PUROSANGUE AIMS FOR ASCOT
The Fastest Son of ACLAIM
PUROSANGUE certainly lived up to his name last season, with his exceptional turn of foot propelling us to Stakes level on no less than five occasions from only six starts. Winning his debut in eye-catching fashion, it was clear from the start that he would excel at the very top level, and he hasn’t disappointed, taking us to some of the very best festivals that racing has to offer - from Glorious Goodwood to the York Ebor, as well as Newmarket’s July Festival.
We purchased him at the end of April last year and within a matter of six months he earned us £100,000 in prize money alone. He showed his fortitude when battling BIG EVS all the way to the line in the Group 3 Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood, missing out on the victory by a neck despite encountering a much more difficult passage than his opponent. Following a couple of close seconds at Listed level, it became clear that PUROSANGUE wanted to step back up in trip and we were instantly rewarded with his triumph in the Rockingham Stakes at York. It was a fantastic achievement made even more impressive given that the race unfolded on the opposite side of the field, and despite the tacky ground he pulled three lengths clear from the rest of the field with the runner up, victorious by almost a length. Jockey PJ MacDonald’s comments after the race demonstrate the brilliance of the win, noting that he is by no means capped at a two-year-old career:
“It was borderline heavy ground yesterday but today it’s just glue, it would pull the shoes off of you […] but I was very confident he would stay the 6f and he stayed it well. They were tending to race away from me all of the time so I was always trying to stay on the wing of the pack, but I had a willing partner and he’s been so consistent all year. He deserves to finish off the year on a high note. He wouldn’t be the biggest but he is solid and wide with a great mental attitude so I would be quite confident that he will train on next year.”
Turning down an offer of £425,000 for him at the Champion’s Day Sale in October was a difficult decision, but the Opulence team and Classic-winning trainer Andrew Balding were united in our conviction that we haven’t seen the best of him yet. He has the physical and mental scope to progress on, and given that his biggest rival, BIG EVS, has gone on to win not only the Gr.2 Flying Childers Stakes, but also the Gr.1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint, it is evident that PUROSANGUE has plenty more to come himself.
He has an excellent campaign ahead of him for 2024, with the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup on the horizon at Royal Ascot in June and Newmarket’s prestigious Group 1 July Cup the month after. Both of these valuable races offer a prize purse of £600,000 and lead on to a multitude of options that will see us at the top festivals throughout the season, including Haydock’s Gr.1 Sprint Cup and the Gr.1 Sprint Stakes on Ascot’s British Champions Day. There is potential for him to step up to 7f at Stakes level too, with the Gr.2 Lennox Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, the Ebor festival’s Gr.2 City of York Stakes, and the Gr.1 Prix de la Foret at Longchamp, won by his own sire, ACLAIM, in 2017.