The Accelerate son with the archetypal American pedigree, Exit To The Moon, is definitely ready for next month’s Swedish Derby at Jägersro. On Wednesday he swept past his rivals in Derby Next Stop over 2,200 metres and won superbly by six lengths ahead of Flemming Poulsen’s Streetfightin’ Man.
Carlos Lopez took it quietly from the start in the irons on Exit To The Moon, who along the way was a good 10 lengths behind the leader Yobro (Al Wukair). Out along the back straight the favourite was still last, but the field became more compact, and at the entrance to the home turn things really began to happen.
Already in the middle of the turn Exit To The Moon had taken the lead, and Streetfightin’ Man (Vino Rosso) could not go with him into the straight either. Carlitos guided his horse, who was running in blinkers for the first time, all the way to the line and won with enormous ease and with what looked like plenty in reserve.
“He is a horse who has to be allowed to gallop his way properly into his races, and that is why he is ridden like this. On that basis it will undoubtedly help him a lot when there is a real pace on from the start in the Derby”, said Petersen after the victory.
Exit To The Moon was bought privately through Niels Petersen’s agent Edgar Byrne after being bought back for €40,000 at last year’s Arqana Breeze Up Sale in Deauville.
The colt is the fourth foal out of the unraced Malibu Moon mare Red Moon Girl, who is herself a half-sister to the Donn Handicap (G1) and Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap (G1) winner Mshawish (Medaglia D’Oro) and from the same female line as the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) and Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) winner Halfbridled (Unbridled’s Song) among others.
Flemming Poulsen could also be well satisfied with Marianne Halberg’s Streetfightin’ Man, who continues to improve from start to start and this time finished second with three-quarters of a length back to the Lennart J:r Reuterskiöld-trained Tic Tac (Starspangledbanner).
Wednesday at Jägersro produced two winners for both trainer Fredrik Reuterskiöld and jockey Annie Nilsson-Lindahl.
That very team took care of Let’sgoforit Guldlöpning over 1,200 metres with the El Kabeir son Rangoon, who simply gets better with every start and this time won carrying top weight of 60 kilos ahead of Lost My Sock (Bungle Inthejungle) and Mountain (Eishin Dunkirk).
The five horses in the race finished within less than a length of each other, with Amon Ra (Exceed And Excel) fourth and the seasonal debutant Bullof Wall Street (Tapizar) last. The Dina Danekilde-trained Mirador (Zaahid) stumbled straight after the start and lost his jockey, Mathilde Lund Johansen.
Annie Nilsson-Lindahl was on the spot again in the very next contest, this time with the Maria Westman-trained Thatsthefinest (Camacho), who took her second win in a row.
Thatsthefinest won by the smallest possible margin ahead of Bent Olsen’s strong-finishing King Of (Footstepsinthesand) with Rebecca Stålhandske and Fredrik Reuterskiöld’s Carter (Swipe) with Andreas Tapia Dalbark.
Dalbark exchanged his third place for a win in the following race, where he rode his employer Lennart J:r Reuterskiöld’s five-year-old Tin Win (Appel Au Maitre) to victory in an Open Handicap ahead of Jessica Long’s Captain’s Choice (Dawn Approach) and Jan-Erik Neuroth’s No Short Cuts (Will Take Charge).
And finally Fredrik Reuterskiöld struck for the second time in Wednesday’s closing maiden race, where Jaguar BF (U S Navy Flag) together with Elione Chaves managed to turn around the form from last time against Rikke Rohbach Bonde’s Bid For More (Tamayuz) and his stablemate Gadd (Cloth Of Stars).
