BROOME, BROOM, MOORE SWEEPS AWAY OPPOSITION AGAIN

By Howard Wright

Two Group One winners in Sydney, followed by a short-head defeat in the Hong Kong Derby, then a double on the UAE’s biggest night of the year: it’s all in a week’s work for Ryan Moore, who broke new ground in winning the Dubai Gold Cup on Broome as a prelude to his Golden Shaheen success on Sibelius.

Broome was good enough to be one of trainer Aiden O’Brien’s record breaking seven runners in the 2019 Derby, where he was fourth to stablemate Anthony Van Dyke as the yard’s runners all finished in the first ten places among 13 runners, but what seemed to be an early attempt to turn him into a stayer over Saturday’s 3200m trip was just as quickly abandoned.

Having been off the course for almost a year after running fifth in the Irish Derby, Broome had just two outings as a 4yo in 2020, on the second of which he finished a distant last of 13 behind Trueshan in the stayers’ race on British Champions Day at Ascot.

Thereafter, Broome had been kept to the Classic distance of 2400m, winning a Group One in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud as a 5yo and taking Royal Ascot’s Hardwicke Stakes last year, before he hit the road as one of O’Brien’s several international campaigners.

It has to be admitted Broome met with mixed success as he travelled between France, the US, Hong Kong and Qatar. But then he arrived at Meydan Racecourse with a smaller than usual team of stablemates and a fresh plan, which worked a treat, thanks to Moore’s brilliance and Broome’s innate talent.

Yet, in the event, Broome needed every metre of the 3200m event to bring trainer and jockey their first success in the race. In an event whose short history has been dominated by Godolphin, Global Storm paved the way for the operation’s four strong entry by making the running and towed Quickthorn and Subjectivist along until early in the home straight, where the last named went on.

Winner of this race and the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot two years ago, Subjectivist flattered briefly before Siskany and William Buick cruised through to take up the running, looking for all the world as if this was to be the highlight on a largely forgettable night for Godolphin. But that was to overlook Broome and Moore.

Making up ground stealthily from the home turn, Moore popped Broome’s head in front in the last few strides and the verdict was a neck, with Subjectivist staying on bravely for third place but nearly five lengths behind the principals. On a night of quick times, Broome broke the record that Subjectivist himself set two years ago. Summing up after dismounting, Moore said: "The pace was strong and we just had to wait for a bit of room at the top of the straight. He's so brave, though. It's a pleasure to ride a horse like him.” It’s a pleasure to watch Moore in this form.

RESULTS

1. Broome (O'Brien/Moore)
2. Siskany (Appleby/Buick)
3. Subjectivist (Johnston/Fanning)