Quest For Peace

Quest For Peace was having his first run for Luca Cumani in the Group 3 Cumberland Lodge Stakes at Ascot on Saturday, and he won nicely in the end. Arctic Cosmos, having his first run since winning the 2010 St Leger, made the running, although not at a great pace, and Kieren Fallon was happy to sit behind him on Quest For Peace. The pace quickened quite markedly down the side of the course as Tadhg O’Shea on Yaseer came through on the outside of Arctic Cosmos, and William Buick aboard the Leger winner responded. Fallon had to niggle at Quest For Peace very briefly to stay in touch, but he was happy to stay a couple of lengths away before moving up on the turn into the home straight. He came between the front pair, and he and Arctic Cosmos quickly pulled three lengths clear of Yaseer, with the rest all taking a while to respond. Quest For Peace took it up just inside the final quarter of a mile before showing a lot of courage to hold of the rallying second, who we know stays further than this mile and a half. He finished a couple of lengths in front of Arctic Cosmos with a further gap of four and a half lengths back to the admirable Nanton in third, with Lost In The Moment just behind him in fourth.

The Galileo colt is lightly raced and could progress now to be very good. He had already won a listed race at Roscommon on his final run before this, just his fourth start, and that was back at the start of July, so he came here on the back of a three month break. Admittedly the runner-up had had over a year off, but he had reportedly put in some good work with Nathaniel recently and was considered ready to run his race, he was solid in the market.

Quest For Peace had been bought out of Aidan O’Brien’s yard prior to this run by an Australian syndicate as a potential future Melbourne Cup horse. He is lightly raced and could progress now to be very good. This Cumberland Lodge has been won in the past by good horses like Nayef, Ask and Sixites Icon and there is a chance that this year’s winner can go on and emulate them with Group 1 success. He had shown plenty of pace to win his maiden over a mile and a quarter at Leopardstown in April, but he has since grown and he now sees out a mile and a half well. Spoken of in glowing terms by his trainer after the race, he is due to have one more run this season, either the Group 3 St Simon Stakes at Newbury or straight up to Group 1 company for the Canadian International, also the target for Arctic Cosmos. He would have an obvious chance in the former and would also be of significant interest were he to run in Canada, a contest that Cumani won with Infamy back in 1988, and one which British and Irish trained horses have won seven times in the last 15 renewals.

1st October 2011

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