George Boughey already has 2000 Guineas winner Bow Echo in his team for Royal Ascot next month. Although he clearly remains the captain for the yard, another royal contender emerged after Libertango scored at Leicester.
A daughter of No Nay Never, Libertango will join the ranks of the juveniles at the Berkshire track. She was making her career debut on Tuesday at Leicester, with odds-on favourite Victory Gold a fearsome rival with experience already under his belt. Saeed bin Suroor’s runner, owned by Godolphin, had been second at Ascot earlier in May.
However, under Billy Loughnane, Libertango produced too strong a surge for her seven rivals to deal with. She emerged from the back of the pack to win going away by a length-and-a-half. She was more than four lengths clear of the third.
Bookmakers responded by quoting her for the Group 3 Albany Stakes. The race for two-ear-old filles is traditionally the Friday opener st Royal Ascot. It was won in fine style by this year’s Commonwealth Cup favourite Venetian Sun in 2025.
“She’s making up into an Albany filly” – Boughey
A 400,000gns breeze-up purchase, Libertango at least had that experience under her belt. It has evidently helped her progression and preparation, with Boughey singing her praises.
“She’s a very straightforward filly who has found everything easy,” Boughey said to Racing TV, via Sporting Life. “We haven’t had her long since the Craven but it was almost too good to be true how relaxed she was. I hoped we’d see it on track because she’d shown it at home.
“She’s making up into an Albany filly and Billy [Loughnane] was pleased. When she was bought, she was bought to try and win a maiden at this time of year and go to Royal Ascot and that’s what we’ll do. She’s got the make-up for it and she’s got the brain for it.”
As for future prospects beyond Royal Ascot, Boughey believes her peidgree and physique provide different messages. Her debut success coming over 6f perhaps gives the strongest clue.
“The family suggests she should get the mile but as a physical she looks a five furlong horse. If she can stay any further, she’ll be a good filly. She makes my job easy, she is a nice filly and we’re lucky to have a number of horses of her sort of calibre at the moment and you hope that they run with credit on debut; I wasn’t expecting her to win today.”