When it comes to the maidens at The Curragh's Irish Guineas weekend, it has become essential to follow Aidan O'Brien's chosen runners with the following year's Classics in mind and Sunday's Tally Ho Stud Irish EBF Fillies Maiden produced a winner in Matrika (Ire) (No Nay Never–Muravka {Ire}, by High Chaparral {Ire}) who very much gave that vibe. Following the TDN Rising Star label handed to the yard's Unquestionable (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) on Saturday, the same honour is bestowed on this debutante who went two places better in the six-furlong maiden than her classy stablemate Never Ending Story (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) had done 12 months ago.
Sent forward from the break by Ryan Moore, the market-weak 6-1 shot travelled strongly throughout in the front line and always looked comfortable exposed without cover before beginning to assert from the furlong pole. There is nothing in the winning margins of 3/4 of a length and a neck to the Joseph and Donnacha O'Brien-trained Grand Job (Justify) and Mysteries (Ire) (No Nay Never) respectively, or the unspectacular winning time, to suggest this was a TDN Rising Star-type performance but it is all about the future with this full-sister to Unicorn Lion (Ire) and The Wow Signal (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}).
Most of the stable's eventual group 1 fillies do not win by far on debut and it is more the manner of her success that suggests she can soon dine at the top table. Another TDN Rising Star in the armada to head to Royal Ascot, the imposing bay has apparently turned being laid-back into an art form at Rosegreen. “She's been very idle and lazy at home and so has been working in blinkers–she was declared in them and they were on and off about three or four times since, but Wayne [Lordan] who rides her in all her work decided last minute to leave them off,” the master of Ballydoyle explained. “It was his call and the right one, so it was lovely to see her doing that. She is totally asleep all the time at home, but now she's done that first time we could leave the blinkers off again for the [G3] Albany. She could be one of those lazy workers and that is often a good thing. I think Joseph and Donnacha liked their fillies, which is a good sign.”
Matrika is the eighth TDN Rising Star for her sire, with Ten Sovereigns (Ire) and Little Big Bear (Ire) the obvious picks of them.
Smart filly klaxon!
Matrika (No Nay Never) travelled like a dream and stayed arrow-straight on debut in the @HoStud @IrishEBF_ Fillies Maiden @curraghrace
@Ballydoyle | @coolmorestud pic.twitter.com/G1bKYrsl1A
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 28, 2023
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