Twomey Targeting Irish Guineas With Strong Team Of Fillies

County Tipperary trainer Paddy Twomey is unlikely to be represented in the G1 Qipco 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket, having stated his intention to wait for the Irish equivalent–run at the Curragh on Sunday, May 26–before stepping up to the top level with a trio of talented fillies in his care.

They include A Lilac Rolla (Ire) (Harry Angel {Ire}), who gained her third success from as many starts when returning from eight months off to win the G3 Ballylinch Stud “Priory Belle” S. at Leopardstown last time, digging deep to beat the Listed winner Kitty Rose (GB) (Invincible Army {Ire}) by a head.

“I was very happy with how she did it in the Guineas trial the other day at Leopardstown,” Twomey said of that performance. “She won in spite of the ground, I would say. She's got form last year where she beat Opera Singer on pretty quick ground and then she's won on heavy ground, so she's pretty versatile.

“She's a classy filly and, every time she's started a race, she's done exactly what we thought she would do. I'd say the Irish 1,000 Guineas is the race she'll go for next. She's entered there and she's not entered in Newmarket.”

A Lilac Rolla could be joined at the Curragh by two other unbeaten stable-mates in the shape of One Look (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) and 'TDN Rising Star' Purple Lily (Ire) (Calyx {GB}). Both fillies raced only once at two and have already been in action in 2024 when making the most of good opportunities to win at Cork and Naas, respectively.

“My thinking now is that she won't go to Newmarket,” Twomey said of One Look, who made a sparkling debut as a two-year-old when winning the Goffs Million at the Curragh by six lengths. “I think she'll stay in Ireland and either go to the Athasi Stakes or more likely the Cornelscourt Stakes at Leopardstown, with a view to going to the Irish Guineas.

“I feel that I'd like to educate her a bit more along the way. I don't want to land her into an English Guineas just now. Those are the two races I would run her in if she is going to run before the Irish Guineas and the preference would be the three-year-old only race [Cornelscourt].

“She's one that I would hope will progress all year and I'm just not in a hurry to rush off to England and give her a grueller. I would like to take the next step with her career in mind.”

Twomey confirmed similar plans for Purple Lily, adding, “She will go for an Irish Guineas and not an English Guineas. She's a filly that will stay 10 furlongs in time and she's very exciting. I'd like to get another run into her of some description, but she could go straight to the Guineas now.”

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Harry Angel’s A Lilac Rolla Wins The Priory Belle

Unbeaten entering Sunday's G3 Ballylinch Stud “Priory Belle” S. at Leopardstown, A Lilac Rolla (Ire) (Harry Angel {Ire}–Mejala {Ire}, by Red Ransom) carried on where she left off with a battling success from Kitty Rose (GB) (Invincible Army {Ire}). Last seen beating the subsequent G1 Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Opera Singer (Justify) at The Curragh in August, the Paddy Twomey-trained €40,000 Tatts Ireland September bargain was delivered to tackle Kitty Rose at the furlong pole and gave generously to Billy Lee to eke out a head success at odds of 9-2. Ballydoyle's Buttons (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) was a further 2 3/4 lengths away in third.

“I think she's a good filly and I'd hoped she would do something like that,” Twomey said. “I haven't run her since she won the second time last year as she just grew and I wanted to give her the time. I'm glad I did and she's trained well all winter. I was looking forward to coming here today, although the heavy ground was a concern as her form was on good ground. She's uncomplicated and she's tough.”

Pedigree Notes
The dam Mejala, who was a 12,000gns Shadwell cast-off at 2020 Tatts December, has produced the dual listed-placed Mutaaqeb (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). From the family of the sires Bahri and Bahhare which includes the dual G1 Jebel Hatta winner Alfareeq (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and the G3 Prix Noailles scorer Raseed (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), her 2-year-old filly is by Shaman (Ire).

Sunday, Leopardstown, Ireland
BALLYLINCH STUD PRIORY BELLE 1000 GUINEAS TRIAL S.-G3, €55,000, Leopardstown, 4-7, 3yo, f, 7f 18yT, 1:40.89, hy.
1–A LILAC ROLLA (IRE), 128, f, 3, by Harry Angel (Ire)
1st Dam: Mejala (Ire), by Red Ransom
2nd Dam: Wissal, by Woodman
3rd Dam: Wasnah, by Nijinsky II
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. (€40,000 Ylg '22 TATIRY). O-Mutual Admiration Society Partnership; B-John Cullinan (IRE); T-Paddy Twomey; J-Billy Lee. €33,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $69,398. *1/2 to Mutaaqeb (GB) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}), MSP-Eng. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Kitty Rose (GB), 128, f, 3, Invincible Army (Ire)–Varnish (GB), by Choisir (Aus). (20,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Tim Porter; B-Carmel Stud (GB); T-Natalia Lupini. €11,000.
3–Buttons (Ire), 128, f, 3, Kingman (GB)–Wonder of Wonders, by Kingmambo. 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Westerberg, Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Wonder Of Wonders Syndicate (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €5,500.
Margins: HD, 2 3/4, HF. Odds: 4.50, 4.00, 3.50.
Also Ran: Greenfinch, Alpheratz (Ire), Wendla (GB), Cherry Blossom (Ire), Mysteries (Ire), Money Dancer (Ire), Finsceal Luas (Ire), Sweetest (Ire). Scratched: Lexington Belle (Ire).

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Classic Dreams In The Balance On Sunday

Sunday sees a swing in the momentum towards the more meaningful Flat action of 2024, with Leopardstown–which has to survive an early-morning inspection–and ParisLongchamp staging a host of Classic trials. Ballydoyle's wheels are really set in motion at the former venue, with several of their promising 3-year-olds ready to be unleashed in the card's trio of preps including the 10-furlong G3 P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax S.

It is in that early Derby pointer that Rosegreen's G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud third Illinois (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and impressive course maiden-winning TDN Rising Star Ocean Of Dreams (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) look to add to the stable's Blue Riband team taking on Vimal Khosla's G2 Beresford S. winner Deepone (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}) from the Paddy Twomey stable.

“He has a five-pound penalty for his win in the Beresford S. last season, but we're looking forward to running him on Sunday,” Twomey said. “I think stepping up in trip will play to his strengths, I think a mile and a quarter to a mile and a half should be well within his compass.”

Leopardstown also stages the seven-furlong G3 Ballylinch Stud “Red Rocks” S., where Ballydoyle again have two fascinating maiden winners in Samuel Colt (Ire) (No Nay Never) and The Liffey (Ire) (No Nay Never). Both have to meet the standard set by the G3 Killavullan S. one-two Atlantic Coast (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) and Bright Stripes (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}).

The fillies take part in the G3 Ballylinch Stud “Priory Belle” S., where Ballydoyle's course-and-distance maiden winner Buttons (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) is the pick of Ryan Moore tackling Deepone's unbeaten stablemate A Lilac Rolla (Ire) (Harry Angel {Ire}).

It was in August at The Curragh when A Lilac Rolla managed to upstage the subsequent G1 Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Opera Singer (Justify) and Twomey is hoping that she can restart where she left off. “She beat a very good filly in Opera Singer, she's wintered well and is ready to start,” he said. “The ground conditions may not be ideal, but she's in a good place and this is a good starting point for the season ahead.”

At ParisLongchamp, Guy Pariente,Thomas Lines and Qatar Racing's G1 Criterium International hero Sunway (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) returns in the nine-furlong G3 Prix la Force. Trainer David Menuisier said, “It is famous last words, but the ground shouldn't be an issue. It will be hard on the horses, but we feel ours goes on it quite good and the trip shouldn't be a problem, so we go there quite positive. Later down the line, we would like to aim at the Prix du Jockey Club, but we need to take races one by one, obviously. We could drop back in trip to run in one of the Guineas or we could go up in trip to run in a Derby trial next month. It will all depend on what happens this weekend and what Oisin and the owners think–and then we will take it from there.”

Also over that trio is the G3 Al Shira'aa Racing Prix Vanteaux for the fillies, where the Head Family's nine-length Saint-Cloud winner La Mandala (Fr) (City Light {Fr}) is tested against some proven peers, while the feature is the G2 Prix d'Harcourt where Ecurie Jean-Louis Bouchard's G1 Grand Prix de Paris hero Feed The Flame (GB) (Kingman {GB}) takes on Gousserie Racing's multiple group winner and G1 Champion S. third Horizon Dore (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}).

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