Trainer Jim Taylor’s decision to bypass the Group 3 W.A. Guineas (1600m) with Petrol Power has paid off handsomely; with the three-year-old narrowly beating Sujet in the Listed Placid Ark Stakes (1200m) at Ascot this afternoon.
Petrol Power was originally set to contest the W.A. Guineas later this afternoon but Taylor elected to remove the son of Snitzel from the Group 3 event and bring him back in distance for the Placid Ark Stakes after he drew an outside barrier.
The three-year-old was given a dream run by jockey Jason Brown just off the pace but had to dig deep in the final stages of the race to get past first-starter Sujet who battled home bravely after being caught wide, with leading international jockey Douglas Whyte on his back, in the early stages of the race.
Brown will ride Barakey in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) this afternoon and was happy to calm the nerves with a win on a gelding he believes deserved a win after finishing second in both the Listed Belgravia Stakes (1200m) and Listed Fairtha Stakes (1400m).
“This bloke has been due for a win and it is good to get him over the line,” Brown said after the race.
“They jumped and they wanted to run and the favourite (Sujet) had to do a fair bit of work to get around me, which helped getting to the line.
“He is a nice horse; he is an expensive yearling by Snitzel and he has always shown good ability.”
Brown has partnered Barakey in all twelve of his career wins and is confident that the Key Business gelding is heading into the Winterbottom Stakes in excellent condition but admits that he will need to be at his very best to beat two-time Group 1 winner Buffering.
“We can’t fault him going into the race,” Brown said.
“If he isn’t good enough to beat Buffering and the eastern-staters he isn’t good enough but we could not have him any better.
“It is good to get a winner and hopefully we can win the big one later on.”
Runner-up Sujet, who was making his racing debut, could not have been more impressive and trainer Simon Miller is already eyeing the Group 3 Sir Ernest Lee-Steere Classic (1400m) at Ascot on December 7 as the next race start for the son of Vital Equine.
“He had to do a bit too much work to get across and that used him up a bit,” Miller said.
“He drew out wide and you are going to get that and Petrol Power was the danger and he got us.
“In two weeks’ time there is the Group 3 Ernest Lee-Steere over 1400 metres.”
