Hill Road times it perfectly for Peter Pan

NYRA will waive the entry and starting fees to the Belmont Stakes, excluding the supplemental fee, for three finishers in the Peter Pan.

Trained by five-time Eclipse Award-winner, Chad Brown, the son of Quality Road,  improved from a pair of thirds in his two previous stateside outings, finishing 4.75 lengths back of Citizen Bull in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Del Mar for trainer Adrian Murray before being transferred to Chad.

He made his first two career starts in Ireland for Adrian, including a debut graduation going one-mile on the Leopardstown. Hill Road was initially targeting the Wood Memorial, but high fever prevented any participation. Owner, Kia Joorabchian, really trusted this better judgment of the Bemont, instead of Preakness allure.

Hill Road found the elite circle again with an off-the-pace trip engineered by Flavian, who rode him for the first outing. Captain Cook skipped to the front under Manny Franco crossing neatly towards the frontier. Captain Cook held a strong lead with the sharp-starting Vassimo tracking in second and McAfee, stalking in third with a gap back to other contestants. The order remained unchanged until Flavian angled Hill Road out to begin rolling down the center. A stubborn Captain Cook battled back before McAfee edged clear of his stablemate, but Hill Road’s momentum wouldn’t be denied in the final strides as he rolled past to score by 0.75 lengths in a final time of 1:49.2/10.

McAfee was a half-length better than Captain Cook for second with Surfside Moon, who experienced traffic issues early, completing the superfecta. Vassimo, Uncaged, Happily Delusional, Brereton’s Baytown and First Pitch rounded out the order of finish.

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Puppet Master completed a clean sweep of the week’s Classic trials for Aidan O'Brien, but his toughly-fought success, suggested the best three-year-old colt from Ballydoyle, quite soon. The lovely grey fought off stablemate, Stay True, surviving a stewards’ inquiry to land a hot Lingfield Derby Trial, completing a double for Ryan Moore after Giselle’s success in the Oaks equivalent. They added to simultaneous major wins with Minnie Hauk, Lambourn, and, Mount Kilimanjaro, at Chester. Ryan opted to ride Puppet Master4-5, making the correct decision. While the strong-travelling runner-up pressed him to a short head after racing greenly with Richard Kingscote, he may later, turn out to be the better horse.

Puppet Master was halved to 25-1 by bookmakers for the June 7 Derby (coinciding with Belmont), but better could be just around the corner. The Ballysax winner Delacroix is an 8-1 chance for Epsom and could enhance his claims back at Leopardstown. There will be a slightly longer wait to see the Derby market-leader, Lion In Winter, with the 3-1 shot slated to return in Thursday's Dante Stakes.

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Scenes of jubilation turned to ashes in the Longchamp winner’s enclosure as Basher Watts huge Syndication had the Classic win with Shes Perfect, removed, after stewards reversed placings with the fast-finishing Zarigana.

This drama denied Charlie Fellowes a first Group 1 success and led to the demotion of Kieran Shoemark in a week where he lost first jockey job to John and Thady Gosden. Kieran was thrown a Classic lifeline by Fellowes with the rides on Shes Perfect and Luther.

Shes Perfect, who was just getting the better of Mandanaba, shifted out into Exactly and Zarigana. Kieran was lightning-quick in rebalancing his filly but, with a rapidly diminishing nose at the line, there were clear grounds for Zarigana's rider Mickael Barzalona to at least lodge an objection.

None of that will have softened the blow for all connections linked to Shes Perfect, who had finished a neck behind Zarigana in the Prix de la Grotte a month ago and who looked for 15 minutes, to have gained glorious revenge. Kieran would have had every right to hide behind his shades on the way out and say nothing, but he showed admirable powers of perspective. “I’m gutted for everyone but we’ve got a wonderful filly who can win at Ascot. I have been touched by copious amounts of messages. We shall move on, never look back, and create more magic."

When news of the reversal came through, Princess Zahra Aga Khan instinctively thought of her late father, with Zarigana the 100th individual Group/Grade 1 winner to carry his famous emerald silks since he took over in 1960. “We’re all always seeking fair play," she said. "That’s how life can work, but we are so happy for my father.”

Zarigana is a granddaughter of the matchless Zarkava and by the Aga Khan Stud’s star stallion, Siyouni. Graffard has had to walk the tightrope of managing expectations for a filly who combines the very best bloodlines ever produced by His Highness. Tension was etched on his face as the stewards made their deliberations.