Godolphin’s Off Trail wins G2 Swan Stakes

Off Trail lowered Kyoto’s seven-furlong course record as he unleashed a storming stretch run to take the G2 Swan Stakes on Monday.

Bidding to add to his previous Graded-race win in last season’s G3 Radio Nikkei Sho, the Farhh colt was a little slow leaving the gates and found himself towards the rear of the 18-strong field.

Off Trail progressed to 11th shortly after the first quarter-mile, with Akira Sugawara producing the Keiji Yoshimura-trained four-year-old between runners in the straight.

Ninth with a furlong and a half left, Off Trail quickened impressively to collar Wide Latour, Lance Of Chaos and Win Marvel near the line for a neck success in a new best time of 1m 18.9s.

Harry Sweeney, President of Godolphin in Japan, said: “Off Trail had been threatening to create a new course record for some time. On his last outing, despite carrying the second heaviest weight, he finished really strongly and just failed by a neck in a race which was won in a new record time.

“He also equalled the course record when he won the G3 Radio Nikkei Sho in June of last year. So it is fitting that he has got his head in front today and also broke the previous course record that had remained intact for more than a decade.

“Akira Sugawara rode brilliantly today and won despite breaking slowly. He rode him for the first time on his last outing, when he impressed us, and we immediately booked him for today.

“Kudos to trainer Yoshimura who had targeted this race since Off Trail was narrowly beaten in last year’s running. He has held this colt in high regard for a long time and indeed last year mooted sending him to Sydney for the Golden Eagle, a race he had won the previous year with Obamburumai.

“Off Trail will now be aimed at the G1 Mile Championship in Kyoto on November 23, but will spell for a short while in our satellite in Okayama where he spent the summer before moving back to his trainer a month ago.”

Meanwhile, Pondering picked up some valuable G2 Black Type as she finished well to take third in the Franklin Stakes at Keeneland, US, on Sunday.

The half-sister to multiple Graded Stakes winner Think Big was held up towards the rear by Tyler Gaffalione as In Our Time and Luna Louska battled for the early lead in the turf sprint.

Pondering saved ground on the inner rail and snuck up to go third at the top of the straight before moving up to second when Luna Louska started to fade over a furlong out.

Time To Dazzle found room on the inside of Pondering and flashed home to beat In Our Time by a little over three lengths, with the Brendan Walsh-trained Pondering rallying to get to within a head of the runner-up at the line.