Dramatised stamps class in Queen Mary despite whip scare
Dramatised confirmed the promise of her stunning debut success by running away from a high-quality Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes field under the in-form Danny Tudhope.
Sent off the 5/2 favourite, Dramatised was never far away from the pace towards the stands’ side and, although her rider dropped his whip over a furlong out, the filly saw her race out strongly under hands and heels to finish a length-and-three-quarters clear of Maylandsea (28/1). Third-placed Maria Branwell (9/1) was a length and a quarter further back, with American raider Love Reigns in fourth.
It was a third consecutive Royal Ascot success for Tudhope, who won the final two races on Tuesday aboard Dubai Future and Get Shirty. His overall Royal Ascot record now stands at nine wins.
Owned by Steve Parkin’s Clipper Logistics and trained in Middleham by Karl Burke, Dramatised had been a warm order after a brilliant four-length success at Newmarket on debut.
Burke said: “I have probably said too much, but that is what Dramatised has been showing us at home.
“She has a lot of natural speed. She lengthens and she keeps going. I’m sure she’ll stay six furlongs, although Danny said to keep her at five furlongs for the moment.
“There’s still more to come from her. I think she was just green at Newmarket – I wouldn’t blame the dip and, if you look at the last 100 yards, she was jamming on the brakes and still clocked a fast time. She has physically grown over the last two months and is a very good filly. It’s job done.
“Dramatised is a Group 1 horse ability wise. She is a bit of a diva, but she looked very good today and handled the preliminaries very well. We’ve spoken about the Prix Morny and we will consider that. The Lowther at York is right up Steve’s [Parkin, owner] alley too.
“I think she will stay six furlongs. We trained her dam [Katie’s Diamond] and she was good enough to be a Guineas filly. She was second in the Marcel Boussac after running away to the start and in the race.
“She could go to the Lowther. Steve being from York, we like the Lowther, but we could have another for that. We could be looking at the Cheveley Park at the end of the year. I am not sure she’d be a Guineas filly, it might be a stretch.”
Tudhope, who dropped his whip in the closing stages, said: “I meant to spin it and sometimes you lose it. I lost it a furlong and a half out.
“Dramatised is obviously very good. She has so much talent, so much speed, and I feel like I maybe went too soon. She got a bit lonely out in front, but she is an unbelievable filly.
“With two-year-olds, you want to find a nice two-year-old filly or colt at this time of year, and we’ve got another star here. The world is her oyster.”
Parkin said: “We started in racing 20 years ago and, through a guy called Joe Foley, I started a breeding operation and this is our first big winner in terms of something we have bred. She has come from the farm and it is a huge thrill.
“We saw her as a baby, watched her develop on the farm and to watch her come through like that is very special and very emotional.
“This is a five-to-ten-year plan, and to come here and have a homebred winner so early in the stud’s life [Branton Court] is a massive thrill. It is the biggest thrill in my life, apart from having my children.”
Joe Foley, bloodstock advisor for Clipper Logistics, said: “This is fantastic – it is what you do it for. Karl told me last night it was only a matter of how far today! Trainers usually get scared coming into a run. I had to tell him to stop talking.
“He was only worried that she’d boil over. He said if she settles and relaxes, it is only matter of how far – he was so bullish!
“Her dam Katie’s Diamond ran away going to the start in the Boussac, she ran away in the race, and was still in front 50 yards from the line. She was a highly talented mare but a bit crazy.
“She is a beautiful looking mare. She has a belting yearling filly by Night Of Thunder, a beautiful colt foal by Pinatubo, he is gorgeous, and she is in-foal to Showcasing.
Michael Bell said of Maylandsea: “That was an excellent run. She’s a filly with a big future, hopefully. I think the winner is very highly regarded and beat us fair and square today, but this is a very nice filly going forward.”
Her rider David Egan added: “I think the winner could be a superstar, so to finish second… I think if I was drawn and able to track the winner, I could have put a fight up to her. Being drawn on my side, I had to aim to hit the line in front on my side and whether I won both sides, that was it, but she’s run an incredible race and is an exciting horse for Mr Bell and the team.”
Kieran Shoemark said of Maria Branwell: “I’m very happy with her; she’s a very sweet filly. She travelled nicely, but actually when I let her down, the ground was quick enough for her, really. She’ll get six furlongs and is an exciting filly for the rest of the year.”
Photo: Dramatised after winning the Queen Mary Stakes (credit: Megan Ridgwell)
