RACING: IZZI TOP ended up having only three opponents to beat in yesterday's Group 1 Barclays Bank Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh but her trainer John Gosden still happily proclaimed: "There's history for you."
The reason was simple. Pretty Polly, the legendary mare remembered in the title was raced at the start of the last century from the historic Clarehaven Stables in Newmarket from where Gosden now trains. “So this is going home,” he added.
There wasn’t much doubt about it either from some way out as William Buick produced 6/4 second favourite at the furlong pole with a burst of speed that was too much for favourite Sapphire to handle. At the line, the British raider had just over a length to spare, but looked to be idling in front.
The complexion of the race was turned on its head in the morning when Aidan O’Brien took out Oaks winner Was and Maybe, leaving Up as his sole challenger.
However, she never threatened and instead Gosden tasted Pretty Polly success for a third time.
“She didn’t like the ground but not many do. Even the great horse that won last night didn’t like it, but the good ones get the job done,” he said. “Races like the Nassau and the Prix de l’Opera are open to her and there’s always the question of the Breeders Cup, but we’ll take it one step at a time. What she has been doing is the best work of her life in the last couple of weeks.”
O’Brien felt the very testing conditions would have been too much for his two stars and will instead keep Was for the Irish Oaks. Maybe could drop back to a mile for Newmarket’s Falmouth Stakes.
Sapphire failed to secure a Group 1 bracket for Moyglare Stud just days after the death of its owner Walter Haefner. But trainer Dermot Weld did supply his stable stalwart Famous Name to secure a 17th career victory in the Group 3 International Stakes.
The seven-year-old star now boasts a 50 per cent success rate, including 10 Group wins, and will attempt to finally secure that elusive Group 1 victory at the end of the month in the Grosser Preis Bayerisches Zuchtrennan in Munich. It is a race in which he was runner up last year to Durban Thunder.
“He’s an amazing horse and from a training point of view what’s so fascinating is how he retains his enthusiasm; he loves being a racehorse. He’s special because not many win 10 Group races. You have to battle for them,” said Weld. “We’ve got to try and get that Group 1 now; so he will go to Germany.”
Famous Name has had 10 attempts at winning a top-flight race, including when runner up in the 2008 French Derby. Boylesports go 5-6 about him breaking his duck before the season is over.
Weld also confirmed that Speaking Of Which, taken out of Saturday’s Derby due to the soft going, will be pointed at Leopardstown’s Meld Stakes later in the month.
Sendmylovetorose bounced back from an unhappy Royal Ascot experience – when withdrawn at the start after getting upset in the stalls – and beat the favourite True Verdict in the Group 3 Grangecon Stud Stakes.
“This week was all about repairing last week. We didn’t know if there would be hang-ups from Ascot. But that was a complete shock and she was very straightforward again here,” said Co Tyrone-based trainer Andy Oliver. “Colm took the race by the scruff of the neck and gave her a very straightforward ride. She handled the ground but will go on better.”
Sendmylovetorose received quotes of 25-1 for next year’s 1,000 Guineas while The United States is as low as 33-1 for the 2,000 Guineas after making a winning debut in the opening maiden.
One of the St Legers will be on the classic horizon for Hartani who impressively beat his elders in the Curragh Cup.
“He’s a good stayer who does like the soft and if it came up a bog somewhere, he could go for a Leger somewhere,” said trainer John Oxx, who nominated the Champion Stakes at Leopardstown as a long-term target for his Irish Derby runner up Born To Sea.
