Aidan O'Brien | Horse Racing Free Tips

Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf Berth On The Line In Friday’s Shadwell Rockfel Stakes

Ms. Susan Lynas' Santosha (IRE) will bid to get her season back on track in Friday's Shadwell Rockfel Stakes (G2) at Newmarket. She is one of five 2-year-old fillies in the 7-furlong contest, which offers a guaranteed fees-paid berth into the US$1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) as part of the ”Win and You're In” international Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge is a series of stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into corresponding races of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which is scheduled to be held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, on Nov. 6-7.

Santosha provided young trainer David Loughnane with the biggest win of his career when landing the Princess Margaret Stakes (G3) at Ascot in July and Loughnane believes her latest run, an eighth-place finish in the Sky Bet Lowther Stakes (G2) on Aug. 20, can be ignored.

Loughnane said: “The Lowther was just one race too many for her. She got very wound up in the paddock before and then fell asleep a bit in the stalls and missed the kick. She has had a nice break since York. We feel that she has every right to be here and hopefully we can get her season back on track.”

When asked whether Santosha could head to Keeneland for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, Loughnane said: “Every race is on the table for her but we'll take it one race at a time. We certainly wouldn't turn our noses up at the Breeders' Cup if it was the right option for her.”

Aidan O'Brien has won the Shadwell Rockfel Stakes three times in his career, most recently with Just Wonderful, who won the 2018 renewal before going on to finish fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Churchill Downs. He relies on Ballylynch Stud/Irish EBF Ingabelle Stakes listed winner Monday, bred in Kentucky by Chelston, Orpendale & Wynatt, in Friday's contest. Monday is the first foal out of Group 1-winning juvenile Ballydoyle (IRE). She will be ridden by Ryan Moore.

Isabella Giles (IRE), a 7-length winner of the Ladbrokes Prestige Stakes (G3) at Goodwood last time, has won three of her four career starts, with her only defeat coming at the hands of Santosha in the Princess Margaret Stakes. She is trained by Clive Cox and will be ridden by Adam Kirby.

Last year's Rockfel winner, Daahyeh (GB), went on to finish second in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita. Her trainer Roger Varian, saddles Nazuna (IRE), a Kodiac (GB) filly who was second on her latest start at Doncaster.

The field is completed by Alba Rose (GB), a decisive winner of a novice stakes race over 7-furlongs at Thirsk. Mark Johnston trains the daughter of Muhaarar (GB), who will once again be ridden by Joe Fanning.

As part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, the Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the winner of the Shadwell Rockfel Stakes to start in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, which will be run at 1-mile over the Keeneland turf course. Breeders' Cup also will provide a travel allowance of $40,000 for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must already be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the Championships' pre-entry deadline of Oct. 26 to receive the rewards.

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O’Brien Pays Tribute To “Irreplaceable” Smullen

Aidan O’Brien described Pat Smullen as “irreplaceable” on Thursday, two days after his brother-in-law and nine-time Irish champion jockey lost his battle with pancreatic cancer aged 43.

While Smullen’s and O’Brien’s wives Frances Crowley and Annemarie O’Brien are sisters and highly accomplished horsewomen, Smullen spent much of his career in rivalry with O’Brien as stable jockey to Dermot Weld.

“Pat was one very special person–one of these people you meet once in a lifetime,” O’Brien told Sky Sports Racing. “He is irreplaceable. He was genuine, tough, consistent–an unbelievable horseman and a brilliant jockey. He helped everybody and was very sincere to everybody. Nothing about Pat was false–he was true to everybody. I think that’s why he was so admired and will never be forgotten. We felt privileged to know him and to have worked with him and to be part of our family.”

High on Smullen’s list of accomplishments was his Derby double aboard Harzand (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in 2016, with O’Brien runners finishing second on both occasions.

“Pat beat us in two Derbys–he beat us at The Curragh and at Epsom,” O’Brien said. “We did everything in our power for that not to happen, but he had it worked out and had the power, the courage, the skill and the determination to make it happen. We’re so delighted that he experienced those days.”

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Magical Could Target Breeders’ Cup After Defeating Ghaiyyath In Irish Champion Stakes

If you get into a battle with Magical you better bring everything you've got because she's a formidable force and proved it once more in this weekend's Irish Champion Stakes, writes Bradley West.

Having been beaten by fierce rival and pre-race favorite Ghaiyyath at York last month, the five-year-old mare exacted revenge by winning a straight fight against Charlie Appleby's star in the showpiece race on Day One of Longines Irish Champions Weekend.

The victory, Magical's second consecutive success in the 1m2f bout, means Aidan O'Brien extends his record as the leading trainer in the race with his ninth triumph.

But O'Brien reserved all his praise for the sire of Galileo highlighting how, in the heat of battle, there are very few better than her.

“What she wants is to always eyeball a horse in battle,” O'Brien said. “Seamie [Heffernan] was happy to make the running today, if William [Buick] was going to go then Seamus was going to go and keep her interested. He gave her a brilliant ride.

“She's one serious mare, when you get into a battle with her. It's really when you get into a battle with her when you really see what she can do.

“We're learning about her all the time. If you get away from her she gets a bit lazy, if you get into a fight with her very few will eyeball her. That's what she did with the colt.

“She's a great filly. It wasn't a big field but my god they were good horses in it.”

Ever the fast starter, Ghaiyyath took to the front in the early running deploying his legendary cruising speed to good effect.

But it didn't take long for O'Brien duo Magical and Japan to enter the fray, as the front three pulled away from the rest.

With not long to go it became a straight shootout between Magical and Ghaiyyath, one which saw Buick ease O'Brien's star away to double up at Leopardstown.

The victory gave veteran Seamie Heffernan another high-profile success in what has been an outstanding season for the 48-year-old.

Having already won the Irish 1,000 Guineas with Peaceful and the Irish Derby with Santiago in 2020, Heffernan crowned a third prestigious Irish showpiece win of the year – with the focus now turning to a potential crack at the Breeders' Cup.

O'Brien added: “We were very happy after York with what she was able to do. She just lost interest a little bit.

“I think so [she'll have a crack at the Breeders Cup]. Something like that would suit her really well.

“But this is a massive race. Of all the European races, prestige-wise, this is probably one of the most, if not the most.

“It's the highest rating race over a ten-year period and it comes out on top of all the races. All the high rating horses turn up here.

“It's the perfect place on the calendar, the perfect ground, the perfect mile and a quarter the perfect distance.”

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GSW Sergei Prokofiev to Stand at Whitsbury Manor

Group winner Sergei Prokofiev (Scat Daddy-Orchard Beach, by Tapit) will stand at Whitsbury Manor Stud in 2021 after an agreement was reached with Coolmore Stud, the UK nursery announced on Monday. A fee has not yet been set.

Bred in Ontario by Anderson Farms Inc., he caught the eye of MV Magnier at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, who went to $1.1 million to secure the son of Orchard Beach. Named a ‘TDN Rising Star’after graduating by 7 1/2 lengths at Navan at second asking for Aidan O’Brien and a Coolmore partnership in April of 2018, he added a win at listed level at Naas a month later and was a solid third in the G2 Coventry S. behind Calyx (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and subsequent three-time Group1 winner Advertise (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) that June. In October of 2018, he scored in the G3 Cornwallis S. His record stands at four wins from 13 starts and $181,145 in earnings.

“We are immensely excited to stand Sergei Prokofiev,” said Whitsbury Manor Stud Director Ed Harper. “His turn of foot in the Cornwallis S. at Newmarket really had to be seen to be believed and his performance at Royal Ascot put him firmly alongside the season’s best 2-year-olds. He is an imposing individual typical of his sire Scat Daddy with an exaggerated athletic walk who will offer our clients an extremely commercial option for next season.”

Sergei Prokofiev’s dam is a half-sister to GIII Hollywood Juvenile Championship S. victress Necessary Evil (Harlan’s Holiday), while this is the extended family of GI Spinaway S. heroine Over All (Mr. Prospector). His half-sister by Medaglia d’Oro (hip 319) sold for $1.6 million to Shadwell during the second day of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale on Monday.

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