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.
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