Terebellum wins Dahlia Stakes as Pinatubo finishes 3rd at 2,000 Guineas

Terebellum made an impressive return to action comfortably winning the G2 Dahlia Stakes, with Magic Lily running well under a penalty to take third in the 10-furlong contest at Newmarket on Saturday.

Lightly-raced four-year-old Terebellum, who had previously scored at G2 level for trainer John Gosden in last year’s Prix de la Nonette at Deauville, raced in fourth of the seven-strong field early on, with Magic Lily settling in second.

Magic Lily, shouldered with a 3lb penalty following G2 victories at Meydan this season in the Cape Verdi and Balanchine, moved up to hit the front with just under three furlongs left and was joined by the well-travelling Terebellum with a quarter-mile to race.

Terebellum quickened well under Frankie Dettori and took up the running soon after before asserting over the staying-on Queen Power inside the final furlong to prevail by a length and a quarter.

Magic Lily, trained by Charlie Appleby and ridden by William Buick, kept on at the same pace to come home a further length and a half in arrears, with the first three pulling six lengths clear of Eva Maria in fourth.

John Gosden said: “Terebellum did that well. She got a little tired but she has only been on the Al Bahathri [gallop] and this was her first time on grass in a long time. I think the first three are nice fillies and that was not a weak Dahlia at all. I think Terebellum just got tired at the end as she carries a lot of condition.

“That is her trip and she wouldn’t have wanted deep ground today. We’ll see what we do going forward, there are G1 races like the Pretty Polly at the Curragh and the Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville for her.”

Frankie Dettori said: “Terebellum has been doing some decent work in the mornings and I had some big hopes for her. It turned into a ‘sit and sprint’ but I was in a good position and she quickened really well.”

Meanwhile, Champion juvenile Pinatubo produced a battling effort to finish third, beaten just over a length in total, on his three-year-old return in the G1 2,000 Guineas on Saturday.

The Shamardal colt, who notched up G1 victories in both the Vincent O’Brien National Stakes and Darley Dewhurst Stakes during an outstanding unbeaten two-year-old season for Charlie Appleby, broke well and was soon covered up behind the leaders.

Earlier, Pinatubo was asked to improve by Buick with three furlongs left and quickened well to hold every chance a furlong and a half from home. He continued to stay on but could not go with Kameko and Wichita inside the final furlong, going down by a length and a quarter in total.

Appleby said: “It is obviously disappointing when you taste your first defeat with a horse like Pinatubo but, taking the positives out of the race, I think that he has shown that he has trained on. He was beaten by two good horses in a very quick time, so take nothing away from them.

“I think that we will see an improvement with Pinatubo mentally going forward, because he is a very relaxed horse at home. He improved with racing throughout his two-year-old season and it could be a similar situation this year.

“Hopefully, we can regroup and get him back on track for the G1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot in a couple of weeks’ time.”

G3 winner Military March (Hector Crouch) also went into the mile Classic on the back of an unbeaten juvenile campaign for Saeed Bin Suroor and the New Approach colt stayed on gamely to take fourth, two and a half lengths behind Pinatubo.

Saeed Bin Suroor said: “Military March ran well and I think that stepping up to a mile and a half will be better for him. It was a nice first run of the season and we can think about the G1 Derby for him now.”