Tally-Ho-bred Perfect Power bounced back to his brilliant best on Friday with an emphatic score in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.
It was the third Group 1 victory for Sheikh Rashid Dalmook al Maktoum's colt following his successes in last year's Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes. He returned to action in April with a win in the Greenham Stakes before finding the mile of the 2,000 Guineas too far.
The son of Ardad, bred by us out of Sagely, was bought by his owner through Richard Brown of Blandford Bloodstock for £110,000 out of our draft at last year's Goffs Breeze-Up Sale in Doncaster.
Similarly, Ardad was bred at Tally-Ho and also sold by us as a Goffs UK breezer prior to tasting Royal Ascot success in the Windsor Castle Stakes. Now a stallion at Overbury Stud, the Group 2 winner is one of five stakes-producing sons of Kodiac at stud.
Partnered as usual by Christophe Soumillon on Friday, the colt swept down the far side to take control in the final 110 yards and ultimately win well over the 20-strong field - many of them already seasoned Group performers.
"I think today the track was a bit fast for Perfect Power and with that draw [in stall one] I didn't have a lot of choice but to set him back," said Soumillon. "At the two-furlong marker I saw I was six, seven lengths behind and I thought I was probably a bit far back. But in the race before I saw Ryan [Moore] was going on the same line, so the track was looking quite good there and I'd walked it just before. I'm sure he can be much better on softer ground so it's good news.
"He's a great horse and he has such a big heart because I never thought he would be able to quicken a second time. And in the last 150 [metres] he gave me another turn of foot. Last year I thought he was probably the best speed two-year-old I'd ridden and now at three he's given another great performance. I hope it's just the first Group 1 for him this year."
Richard Fahey was understandably thrilled, saying: "When you're a small trainer from the north of England you need Group 1 horses. What's he won now, three? It'll be four soon, won't it? He's a special horse.
"We have loads of options. As well as the July Cup, we can go seven furlongs or we could go for the Prix Maurice de Gheest."
Perfect Power wasn't the only stakes horse sold by us at last year's Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale since our draft also included multiple stakes winner Twilight Jet and Californian stakes winner Maglev.
