A rip roaring International

By Alan Conway

The York Ebor festival was lit up on the first day when Rip Van Winkle woke from his slumber as he rallied to pip Twice Over and Byword to land a thrilling renewal of the Juddmonte International at York and in the process justified his connections for keeping him in training as a four-year-old.

In a race run at a steady pace, the Galileo colt looked for all the world that he was booked for third place as the Juddmonte owned horses skipped clear but he soon kicked into overdrive and was going away at the finish. This was his third win at the highest level and his first over the commercially desired 10 furlongs.

A delighted and relieved Aidan O’Brien said after the race “We have trained him very gently. He was just ready to step up to a mile and a quarter today. He had a very tough season last year and is only beginning to develop a personality this season.”

A 170,000 yearling purchase from Italy, Rip Van Winkle was always held in high regard by connections and suffered only one defeat in his juvenile season. His three year old campaign didn’t run smoothly as constant problems with his feet hindered his progression. It’s hard to say that his season was a failure given that he won two Group 1s but the Coolmore team must have been disappointed last term.

For a portion of this year it looked like we would not get to see the best of Rip Van Winkle. His trainer opted for a quiet reintroduction and he was well below par when he finished down the field in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot. The sparkle returned with a narrow second to Canford Cliffs at Goodwood. Although I think everyone who saw the Sussex agrees that Canford Cliffs was value for a good bit more than the winning margin.

The options for him for the remainder of the season are limited given that his stablemates Cape Blanco and Fame And Glory have been earmarked for the Irish Champion Stakes. A return to a mile and a rematch with Canford Cliffs in the QEII is what I would like to see. The one concern about returning to a mile is that in the International Rip Van Winkle took a little time to hit top gear. He would have to be right on top of his game to beat the push button acceleration of Canford Cliffs.

The Breeders Cup Classic has been mooted as his big end of season target. I wouldn’t be rushing to back him as the Coolmore operation have had no luck in that race since Giants Causeway was chinned by Tisnow in 2000. It is also hard to see him troubling the main American horses especially if Zenyata turns up.

A race that looks ideally made for Rip is the English Champion Stakes at Newmarket in October. Usually the standard of the race is less than top class as most horses have run in the Arc before the Champion or have bigger objectives in mind than Newmarket. Whatever race he goes for Rip Van Winkle will be a tough nut to crack.

By Alan Conway