Rio de La Plata Gobbles Up Ground to Take 'Criterium'

From Up-To-Date Service

In putting his own Classic aspirations in the shop window, the decisive success by Rio de La Plata in the group I Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (Grand Criterium) for 2-year-olds at Longchamp Oct. 7 paid a huge compliment to New Approach.

Rio de La Plata, owned by Godolphin and bred in the United States by Jose De Camargo, Robert Clay, Gainsborough Farm, and Peter Bance, was a well-held second to New Approach in the seven-furlong National Stakes (Ire-I) at the Curragh last month. New Approach is 3-1 favorite for next year’s Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-I), and Rio de La Plata is now a 4-1 chance.

Rio de La Plata, by Rahy  out of the Ahmad mare Express Way, was keen to get on with things early on, but jockey Frankie Dettori restrained the colt behind pace-setting Greatwallofchina. Inside the final quarter-mile, Dettori asked Rio de La Plata to go and win his race and, though he took six or seven strides to respond, he ate up the ground and galloped into a clear lead a furlong out to win in the style of a good horse.

Rio de La Plata, trained by Saeed bin Suroor, covered the seven furlongs on good-to-soft turn in 1:21.50. Godolphin representative Simon Crisford said the colt would definitely stay 10 furlongs next year, and believes 12 furlongs could be a possibility because there is stamina on his dam’s side.

Peter Chapple-Hyam-trained Declaration of War ran the race of his life to take second, 2 1/2 lengths behind the winner. He could race next in the Racing Post Trophy (Eng-I), won last year by his stablemate, Authorized.

Third-place finisher Shediak gets credit because the fast-finishing colt was pulling out rider Christophe Soumillon’s arms for much of the race, so his final-furlong thrust was admirable.