Smooth Festival Stakes win for homebred Decorated Knight
21 May 2016
Decorated Knight, a close relation to Gleneagles, is the cosy winner of the Festival Stakes
Homebred Decorated Knight gained a deserved success in stakes company on Saturday when the smooth winner of the Festival Stakes at Goodwood.
Settled in mid division by regular partner Andrea Atzeni, the Galileo colt made smooth headway to challenge two furlongs out. Once asked for his effort, he swiftly put matters to rest to win a shade cosily on his second start for Roger Charlton.
“He has a fast-ground action and the ground was fine for him,” assistant Tom Charlton told the Racing Post. “He jumped too quick and got no cover on his first run this year and just needed it as well. It was a muddling race today with not much pace and he travelled well and picked up but just pricked his ears in front.”
Decorated Knight, who was Group 2-placed last year, is the first foal out of Pearling, a daughter of Storm Cat who joined the stud when purchased by Tony Nerses at the 2011 Tattersalls December Sale. Pearling boasts a pedigree out of the top drawer as a sister to champion Giant’s Causeway, subsequently a multiple champion sire for Coolmore in America, and the Group 2-placed Freud, himself a leading sire in New York.
Another sibling, Cherry Hinton Stakes winner You’resothrilling, is the dam of top miler Gleneagles, Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Marvellous and last year’s Group 3-winning juvenile Coolmore.
It is also the immediate family of last season’s Classic-placed colt Storm The Stars.
Pearling’s three-year-old, the Dubawi colt Azizaan, was recently placed on his second start for Roger Varian. Pearling also has a two-year-old filly by Frankel named Ambrosia and a yearling colt by Dansili.
