Bluebloods clash as European Road culminates in Cardinal Conditions Stakes

Mar 30, 2021 Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com

Thursday’s Cardinal Conditions Stakes at Chelmsford City is
the last opportunity on the European Road to the Kentucky Derby. While it
remains to be seen if any European representative would pursue the invitation to
Churchill Downs, the one-mile affair on Polytrack features several
bluebloods with promising futures.

Fundamental is well regarded enough to have an early entry
in the first British classic of the season, the 2000 Guineas (G1) at Newmarket
on May 1 – Kentucky Derby Day. By Dark Angel and out of multiple Group
1-winning miler Integral, the Cheveley Park homebred placed in his first two
starts on turf before romping in a wire job at this track Oct. 15. Fundamental
could add to the great start for the new training partnership of John Gosden
and his son Thady.

Duty of Care, a homebred for the late Prince Khalid Abdullah’s
Juddmonte, is a half-brother (by Kingman) to 2018 Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) star Expert
Eye, and his second dam is a full sister to $2.4 million-earner Sightseek.
Trained like Expert Eye by Sir Michael Stoute, Duty of Care prevailed second
time out, as the odds-on favorite, in a Dec. 21 maiden over Newcastle’s Tapeta.

Godolphin’s homebred Quintillus had the option of Friday’s Burradon
S. at Newcastle. But trainer Charlie Appleby takes the more conservative path
of a conditions race, rather than a listed stakes, off the colt’s maiden romp
at Kempton Oct. 21. By Dubawi, Quintullus is a half-brother to 2015 Prix
Jean-Luc Lagardere (G1) hero Ultra.

The late Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell Estate has two chances –
Qaader, a veteran of major juvenile turf races who now tries the all-weather,
and Moraaheq, proven over this track and trip.

Qaader, by Dubawi’s son Night of Thunder, scored a terrific debut
victory at Newbury last summer, but couldn’t break through thereafter. Second in
Royal Ascot’s Coventry (G2), the Mark Johnston pupil finished fourth in the July
(G2) and fifth in the Richmond (G2). Qaader was a better third in the
Tattersalls (G3), off a two-break and up in trip to seven furlongs. He faded to
last in the Autumn (G3) on soft going at Newmarket, but is entitled to resume
back in form here.

Shadwell homebred Moraaheq has raced exclusively on
all-weather. The Roger Varian trainee won both starts this campaign, a Kempton
maiden as well as a course-and-distance handicap March 13. Now the son of
Speightstown and Grade 2-placed stakes scorer Takrees hopes to keep his
momentum going versus better rivals.

Oo de Lally comes off a third in the Road to the Kentucky Derby Conditions Stakes at Kempton, where he was beaten by Godolphin’s red-hot
favorite Highland Avenue and by 200-1 Sergeant Tibbs. Previously the winner of
three straight for Andrew Balding, Oo de Lally will get another class test
here.

The Brian Meehan-trained Decisive Edge was acquired by
Reddam Racing – best known for Kentucky Derby (G1) champions I’ll Have Another
(2012) and Nyquist (2016) – after he earned his first win here Sept. 20.
Decisive Edge then made an ambitious start in the Oct. 10 Dewhurst (G1), finishing 13th
of 14 at odds of 100-1, but returns to a more realistic spot. By the Scat Daddy
stallion No Nay Never, Decisive Edge hails from the same family as Fundamental.

The Cardinal is worth points on the 30-12-6-3 basis,
applicable to the European leaderboard. The third race on the British evening card, it’s set for 12:50 p.m. (ET), and you can watch and wager at
TwinSpires.com.