Irish 1,000 Guineas: Empress Josephine wins from Joan Of Arc in photo finish after late burst
A late burst sees Empress Josephine edge second favourite Joan Of Arc to win the Irish 1,000 Guineas in a photo finish at The Curragh.
Month: May 2021
Ballydoyle and Galileo One Two In the Irish 1000 As Empress Josephine Collects
Jim Bolger had been at it on Saturday, but 24 hours later it was his former prodigy Aidan O'Brien who was filling the first two places in a Curragh Classic as Empress Josephine (Ire) narrowly denied Joan of Arc (Ire) in the G1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas for another Galileo (Ire) forecast. Runner-up in Gowran Park's Listed Victor McCalmont Memorial S. over an extended nine furlongs last time May 5, the winner who is a full-sister to Minding (Ire) was anchored towards the rear early by Seamie Heffernan and travelled strongly at halfway looming wide. Ryan Moore looked to have the race in the bag as Joan of Arc edged ahead of the long-time leader No Speak Alexander (Ire) (Shalaa {Ire}) in the closing stages, but Heffernan was getting a real tune out of Empress Josephine and the 14-1 shot rattled home to deny her stablemate on the nod by a short head. No Speak Alexander ended up a length away in third, with the 15-8 favourite Pretty Gorgeous (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}) only seventh. “The only surprise for me was that she was beaten the last twice,” Heffernan said after registering a fifth win in this Classic. “I had a willing partner. She has a bit of class and it's a pleasure to be on the team riding good horses.”
Introduced over this trip at Naas Mar. 28, Empress Josephine opened her account with the promise of more to come and it was Aidan O'Brien's publicly-stated opinion that she had gone off too fast when attempting to dominate the seven-furlong G3 Ballylinch Stud 1000 Guineas Trial S. at Leopardstown Apr. 11. Fading to 10th there as the marginally-less aggressively-ridden Joan of Arc wound up sixth, the homebred was given time to get over that experience and got back on track with a second to the year-older Too Soon To Panic (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) at Gowran Park. With her dam having been fifth in a blanket finish to this in 2010 and her illustrious full-sibling denied by a head by Jet Setting (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) in 2016, there was a score to settle and Empress Josephine adopted the family's trademark acceleration to do just that. Making up three lengths in the space of a furlong to get up on the line, this could only be viewed as an impressive success in a slowly-run Classic.
“She hadn't run as a 2-year-old, but she wasn't ready to go then and that was just the way it was with her in terms of phsyical strength,” Heffernan added. “She won snug with me at Naas in slow ground and last time Wayne [Lordan] said that she was still a little bit weak for the staying mile-and-a-furlong for the moment. He said that back at a mile she could travel a bit stronger. I wanted to follow Joseph's horse [Pretty Gorgeous] here every step of the way, but that filly actually got bumped and she in turn bumped me which knocked her off balance for a few strides. I was a lucky winner, but I should have won well. At the moment, she probably won't get a mile and a half for another couple of months, but she could if she gets more relaxed.”
Aidan O'Brien was winning the race for the 10th time and said, “We thought she was lovely the first day and then at Leopardstown all the leaders went too fast over seven. We then ran her over nine furlongs in Gowran, a lovely run but we thought nine may have just caught her out. She's able to quicken and Seamus gave her a lovely ride. She's very classy. She might go for the [June 18 G1] Coronation Stakes, but we'll see what the lads want to do. She's a sister to Minding and the second filly is a sister to Gleneagles. We were going to step Joan of Arc up to ten furlongs after today and she might go for the French Oaks [G1 Prix de Diane].”
Joseph O'Brien was far from downcast about the effort of Pretty Gorgeous and said, “I'm happy with the run, as it's not ideal to come here on heavy ground after a long lay-off. I would have loved to get a run into her, but she travelled very well throughout the race and was only beaten about three lengths. We look forward to the rest of the season with her and Royal Ascot looks like the logical place to go.”
Empress Josephine's dam Lillie Langtry (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), who went on to take the G1 Coronation S. and G1 Matron S. following her near-miss in this Classic, is even better known as the dam of the aforementioned seven-times group 1-winning 1000 Guineas and Epsom Oaks heroine Minding. Also responsible for the G3 1000 Guineas Trial winner Kissed By Angels (Ire) also by Galileo, she is kin to the Listed Celebration S. winner and G3 Gallinule S. third Count of Limonade (Ire) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) and the Listed Dahlia S. winner and GIII Autumn Miss S. runner-up Danilovna (Ire) (Dansili {GB}). From the family of the group-winning sires Great Commotion and Lead On Time, she also has an as-yet unraced 2-year-old full-sister to Empress Josephine named Bubbling (Ire) and a yearling full-sister.
Sunday, Curragh, Ireland
TATTERSALLS IRISH 1,000 GUINEAS-G1, €400,000, Curragh, 5-23, 3yo, f, 8fT, 1:47.92, hy.
1–EMPRESS JOSEPHINE (IRE), 128, f, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Lillie Langtry (Ire) (Hwt. 3yo Filly-Eng at 7-9 1/2f, G1SW-Ire, G1SW-Eng, $1,361,940), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
2nd Dam: Hoity Toity (GB), by Darshaan (GB)
3rd Dam: Hiwaayati (GB), by Shadeed
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN, 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Seamie Heffernan. €232,000. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-0, $303,158. *Full to Minding (IRE), Hwt. 3yo-Eng at 7-9 1/2f, Hwt. 3yo-Ire at 7-9 1/2f, Hwt. 2yo Filly-Eur, Hwt. Older Mare-Ire at 9 1/2-11f, Hwt. 2yo Filly-Ire, Hwt. Older Mare-Eur at 9 1/2-11f, Hwt. 3yo-Eur at 7-9 1/2f, MG1SW-Eng, MG1SW-Ire, $3,213,340; Full to Kissed By Angels (Ire), GSW-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Joan of Arc (Ire), 128, f, 3, Galileo (Ire)–You'resothrilling, by Storm Cat. O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €80,000.
3–No Speak Alexander (Ire), 128, f, 3, Shalaa (Ire)–Rapacity Alexander (Ire) (SW-Fr), by Dandy Man (Ire). (€190,000 RNA Ylg '19 GOFOR). O-Charles O'Callaghan, Noel O'Callaghan & Paul O'Callaghan; B-Mount Armstrong Stud (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington. €40,000.
Margins: NO, 1, NO. Odds: 14.00, 4.50, 6.50.
Also Ran: Belle Image (Ire), Fantasy Lady (Ire), Friendly (Ire), Pretty Gorgeous (Fr), Sense of Style (Ire), Thinking of You, Fev Rover (Ire), Sweet Gardenia (GB), Sziget (Ire), Miss Amulet (Ire), Zaffy's Pride (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
The post Ballydoyle and Galileo One Two In the Irish 1000 As Empress Josephine Collects appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
Panfield Ascends To New Heights in Champions & Chater Cup
Exultant (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) was a well-backed third in the 2018 BMW Hong Kong Derby before winning the G3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup H. and finishing runner-up in the G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup. Three years on, South American import Panfield (Chi) (Lookin At Lucky), who racked up a trio of top-level successes on home soil prior to his sale to Hong Kong, outran odds of 25-1 to complete the tierce in this year's Derby and was only fifth to Butterfield (Brz) (Setembro Chove {Brz}) in the Queen Mother, but bounced back to take Sunday's last of 12 Group 1s on the local calendar, besting Columbus County (NZ) (Redwood {GB}) by a cosy half-length. Exultant, winner of this even in 2019 and 2020, settled for third.
The third-roughest chance in a field of seven, Panfield bounced well and settled in the one-by-one position, outside of Glorious Dragon (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) and on the back of Exultant as Time Warp (GB) (Archipenko) led at a walking pace passing halfway. Ridden quietly into the final three furlongs by Karis Teetan, Panfield came three deep into the lane, went by Exultant with a bit less than 300 metres to travel and dug deep as the Joao Moreira-ridden Columbus County took a run at him late. It was a first Group 1 winner for trainer Tony Millard since the outstanding Ambitious Dragon (NZ) (Pins {Aus}) took out the Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup in 2013.
“At the 700 [-metre mark], I knew this horse would go right through the line because he literally dropped down a gear and started to motor home,” Teetan said. “[But] you know when Joao comes next to you in a race, you know you've got a hard battle. In those big ones, he's come next to me a few times and he's got the better of me and I was like 'C'mon, Joao, not today,' and it pays off.”
Panfield is the first Hong Kong stakes winner for his Ashford Stud-based stallion, whose only other locally based runner Hongkong Great (Chi), also a three-time Group 1 winner in Chile, recently set a new track record for the extended mile on dirt and may target important main-track races overseas.
WATCH: Panfield outlasts Columbus County in the Champions & Chater
Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong
STANDARD CHARTERED CHAMPIONS & CHATER CUP-G1, HK$12,000,000 (£1,093,684/€1,267,086/A$1,991,998/US$1,545,829), Sha Tin, 5-23, 3yo/up, 2400mT, 2:25.25, gd/fm.
1–PANFIELD (CHI), 126, c, 4, by Lookin At Lucky
1st Dam: Esterina (Arg), by Orpen
2nd Dam: Escoradita (Arg), by Johnny's Prospect
3rd Dam: Escorada, by Mari's Book
O-Yue Yin Hing; B-Agricola Taomina Ltda; T-Tony Millard;
J-Karis Teetan; HK$6,840,000. Lifetime Record: MG1SW-Chi,
12-6-1-1, HK$13,334,190. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Columbus County (NZ), 126, g, 5, Redwood (GB)–Spirit of
Sandford (NZ), by Kilimanjaro (GB). (NZ$33,000 Ylg '17
NZBFEB). O-Mr & Mrs Hamen Fan Shi Hoo, Alex Fan Chen Yen
& Christina Fan Chen Mun; B-D W Mayers & Mrs S J Taylor;
T-Caspar Fownes; J-Joao Moreira; HK$2,640,000.
3–Exultant (Ire), 126, g, 7, Teofilo (Ire)–Contrary (Ire), by Mark
of Esteem (Ire). O-Eddie Wong Ming Chak & Wong Leung Sau
Hing; B-Ballygallon Stud; T-Tony Cruz; J-Zac Purton;
HK$1,200,000.
Margins: HF, 1 1/4, 2. Odds: 17-1, 11-5, 7-5.
Also Ran: Butterfield (Brz), Glorious Dragon (Ire), Russian Emperor (Ire), Packing Waltham (Fr), Time Warp (GB).
Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
Courier Wonder Lives Up to Expectations…
Courier Wonder (NZ) (Sacred Falls {NZ}) announced himself as a potential G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint horse Sunday afternoon, taking full advantage of the race's handicap conditions to win the G3 Sha Tin Vase at Sha Tin. He remained perfect in five runs as the prohibitive favourite.
Rousted along early, the 3-year-old dropped into a perfect position, racing with cover on the circle–at times a touch keenly–and was angled out into the three path at the quarter pole. Joao Moreira had to get busy on his mount to get past Computer Patch (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}), but he gained command and held off Stronger (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) while in receipt of 12 pounds from that rival. Sky Field (Aus) (Deep Field {Aus}), also carrying 130 pounds, got home well for third.
“I'm very excited [for next season], he's the type of horse that everyone dreams to have,” Moreira said. “In the straight, I pulled him out and he dashed home as he always does–good horses like him give jockeys an amazing feeling. When we first started turning, he got a bit lost and wanted to run out today, shying away from the other horses, but as we progressed he started to relax, which is fantastic.”
Trainer John Size indicated Courier Wonder is done for the season, with a prep towards December's international races meeting in the offing.
A full-brother to last month's G1 Doncaster Mile runner-up Icebath (NZ), Courier Wonder is the fifth stakes winner–all at group level–for his late sire (by O'Reilly {NZ}). Fabulist is the dam of a 2-year-old colt by Tivaci (Aus) (High Chaparral {Ire}) and produced fillies by Sacred Falls in 2019 and 2020.
WATCH: Courier Wonder makes it five straight in the Sha Tin Vase
Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong
SHA TIN VASE H.-G3, HK$4,000,000 (£318,554/€370,119/A$583,102/US$450,791), Sha Tin, 5-23, 3yo/up, 1200mT, 1:08.16, gd/fm.
1–COURIER WONDER (NZ), 118, g, 4, by Sacred Falls (NZ)
1st Dam: Fabulist (NZ), by Savabeel (Aus)
2nd Dam: Fontaine (NZ), by Centaine (Aus)
3rd Dam: Water Garden (Aus), by Bellwater (Fr)
1ST STAKES WIN. 1ST GROUP WIN. (NZ$150,000 Ylg '19
NZBJAN). O-Mr & Mrs Chadwick Mok Cham Hung; B-Waikato
Stud Ltd; T-John Size; J-Joao Moreira; HK$2,495,000. Lifetime
Record: 5-5-0-0, HK$7,029,000. *1/2 to Nowyousee (NZ)
(O'Reilly {NZ}), SW-Sin, $441,970; Just Fabulous (NZ) (O'Reilly
{NZ}), GSP-NZ; full to Icebath (NZ), G1SP-Aus, $1,675,812.
Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Stronger (Aus), 130, g, 4, Not A Single Doubt (Aus)–Star Pupil
(Aus), by Starcraft (NZ). (A$1,050,000 Ylg '18 INGEAS).
O-Cheung Hon Kit, Joanna Cheung Wai Size & Jonathan
Cheung Yu Shing; B-Arrowfield Pastoral Pty Ltd & Planette
Thoroughbred (NSW); T-Douglas Whyte; J-Vincent Ho;
HK$770,000.
3–Sky Field (Aus), 130, g, 4, Deep Field (Aus)–Laravissante (NZ),
by O'Reilly (NZ). (NZ$175,000 Ylg '18 NZBJAN). O-Kwan Shiu
Man, Jessica Kwan Mun Hang & Jeffrey Kwan Chun Ming;
B-M Ryan (NSW); T-Caspar Fownes; J-Blake Shinn;
HK$402,500.
Margins: 3/4, HF, NO. Odds: 15-100, 24-1, 18-1.
Also Ran: Duke Wai (NZ), Computer Patch (Aus), Voyage Warrior (Aus), Rattan (NZ), Fat Turtle (Aus), Wishful Thinker (Aus).
Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
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Tattersalls Gold Cup Glory For Helvic Dream
Beaten three times by Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) already this term, Tom Hendron and Finbar Cahill's Helvic Dream (Ire) (Power {GB}) had been inching closer each time and chose the big occasion to turn it around as he denied that Ballydoyle rival in a thriller for the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup on Sunday. Benefitting from the heavily rain-eased going at The Curragh, the 4-year-old who emanates from the Noel Meade stable better known for its national hunt runners travelled smoothly on the inside in mid-division throughout the early stages. Filling the eye with Colin Keane motionless turning for home, the 8-1 shot had dead aim on the 10-11 favourite who had been committed by Ryan Moore approaching two out. Eventually asked to go and win his race, the gelding responded generously to overhaul Broome close home and prevail in a bobber by a short head, with a length back to the G3 Queen Elizabeth S. and Neom Turf Cup winner True Self (Ire) (Oscar {Ire}) in third. “I've won plenty of group 1s over jumps and had a number of horses placed in Guineas and a fourth in the Epsom Derby, so this feels just fantastic,” Meade said. “I was afraid to even dream about it. It means a lot and I can die happy now! It's a shame nobody is here, because you'd want to be going to the champagne bar over there!”
Having beaten the future luminary Champers Elysees (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}) by 4 3/4 lengths in a heavy-ground Roscommon median auction race that has subsequently taken on a different dimension in September 2019, Helvic Dream was tried over too far before narrowly missing out on a first black-type win when third in a blanket to the Listed Vincent O'Brien Ruby S. over a mile at Killarney in August. Third in the valuable “Northfields” H. over 10 furlongs here on Irish Champions weekend in September, he bounced out of that to beat the useful Up Helly Aa (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) by 7 1/2 lengths in the G3 International S. again over 10 furlongs on soft at this venue in October. Only eighth when the 5-4 favourite for the Listed Trigo S. at Leopardstown later that month, he was again flat on his return when a distant eighth behind Broome in the Listed Devoy S. at Naas Mar. 28. Narrowing that to 3 1/2 lengths next time when fourth in this track's G3 Alleged S. Apr. 17, he was just two lengths in arrears when second in the May 3 G2 Mooresbridge S. here last time.
Colin Keane delivered a masterclass in waiting ride tactics and said, “He relishes that soft ground and although I wasn't too sure we'd beat Broome, I did think he'd get a little bit closer. I thought he'd run well at Naas [in the Devoy], but he really disappointed us for whatever reason and the last day I got to Ryan [Moore] and he took off again. I wanted to have one crack at him and ideally, I should have waited another couple of strides again today. He's not short of pace and when he has those conditions I'd have no fear coming back in trip.”
Meade has no immediate plans for Helvic Dream. “He's improving all the time and Gillian O'Brien needs special mention here, as she treated him with a Chinese system which releases all the muscles and lets them loosen up. Two days after she'd done him, he was absolutely dancing down the yard. He could realistically be a horse for the [G1] Champion Stakes at Ascot, as you often get slow ground there which suits him. We'll have to think about a mile as well.” Aidan O'Brien said of Broome, “We were delighted and we're going up in trip with him now, for either the [June 4 G1] Coronation Cup [at Epsom] or the [June 19 G2] Hardwicke [at Royal Ascot].”
Helvic Dream is the first foal out of the unraced Rachevie (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), whose only other to date is this month's G3 Irish 1000 Guineas Trial runner-up Flirting Bridge (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). The second dam Challow Hills (Woodman) is kin to the multiple stakes winner Teide (Mt. Livermore) from the family of the G1 Epsom Oaks, G1 Irish Oaks and G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine Diminuendo (Diesis {GB}) and her Listed Pretty Polly S.-winning full-sister Pricket who was runner-up in that Epsom Classic. Diminuendo in turn produced the G3 May Hill S. winner and G1 Fillies' Mile runner-up Calando (Storm Cat), herself the dam of the Listed Chesham S. winner Champlain (GB) (Seeking the Gold) and the Listed Silken Glider S. scorer Calare (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}).
Sunday, Curragh, Ireland
TATTERSALLS GOLD CUP-G1, €300,000, Curragh, 5-23, 4yo/up, 10f 110yT, 2:21.11, s/h.
1–HELVIC DREAM (IRE), 131, g, 4, by Power (GB)
1st Dam: Rachevie (Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
2nd Dam: Challow Hills, by Woodman
3rd Dam: Cascassi, by Nijinsky II
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€4,000 RNA Wlg '17 TATFBR; €12,000 Ylg '18 TIRSEP). O-Mrs Caroline Hendron & Mrs M Cahill; B-T O'Dwyer & K O'Brien (IRE); T-Noel Meade; J-Colin Keane. €180,000. Lifetime Record: 15-4-2-5, $338,101. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Broome (Ire), 131, h, 5, Australia (GB)–Sweepstake (Ire), by Acclamation (GB). (€120,000 RNA Ylg '17 GOFOR; 150,000gns Ylg '17 TATDEY). O-Masaaki Matsushima, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Epona Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €60,000.
3–True Self (Ire), 128, m, 8, Oscar (Ire)–Good Thought (Ire), by Mukaddamah. O-Three Mile House & OTI Partnership; B-Mr Don Cantillon (IRE); T-Willie Mullins. €30,000.
Margins: NO, 1, 8. Odds: 8.00, 0.91, 25.00.
Also Ran: Cayenne Pepper (Ire), Search For a Song (Ire), Sunchart (GB), Serpentine (Ire), Tiger Moth (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
The post Tattersalls Gold Cup Glory For Helvic Dream appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
