Aomori City thrived with the step up to seven furlongs, delivering a commanding performance to win the HKJC World Pool Vintage Stakes at Goodwood.
The Oasis Dream colt had previously impressed with a debut win at Nottingham in mid-June and a third-place finish behind Aidan O’Brien’s Whistlejacket in the Group Two July Stakes at Newmarket. With Whistlejacket’s stablemate The Parthenon absent, Aomori City was the 2-1 favourite for this race and justified that support in style under William Buick.
Settling behind the pacesetting Cool Hoof Luke, the Charlie Appleby-trained colt accelerated smoothly when the gap appeared. He took the lead inside the final furlong and crossed the line with a length and three-quarters to spare over the late-finishing Wolf Of Badenoch.
Buick lauded Aomori City’s performance, noting his toughness and bravery after getting into Oisin Murphy's slipstream before winning comfortably. Appleby, who won the Group Two with Pinatubo in 2019, praised Aomori City’s marked improvement and suggested considering the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf for him. He added that while Aomori City hasn't been a standout at home, he's very professional on the track. Paddy Power has set his odds at 33-1 for the 2000 Guineas.
Runner-up Wolf Of Badenoch, trained by Hugo Palmer, was impressed with his performance, and they are considering entries for the Group One National Stakes and the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. Andrew Balding, trainer of third-placed Cool Hoof Luke, acknowledged a good effort but indicated plans to drop him back to six furlongs for the remainder of the season, possibly targeting the Mill Reef Stakes.