Rebecca Menzies targets Molecomb Stakes with Breeders’ Cup hopeful Adonius
Unbeaten juvenile Adonius will bid to keep his perfect record intact when he lines up in next week’s Group 2 Molecomb Stakes at Goodwood, with trainer Rebecca Menzies believing victory could put the colt firmly on course for the Breeders’ Cup later this year.
The County Durham trainer will make her first visit to the Qatar Goodwood Festival with the exciting two-year-old, who has won all three of his career starts and now has the chance to secure an automatic place in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint through the prestigious Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series: Win and You’re In.
A victory in the five-furlong contest would guarantee Adonius a berth in the $1 million championship race at Keeneland in Kentucky this October, with entry fees paid as part of the incentive programme.
Menzies says preparations have gone exactly to plan after briefly delaying the colt’s return to ensure he was back to his best.
“Adonius has been shaping up brilliantly ahead of the Molecomb Stakes,” she said. “We had our two engagements a couple of weeks ago, but he did a piece of work the week before and we weren’t one hundred per cent happy with him.
“He had his first proper gallop back last week. He was very, very good. He’s come out of that piece of work brilliantly. We’re working him again this week, but I can’t be any happier with him.”
The son of Soldier’s Call announced himself with an emphatic seven-length debut success at Musselburgh in April before following up with victories at Chester and elsewhere to establish himself as one of Britain’s most exciting juvenile sprinters.
Despite his flawless record, Menzies says Adonius is far from straightforward to train.
“He is very highly strung,” she explained. “He’s probably not trained as we would train a normal horse. He does a lot of work on his own.
“I think the key with Adonius is the rider. Andrew rides him most days and the two of them get on very well together. He keeps the horse very relaxed. He locks onto the bridle, he’s very keen, and to keep a lid on him can be quite difficult sometimes. We just try to keep him as calm as possible.”
The colt’s growing reputation attracted American investment earlier this season when owners Riverdee and West Paces, headed by Sean Clancy, purchased a half-share in the youngster through bloodstock agent Matt Coleman.
The Molecomb Stakes will mark the first opportunity for Adonius’s American owners to see the colt race in person.
“The U.S. connection came through Matt Coleman of Stroud Coleman Bloodstock,” said Menzies. “The owner, Michael Hughes, really wanted to keep him and it’s worked brilliantly that somebody has come in and purchased half, so we can keep him until the end of the year.
“This will be the first time Adonius’s American owners have seen him in the flesh, and it’ll be the first time I’ve met them too, so we’re really looking forward to that.”
With the Breeders’ Cup already firmly in her sights, Menzies says the team will carefully manage the gelding’s campaign should he continue his unbeaten run.
“We’d have to pick our battles very carefully,” she said. “We wouldn’t just be looking in this country. There’s a couple of races in France.
“Not having the worry of travelling the horse would definitely aid us in where we go. He has won on soft ground and he’s won on very quick ground, so I don’t think we need to take too much into consideration.
“The Win and You’re In initiative is massive. Winning next week would be magical and any help getting to the Breeders’ Cup would be a huge bonus.”
Adonius heads into the Molecomb Stakes unbeaten after three starts and could become one of Britain’s leading contenders for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint if he can extend that sequence at Goodwood.
Feature image: Adonius and Kaiya Fraser win The CAA Stellar Lily Agnes EBF Conditions Stakes, Chester 06.05.2026. Image credit: Alan Wright-focusonracing.com