Soviet Sparkles For Murtagh

Attraction´s unbeaten record was brought to an end at Newmarket as Soviet Song turned in a sparkling performance to put the young pretender in her place.

Three times a Group One winner already this season, Attraction was understandably sent off an odds-on favourite to make it nine wins from nine starts in the UAE Equestrian And Racing Federation Falmouth Stakes.

But having comfortably proved too good for her own age group on every occasion, the step up in grade to meet the big boys - or to be accurate, big girls - proved just too much as the four-year-old Soviet Song swept past a furlong out to win by two and a half lengths.

In the process, the 11-4 second-favourite gave Johnny Murtagh a first-ever victory on Newmarket´s July course - a remarkable statistic given that the Irishman has ridden top-class winners all around the world.

Attraction rallied bravely under Kevin Darley as her rival drew alongside, but she never really looked like fending off the challenge and had to settle for the first runner-up spot of her career, two and a half lengths clear of third-home Baqah, after trying to lead all the way.

With Attraction´s appearance reported to have put at least an extra 2,000 on to the usual crowd figure for the opening day of the July meeting, it was no surprise that a slightly subdued cheer emerged from the stands as the runners passed the winning post.

But enough members of the 15,000-strong Elite Racing Club were there to ensure there was a more fitting roar of welcome as Soviet Song, the filly they own and will ultimately breed from, made her way back into the winner´s enclosure.

Trainer James Fanshawe led the tributes to his filly, who looked destined for great things but never quite lived up to her juvenile form, despite finishing fourth in last year´s 1000 Guineas and second in the Coronation Stakes.

'I´m really pleased for the filly. Obviously it´s a pity to spoil the Attraction party, but she had achieved an awful lot,' Fanshawe said.

'We felt that really she had been in front a bit too long when she was pipped by Refuse To Bend in the Queen Anne last time out and so Johnny said he was going to sit in behind and wait. It paid off and he gave her a great ride.

'It was great on Saturday when Refuse To Bend won the Eclipse and we hoped we would have a chance today.

'I´ve said it time and again, I know, but she has really blossomed this season.

'Last spring she got the flu badly and then she came back jarred up from Ascot and we could never get her right afterwards. A couple weren´t right all year and she might have had something on her.

'But she has come on with every race this season, even though we somehow managed to get her beat twice on her first two runs of the season.

'Mark Denaro has been riding her and has done a very good job with her. He kept telling me that she was better than ever and now I will have to start listening to him!'

Soviet Song may now have earned a holiday, according to the trainer.

'She has had a couple of hard races so she might have a rest until the autumn,' said Fanshawe. 'We´ll take her home and see how she is. She is in the Sussex but she likes a track where she can be delivered at just the right time.'

Murtagh added: 'She is a great filly. James said to ride her with confidence and I rode her with all the confidence in the world.

'Last time at Ascot we took a bit of time to get on top of Nebraska Tornado and then Frankie came down the outside and nicked it on the line - I didn´t want that to happen again, so I took the decision to change the tactics.

'She got warm, but it is a hot day and I got a bit hot myself down at the start.

'I said to Kevin after the race that he has a great filly, but ran into a machine today.'

Johnston was stoic in his acceptance of defeat as he stood next to his beaten yet unbowed warrior.

'I have prepared myself so many times for her getting beaten that now it has finally happened, I am ready for it,' he said.

'We knew it had to happen. They have all got to get beaten one day. I am a little disappointed it was today, but life goes on.

'Kevin is adamant that they were going fast enough, but at halfway I was starting to get worried. I know that the race was run in a fast time but she hadn´t got them working at all in behind and Soviet Song was able to come there and outspeed us, maybe taking Kevin and the filly a little bit by surprise.

'It was a weight-for-age race and if we had run up to our best we would have won. We were 4lb ahead of Soviet Song on the ratings. Time will tell whether we were below par.'

Darley added: 'I´m gutted, but I´ve no excuses. She was just beaten by a better filly on the day.'

Provided that no obvious reason for her defeat does come to light, the end of Attraction´s winning sequence is unlikely to alter plans for her immediate future.

'I never like to look too far ahead,' Johnston said. 'But I certainly see no reason to change our plans.

'I took her out of the Sussex Stakes this morning, taking the view that the undulations would not suit her.

'But there are still plenty of races for us to consider and now is the time to go home and regroup.'

The trainer known as Braveheart appeared to be suggesting that although today´s battle may have been lost, the war might not be over.