Trained by Luca Cumani, Second Step settled in last position throughout the
race, just on the heels of last year's Group I King George VI And Queen
Elizabeth Stakes runner-up Telescope. Quickening to lead inside 400m, Second
Step followed Telescope through and wore the leader down in the final 200m to
score a head victory. There was a colossal 18 lengths gap back to the third
place finisher.Triumphant jockey Andrea Atzeni said: "He was always going to end up being a Group horse this year… Mr Cumani's always improve with age."
"When Ryan (Moore) quickened he took two lengths out of me, but when I hit the rising ground I was always going to get there in the end."
Asked about future plans for the winner, Cumani said, "We'll have to see, but maybe (we will look at) something like the Hardwicke Stakes (at Royal Ascot)."
Asked about a potential Melbourne Cup bid, Cumani added: "The Melbourne Cup could be a possibility, but it remains to be seen if he'll get two miles and it's a long way away."
Like Dalakhani's Group I Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Reliable Man, Second Step is also out of a mare by Sadler's Wells.
Dalakhani is the sire of 41 stakes-winners and 8.3% stakes-winners to runners in his career to date. A Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner and European Champion Racehorse, Dalakhani has filled his limited book of mares in each of his first two seasons at Cornerstone Stud in South Australia.
The leading shuttle stallion by European stakes winners in 2014, Dalakhani will return to Cornerstone Stud again this spring.
Please visit www.cornerstonestud.com.auor call the office on (08) 8561 0000 for enquiries.
