bath, nothing went right there, but it stood her in good stead today. She's not got many miles on the clock, so we keep dreaming – she keeps improving... you'd think she'd improve a little bit from today". [12]

In the Group 2 Temple Stakes at Haydock on 26 May Mabs Cross finished strongly and came home a close fourth behind Battaash, Washington, D.C.and Kachir. In June the filly was stepped up to Group 1 class to contest the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot and started a 20/1 outsider in a fourteen-runner field. She raced in mid-division before making steady progress in the last quarter mile and finished third behind Blue Point and Battaash, beaten two lengths by the winner. When dropped back to Group 2 class and sent to Ireland for the Sapphire Stakes at the Curragh on 22 July she started favourite but was beaten into third place by Havana Grey and Caspian Prince. In the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York Racecourse in August Mabs Cross started at odds of 14/1 in a fifteen-runner. After tracking the leaders on the stands-side (the right-hand side from the jockeys' viewpoint) she took the lead in the final furlong but was beaten a nose (the minimum possible distance) by Alpha Delphini. [13] The finish was exceptionally close and the judge had to examine the photo-finish for ten minutes before declaring his verdict. [14] Michael Dods said "She's run a super race. Obviously we'd rather have won, but what can you do. I would have settled for a dead-heat. When it's that close you're disappointed to get beat, but I'm very pleased with her". [15]

On 7 October Mabs Cross was sent to France for the Prix de l'Abbaye over 1000 metres at Longchamp Racecourse in which she was ridden by Gerald Mosse and started at odds of 12/1 in a fifteen-runner field. Her opponents included Battaash, Alpha Delphini, Havana Grey, Tantheem (Prix du Petit Couvert), City Light (Prix de Saint-Georges), Sioux Nation (Phoenix Stakes), Soldier's Call (Flying Childers Stakes), Finsbury Square (Prix du Gros Chêne) and Different League (Albany Stakes). After racing in mid-division as Battaash made the running, Mabs Cross made rapid progress approaching the last 200 metres. She gained the advantage from Soldier's Call in the closing stages and held on to win by a head from the 66/1 outsider Gold Vibe in a blanket finish. [16] After the race Mosse said "They went furious early on and I didn't want to rush her too much, as I felt she was needing time to get into her stride. Once she was ready for her effort she did it very nicely and she's a very good filly with a very good record. This was not a surprise" while Dods explained "We thought about stepping her up to six furlongs, but there is only one Abbaye. That will be it now for this year and I'm looking forward to her coming back and going for all the top sprints next season". [17]

At the 2018 Cartier Awards, Mabs Cross was a "popular winner" in a tight vote for the title of Cartier Champion Sprinter. [18]

2019: five-year-old season

On her first appearance of 2019 Mabs Cross attempted to repeat her 2018 success in the Palace House Stakes at Newmarket on 4 May and, with Mulrennan in the saddle went off the 6/1 third choice in the betting behind the three-year-old Sergei Prokofiev (Cornwallis Stakes) and Equilateral. Carrying top weight of 136 pounds, the mare recovered from a poor start to produce a strong late run and overtook Equilateral in the final strides to win by a neck. [19] Paul Mulrennan commented "She had to do it the hard way here... that was a brilliant performance. She's a very special filly and she’ll come on a lot for that too." [20]

In the Temple Stakes at Haydock three weeks later she came home third behind Battaash and Alpha Delphini after losing a shoe in the race. The mare was then sent to Royal Ascot for the King's Stand Stakes on 18 June and finished fourth of the twelve runners behind Blue Point, Battaash and Soldier's Call. Mabs Cross ran consistently for the rest of the season without recovering her very best form. She finished fourth to Battaash in the Nunthorpe, third to Fairyland in the Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh in September, fifth to Glass Slippers in the Prix de l'Abbaye and ninth to Donjuan Triumphant in the British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot on 19 October.

In December Mabs Cross was put up for auction at Tattersalls but was bought back by her owners when the bidding stopped at 1,100,000 guineas. David Armstrong's wife Emma said "We had a figure in mind and she didn't reach that – that's the top and bottom of it. We'll look at getting her in foal; David's got his mating plans on the table as we speak". [21]

Pedigree

Pedigree of Mabs Cross, bay filly, 2014 [1]
Sire
Dutch Art (GB)
2004
Medicean
1997
Machiavellian (USA) Mr. Prospector
Coup de Folie
Mystic Goddess (USA) Storm Bird (CAN)
Rose Goddess (IRE)
Halland Park Lass (IRE)
1999
Spectrum Rainbow Quest (USA)
River Dancer
Palacegate EpisodeDrumalis
Pasadena Lady
Dam
Miss Meggy (GB)
2002
Pivotal
1993
Polar Falcon (USA) Nureyev
Marie d'Argonne (FR)
Fearless Revival Cozzene (USA)
Stufida
Selkirk Rose (IRE)
1995
Pips Pride Efisio (GB)
Elkie Brooks (GB)
Red NoteRusticaro (FR)
Hung Pao (GB) (Family:8-c) [5]

Related Research Articles

Hever Golf Rose was a thoroughbred racehorse who was bred and trained in the United Kingdom, and campaigned throughout Europe in a career that lasted from 1993 to 1998. She was a specialist sprinter, showing her best form over distances of five and six furlongs, who was known for her consistency and durability, and was particularly effective on soft ground. In a six-year career, she ran in sixty-six races and won seventeen. In her best season in 1995 she won six Group races and was named European Champion Sprinter. A year after her retirement, Hever Golf Rose died after failing to recover from the anaesthetic following an operation on a joint injury.

Marwell was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. A specialist sprinter, she won ten of her thirteen races, including several against colts and older horses, and was the highest-rated filly of her generation in Europe at both two and three years of age. She won all five of her races as a two-year-old in 1980, including the Molecomb Stakes, Flying Childers Stakes, and Cheveley Park Stakes. In the following year, she was beaten over a mile in the classic 1000 Guineas but returned to sprinting to win the King's Stand Stakes July Cup and Prix de l'Abbaye. She was retired from racing at the end of 1981 and became a successful broodmare. Marwell died in 2003.

Committed was an American-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. A specialist sprinter, she competed in four countries and won seventeen of her thirty races between 1982 and 1986. She showed promise as a two-year-old in 1982 and won six consecutive races in the following season, when she was campaigned exclusively in Ireland. As a four-year-old, she emerged as one of the leading sprinters in Europe, winning the Cork and Orrery Stakes and Nunthorpe Stakes in England and the Prix de l'Abbaye in France. In the following year she won the Ballyogan Stakes and Flying Five Stakes before becoming the third horse to win the Prix de l'Abbaye for a second time. She was retired from racing to become a broodmare in the United States and had considerable success as a dam of winners. She died in 2009 at the age of twenty-nine.

Jwala was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old in 2011 she was beaten in her first four races before recording her first success in a minor race at Wolverhampton Racecourse. In the following year she won her first two races before finishing second to Sole Power in a Listed race at Doncaster. Jwala reached her peak as a four-year-old in 2013. After being beaten in her first four races she defeated a strong field to win the City Walls Stakes at York. At the same track in August she recorded a 40/1 upset win in the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes. She was scheduled to retire from racing at the end of the year but was killed in a fall at Sha Tin Racecourse in December.

Margot Did Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Margot Did is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. After being sold cheaply as a yearling and again as a two-year-old she entered training with Michael Bell at Newmarket. As a juvenile in 2010 she showed high-class form, winning twice and finished second in the Albany Stakes, Princess Margaret Stakes and Lowther Stakes. In 2012 she was beaten in her first two races but established herself as a potentially high-class sprinter with wins in the Scurry Stakes and the Land O'Burns Fillies' Stakes. At York Racecourse in August she recorded her biggest win with a 20/1 upset victory in the Nunthorpe Stakes. She never reproduced her best form thereafter and finished unplaced in her five remaining races. She was retired from racing in August 2012.

Borderlescott is a British Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist sprinter noted for his consistency and durability he raced 85 times on 25 different tracks in twelve seasons between 2004 and 2015. He won fourteen races and was placed second or third on thirty occasions. In his early career the gelding showed promising form, winning one minor race as a juvenile in 2004 and four handicap races in the following year. In 2006 he recorded his first major success when he won the Stewards' Cup. He failed to win in 2007 but emerged as a top-class sprinter in the following year when his wins included the Nunthorpe Stakes. He won the Nunthorpe Stakes again in 2009 and added a win in the King George Stakes in 2010. He won the Beverley Bullet Sprint Stakes in 2012 before being retired at the end of the year. He came out of retirement in 2013 and raced nineteen times without success before being retired again in 2015.

Bahamian Pirate was a British Thoroughbred racehorse. He was a specialist sprinter who produced his best form on soft ground and was trained for most of his racing career by David "Dandy" Nicholls in Yorkshire. He was unraced as a juvenile and did not win a race until he was four years old. As a five-year-old he recorded his first major win when he took the Ayr Gold Cup and went on to win the Listed Bentinck Stakes later that year. We won the Phoenix Sprint Stakes in 2001 but then went three years with only limited success. He returned to form as a nine-year-old and recorded his first Group One success on his sixty-eighth appearance in the Nunthorpe Stakes at York Racecourse in August 2004. He remained in training until the age of twelve before retiring with a record of 12 wins and 25 places from 104 starts.

Lochangel was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She raced for the connections of her more famous older sister Lochsong and while never matching the achievements of her sibling she became a top-class racemare who excelled in sprint races on firm ground. As a juvenile she was beaten on her debut before winning at Ascot Racecourse in the sixth of what became known as Frankie Dettori's "Magnificent Seven". After failing to win in four attempts in 1997 she reached her peak as a four-year-old in 1998 when she won two races including the Group One Nunthorpe Stakes at York Racecourse in August. She failed to win again and was retired from racing in 1999.

Meccas Angel Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Mecca's Angel is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. She was a specialist sprinter who excelled over the minimum distance of five furlongs. She showed promise as a two-year-old in 2013, winning two minor contests and twice finishing second in Listed races. In the following year she improved to win four of her five races including the Scarbrough Stakes and World Trophy. As a four-year-old she made only three appearances but was rated the best female sprinter in the world after wins in the Prix de Saint-Georges and the Nunthorpe Stakes. In 2016 she struggled for form in the spring but then won the Sapphire Stakes before becoming the first horse in over thirty years to win a second consecutive Nunthorpe Stakes at York.

Cherokee Rose was an Irish-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She showed promise as a two-year-old in 1993 when she won one of her three races and finished a very close second in the Group Three Prix du Calvados. She failed to win in an interrupted three-year-old season. She emerged as a top class performer in 1995 when she won the Prix du Palais-Royal, Prix de la Porte Maillot, Prix Maurice de Gheest, and the Haydock Sprint Cup. After her retirement from racing she has considerable success as a dam of winners.

Pipalong was an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was sold cheaply as a yearling but developed into a top-class specialist sprinter who excelled on soft ground. Trained in Yorkshire by Tim Easterby, she was highly tried throughout her racing career, running thirty seven times between April 1998 and October 2001.

Pharaoh's Delight was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was one of the best two-year-old fillies in Europe in 1989 when she won the Windsor Castle Stakes, Princess Margaret Stakes and Phoenix Stakes as well as finishing second in the Moyglare Stud Stakes. Although she never won again the filly raced until the age of four and was placed in several top-class sprint races including the Nunthorpe Stakes, Haydock Sprint Cup and Prix de l'Abbaye. She was retired from racing at the end of the 1991 season and had some success as a dam of winners.

Marsha (horse) Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Marsha is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was a specialist sprinter, all but one of whose victories came over the minimum distance of five furlongs. After winning two minor races as a juvenile in 2015, she made progress throughout the following year, taking the Land O'Burns Fillies' Stakes and the City Walls Stakes before ending her season with a win in the Prix de l'Abbaye. In 2017 she added wins in the Palace House Stakes and the Nunthorpe Stakes and was sold at the end of the year for a record price of 6,000,000 guineas.

Battaash Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Battaash is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist sprinter who usually competes at the minimum distance of five furlongs, he is noted for his exceptional speed and unpredictable temperament. He won once from five starts as a juvenile in 2016 and was gelded in an attempt to improve his behaviour. In the following year he emerged as one of the best sprinters in the world, winning the Scurry Stakes, Coral Charge and King George Stakes before ending the season with an emphatic win in the Prix de l'Abbaye. In 2018 he won the Temple Stakes and recorded a second victory in the King George Stakes. As a five-year-old he won a second Temple Stakes and a third King George Stakes before producing his best performance of the season to take the Nunthorpe Stakes. In 2020 he was unbeaten in three starts, namely the King's Stand Stakes, King George Stakes and Nunthorpe Stakes.

Fairyland (horse) Irish Thoroughbred racehorse

Fairyland is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. She was one of the best two-year-old fillies in Europe in 2018 when her wins included the Marble Hill Stakes, Lowther Stakes and Cheveley Park Stakes. In the following year she won the Flying Five Stakes and ran well in several major sprint races.

Blue Point (horse) Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse

Blue Point, is an Irish-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He was one of the best British-trained two-year-olds of 2016 when he won the Gimcrack Stakes and was placed in the Richmond Stakes, Middle Park Stakes and Dewhurst Stakes. In the following year he developed into a high class sprint horse, taking the Pavilion Stakes and Bengough Stakes as well as running third in the Commonwealth Cup. As a four-year-old in 2018 he recorded his first Group 1 success in the King's Stand Stakes. In 2019 he won three races in Dubai including the Al Quoz Sprint before recording a double at Royal Ascot, taking the King's Stand Stakes for the second time and winning the Diamond Jubilee Stakes.

Alpha Delphini is a British Thoroughbred racehorse. A specialist sprinter, he was unraced as a juvenile and did not win a race until the August of his four-year-old campaign. In 2016 he made steady progress, winning three handicap races before taking the Listed Beverley Bullet Sprint Stakes. He won two minor races in 2017 and in the following year he recorded his biggest success when he won the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes. He failed to win in four subsequent races and was retired from racing in 2020.

Glass Slippers (horse) British Thoroughbred racehorse

Glass Slippers is a British Thoroughbred racehorse best known for her performances over sprint distances. As a two-year-old in 2018 she showed promising form as she won two minor races from five starts. In the following year she was beaten in four races in Britain but the showed top class form over sprint distances when she was campaigned in France later in the year. She won the Prix Moonlight Cloud and the Prix du Petit Couvert before recording her first Group 1 victory in the Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp. She continued to race at the highest level in 2020, adding another Group 1 win in the Flying Five Stakes and going on to take her biggest victory in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.

Regal Parade, is a British Thoroughbred racehorse. In a track career which lasted from January 2007 until October 2016 he contested 104 races, winning 13 times and being placed on 27 occasions. He won three minor races as a three-year-old in 2007 and improved in the following year to win the Buckingham Palace Stakes and the Ayr Gold Cup. In the next two years he showed top class form over sprint distances, taking the City Plate and Haydock Sprint Cup in 2009 and the Hackwood Stakes and Prix Maurice de Gheest in 2010. He remained in training until the age of twelve but never returned to the highest class and won only three minor races before being retired from racing,

Glen Shiel is a British-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. He began his racing career where he showed useful but unremarkable form in his first two seasons, recording his best win in the Listed Prix Le Fabuleux in October 2017. He was gelded but his form deteriorated in 2018 and a transfer to race in England in the following year brought little improvement. After being previously campaigned over middle distances he was dropped back in trip in 2020 and emerged as a top-class sprinter, winning five races including the Phoenix Sprint Stakes and the British Champions Sprint Stakes.

References

  1. 1 2 "Mabs Cross pedigree". Equineline.
  2. "Doncaster November Yearlings and HIT Sale – Catalogue". Racing Post .
  3. "Dutch Art – Progeny". Racing Post.
  4. "Miss Meggy – Race Record & Form". Racing Post.
  5. 1 2 "Woodbine – Family 8-c". Thoroughbred Bloodlines. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  6. "Bytenight Maiden Stakes result". Racing Post. 23 May 2017.
  7. "Sky Bet Windsor Sprint Series Handicap result". Racing Post. 12 June 2017.
  8. "Betfred "Double Delight" EBF Fillies' Handicap result". Racing Post. 24 June 2017.
  9. "Ayr Gold Cup meeting abandoned because of waterlogging". BBC. 22 September 2017.
  10. "Arran Stakes result". Racing Post. 9 October 2017.
  11. "Palace House Stakes result". Racing Post. 5 May 2018.
  12. "Mabs Cross gets the verdict over Judicial in Palace House thriller". ITV Racing.
  13. "Nunthorpe Stakes result". Racing Post. 24 August 2018.
  14. Wood, Greg (24 August 2018). "Graham Lee and Alpha Delphini edge Mabs Cross to win Nunthorpe Stakes". The Guardian .
  15. "Alpha Delphini beat Mabs Cross in the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes at York". Sporting Life. 24 August 2018.
  16. "Prix de l'Abbaye result". Racing Post. 7 October 2018.
  17. "Dutch Art's Mabs Cross Wins Abbaye War of Attrition". Thoroughbred Daily News. 7 October 2018.
  18. Armytage, Marcus (13 November 2018). "Roaring Lion seals stunning year with top Cartier award". Daily Telegraph .
  19. "Palace House Stakes result". Racing Post. 4 May 2019.
  20. Scargill, Peter (4 May 2019). "Mabs Cross soothes Paul Mulrennan's pain with second Palace House success". Racing Post .
  21. Thomas, James (3 December 2019). "Mabs Cross fails to fire". Racing Post .