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The Curragh: All Eyes on City Of Troy in the National

While the G1 Irish St Leger is officially the feature race on The Curragh's second part of the Irish Champions Festival, Sunday's fixture is really first and foremost about Ballydoyle's TDN Rising Star City Of Troy (Justify) who graces the G1 Goffs Vincent O'Brien National S. Of all the stable's 2-year-old stars over the past 25 years, he already looks at home accompanying the same metaphoric space as the likes of Johannesburg, Fasliyev, Air Force Blue, Hawk Wing, Rock Of Gibraltar (Ire) and Little Big Bear (Ire) which is an astonishing statement based on just two runs.

The second of City Of Troy's outings in a renewal of the G2 Superlative S. which contained some smart types including the subsequent G2 Vintage S. winner Haatem (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}) marked him out in terms of stride pattern and sectionals as a rare jewel. Extremely rare. It will be a shock if he is overturned so early with conditions likely to suit and there is every chance we will witness another Hawk Wing or Pinatubo moment in this esteemed race despite the trainer's reservations as to his condition.

“He's a good bit heavier than he was at Newmarket, as he's done very well so that's a little bit of a worry but he's ready for his start-back run of the autumn and everyone is very happy with him,” Aidan O'Brien said. “I'd imagine he'll come forward for the run.”

Whatever happens here, we will find out just how good City Of Troy is with Bucanero Fuerte (GB) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in attendance. While he could not match Ballydoyle's River Tiber (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in Royal Ascot's G2 Coventry S., Amo Racing and Giselle De Aguiar's kingpin has gone from strength-to-strength in the meantime and improved off a narrow G2 Railway S. win to inflict a four-length defeat on the G3 Albany S. scorer Porta Fortuna (Ire) (Caravaggio) in the G1 Phoenix S. last month. Whether seven furlongs is his bag remains to be seen and the long-striding favourite will be testing that premise for sure.

Bucanero Fuerte's trainer Adrian Murray is living the dream. “He seems to be getting better and better–it's hard to believe,” he said. “He looks like a horse that's going to train on, he's a big, long scopey horse and has a beautiful mind. He's thriving with racing and hopefully he keeps it going.”

Aidan O'Brien is suggesting at present that he is also going to run fellow TDN Rising Star Henry Longfellow (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), with the son of Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) there also as ample back-up should the rains come. Reportedly underwhelming compared to his homework when taking the course-and-distance G2 Futurity S. last month, this experience will do him no harm based on the workrate of his dam, who first showed her raw material when winning this card's G1 Moyglare Stud S. back in 2015.

Kyprios | Scoop Dyga

Welcome Back Kyprios…

The Irish St Leger is short on numbers and depth in terms of group 1 talent, but it does at least see the near-miraculous comeback of the badly-stricken Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). While he has a 344-day absence to overcome, such was his dominion in 2022 that it is possible he could pick up the thread where he left off with that remarkable performance in the G1 Prix du Cadran. It is hard to say whether that errant 20-length romp rates higher than his defeat of Hamish (GB) (Motivator {GB}) in this or his thrilling denial of Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the G1 Goodwood Cup, but all three victories along with his first G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot place him alongside Ballydoyle's great stayers. Only stablemate Emily Dickinson (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the G1 St Leger hero Eldar Eldarov (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) can get anywhere in the same vicinity in terms of class, so a 90% Kyprios might still be good enough.

Aidan O'Brien spoke earnestly on Saturday of the ordeal of getting Kyprios back to the track. “I can't believe he's here,” he said. “It's not that long ago that I didn't think he was going to make it, so all credit to the team–he had to be taught to walk, trot and canter again his injury was that bad. The intensity of his training has got stronger and stronger and it is testament to his constitution that he is going to run. You'd be afraid of your life watching him and I don't know if it is possible to win a race like this from where he is. Emily Dickinson needs rain, even though we have run her on faster ground and there are showers around. It's just whether they come or not.”

Moyglare Stud's Fiona Craig added of Kyprios, “He's just a bigger horse than he was before and I think they've gone steadily with him because of the injury, but I don't think Aidan would be running him if he didn't think he was going to run well. It will just be great to see him back at the races because he's a very popular horse, there's more people ask me about Kyprios than anything else we own! He's the horse that wherever you are in the world, people ask you about the big chestnut horse.”

Ylang Ylang Poised For Moyglare Test…

Saturday's action confirmed that Ballydoyle's juvenile team seem even more formidable than usual in 2023 and it is up to the unbeaten TDN Rising Star Ylang Ylang (GB) (Frankel {GB}) to uphold the fillies' end in the G1 Moyglare Stud S., a qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Juveniel Fillies. The 1.5 million Tatts Book 1 sensation could do no more than beat Al Shira'aa Farms' subsequent G2 Debutante S. winner Vespertilio (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) in the G3 Silver Flash S. at Leopardstown in July, but she might need to raise her level again here judged on the runner-up's rate of progression in the interim.

Vespertilio's trainer Willie McCreery is happy to re-engage. “The going is down as good for Sunday and it may well quicken up a bit before her race, but it was similar ground last month,” he said. “Ylang Ylang is the obvious one we've got to beat, but if you're not in it, you can't win it. We'll just let Billy see how the race pans out before he decides how to take things, but we're looking forward to it, that's for sure.”

There is also the aforementioned G3 Albany S. winner and G1 Phoenix S. runner-up Porta Fortuna and Clipper Logistics' impressive G3 Sweet Solera S. scorer Fallen Angel (GB) (Too Darn Hot {GB}) to contend with, along with the sponsors' dark horse Red Viburnum (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) to consider. She showed up well when third on debut in a decent course-and-distance conditions race last month and it is significant that Dermot Weld is pitching her in at this level so soon in the race he would so love to win for the owner-breeders.

“She's come on for her first run, when she ran very well,” Moyglare's Fiona Craig commented. “To give Chris Hayes his due, he dropped her in behind and taught her and I've seen her work since and she worked much sharper. I think it was more greenness than anything and it took a few strides for the penny to drop, but she galloped out way beyond the others at the end. She'll have moved on a bit since then, whether she's moved on enough to win this race is another matter, but all you can do is compete and see.”

Highfield Princess | Scoop Dyga

Highfield Princess Flying…

Despite the obvious kudos that Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) carries around with her, The Curragh's G1 Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Flying Five S. is no penalty kick for last year's winner with her G1 King's Stand S. conqueror Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) in action along with another compatriot in Art Power (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}). This ground is quick enough for John Quinn's star mare and Art Power's quirky yet formidable 100% record in Ireland really is something to behold. Just witness his emphatic latest win in the course-and-distance G2 Sapphire S. for the evidence of what he can do when in the zone.

Quinn is aware of the challenge in this “Win and You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. “It's a tough race and Bradsell is in it and Tim Easterby's horse who is absolutely dynamite at the Curragh and then there are a few others as well, but we're happy with our filly,” he said. “The Curragh suited her last year, so I hope it suits her again on Sunday. Everything has been fine since York and it's great to have an animal like her. She wears it on her sleeve and we're looking forward to Sunday.”

Alastair Donald, racing manager for Art Power's owners King Power Racing, said, “He seems to have a bit of a love affair with Ireland and seems to find a key couple of lengths over there. He has often been a length short in group ones over here and we're looking forward to seeing him. The ground should be fine and he has a good draw, but obviously Bradsell and Highfield Princess make it a very strong renewal. Without being rude to the others, it looks to be between the three of them and if he can show his previous Irish form, he has to be a live contender.”

Blue Rose Cen Back In The Vermeille…

Away from the Irish Champions Festival, ParisLongchamp's Arc Trials card sees the return of Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) in the G1 Qatar Prix Vermeille as she moves up to a mile and a half for the first time. Looking as if it would suit when a close-up fourth in a tactically-compromising running of the G1 Nassau S. at Goodwood last time, Yeguada Centurion's G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and G1 Prix de Diane heroine has the pedigree to last and the heart for it also. Whether she can cope with the G1 Yorkshire Oaks heroine Warm Heart (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is another matter given that Ballydoyle raider's effectiveness on a fast surface and their clash is eagerly-anticipated.

Christopher Head said of Blue Rose Cen, “We are trying her over a distance that is very different from the beginning just to see what we will do in the future. We need to see what she can do over 2400 metres to be sure about what we do over the next year. There is still the possibility she will get supplemented for the Arc. That will all depend on the result of the Vermeille and her aptitude over that kind of distance.”

Aidan O'Brien said of Warm Heart, “She's in good form and her last run at York was very good. She likes nice, fast ground and she's very comfortable at a mile and a half so we're looking forward to seeing her run again. She probably won't run get to run in this part of the world after Sunday, as the ground might get soft so she might head for the Breeders' Cup, if everything went well.”

Arc Picture To Become Clearer…

It is hard to imagine at present with the sun so intense and the temperatures so high, but ParisLongchamp's autumn showcase is just around the corner and Sunday's card will start to set the tone. The G2 Qatar Prix Foy, which has produced just the one Arc winner this century, sees a fascinating clash between two lively outsiders for the main event in Iresine (Fr) (Manduro {Ger})–successful in this 12 months ago before adding an eclectic mix of the G1 Prix Royal-Oak and G1 Prix Ganay to his tally–and last year's G1 Prix de l'Opera heroine Place Du Carrousel (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}). The G2 Qatar Prix Niel looks hotter, with Jean-Louis Bouchard's G1 Grand Prix de Paris hero Feed The Flame (GB) (Kingman {GB}) at the moment a genuine frontline contender for the big one. He will be compromised if this gets as tactical as it often does, with the G1 Deutsches Derby winner Fantastic Moon (Ger) (Sea The Moon {Ger}) and the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains winner Marhaba Ya Sanafi (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) adding intrigue.

The post The Curragh: All Eyes on City Of Troy in the National appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Choice Offerings From Owenstown Stud

John Tuthill wouldn't be the type to shout from the rooftops about the racetrack successes of the graduates of his Owenstown Stud. But, then again, he doesn't have to–the horses have done the talking themselves.

From a band of about 15 broodmares of his own, Tuthill bred two winners of the G1 Queen Elizabeth S. in the space of five years: Excelebration (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) in the Derrick Smith silks in 2012 and the filly Persuasive (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) for Cheveley Park Stud in 2017. He also bred G2 Futurity S. winner and sire Dragon Pulse (Ire), and Dark Angel's Group 3-winning sprinter Art Power (Ire). Tuthill raised and sold last year's G1 Middle Park S. winner Supremacy (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}) for breeder Kangyu International Racing, and evergreen Group 2 winner Safe Voyage (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) for breeder Adolf Schneider.

Tuthill brings a boutique draft of three under the Owenstown Stud banner for the Sept. 28 and 29 Goffs Orby yearling sale, all from families he has nurtured for the better part of 15 years.

Lot 408, a daughter of Dark Angel, is a February-foaled full-sister to Persuasive and a half to the listed-winning and multiple Group 3-placed Tisbutadream (Ire) (Dream Ahead) and Creative Force (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), winner of this year's G3 Jersey S. at Royal Ascot for Godolphin.

“She's typical of the family,” Tuthill said. “She has an absolutely sweet nature; I've had quite a lot of the family and it's something about that family, they have a fantastic nature. They give everything they can and yet they're very easy and pleasant to work with. She's an absolute joy to have around.

“It's not a family of great big specimens. When you think of Creative Force, he isn't very big. She's a little bigger than him, but it's the attitude that they have. And she's nicely proportioned and correct.”

All of Choose Me's seven prior foals have sold as yearlings, and five of those were at Orby. Creative Force's €400,000 pricetag when Godolphin bought out a foal share agreement was the most expensive. Persuasive cost €180,000 at Kildare Paddocks, and Tisbutadream €100,000. Choose Me's current 2-year-old, the as-yet unraced Mr Zero (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), was bought by SackvilleDonald for 100,000gns, and that firm has been great supporters of the mare: they purchased Choose Me's 2016 son of Slade Power (Ire), Songkran (Ire), for €100,000 from Orby and he won six times. They also purchased Tisbutadream from the 2017 Goffs London Sale for £400,000 for King Power Racing off a third-place finish in the G3 Princess Elizabeth S.

It is hard to deny that Choose Me has been an excellent producer; all six of her foals to race have won at least once, with two having none short of six wins on their CVs.

Choose Me was bred by Owenstown out of the Juddmonte-bred mare Hecuba (GB) (Hector Protector). Put through the Tattersalls December sale after winning once for trainer Barry Hills, Hecuba was picked up by McKeever St Lawrence for 27,000gns. Put in foal to Vettori (Ire), Hecuba was returned to Park Paddocks a year later and scooped up by Tuthill and his aunt, the late Averil Whitehead, for 48,000gns from the Kildaragh Stud consignment.

“She has been fantastic,” Tuthill said. “She's produced stakes horses–Choose Me is her best one so far-and she's still producing.”

Choose Me was Hecuba's second foal, and Tuthill explained how she came to stay under Owenstown's care.

“Choose Me was in the Fairyhouse sale and was injured and had to be withdrawn,” he said. “My aunt, Mrs. Whitehead, said she would race her with a 'for sale' sign around her neck. She was named Choose Me-she's by Choisir, which means to choose, but also if somebody came into Kevin Prendergast's yard looking to buy a horse, the name on the door would say, 'Choose Me.'”

Choose Me soon proved herself valuable enough to Owenstown that the 'for sale' sign was removed from her neck. She broke her maiden at two, won the Listed Fairy Bridge S. at three and won four times from 28 starts.

“She went up through the grades and proved herself to be very good indeed, and so we kept her and were happy to do so,” Tuthill said. “She's been great, she's produced Tisbutadream, Creative Force, Persuasive; they've all been good horses. Creative Force is running in Group 1s and just needs to get his head in front. He's not big in stature but no one has told him he's a small horse. When he has the tack on he's every bit as big as anybody else. He has a great attitude.”

The Dark Angel yearling filly is, sadly, the last foal out of Choose Me, who died last year. Tuthill is clearly reluctant to let her go, but such is business, especially in the wake of a difficult 2020 on account of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I'd love to keep her, but last year's yearling sales were not great, to put it mildly,” he said. “So I'm not in the position of being able to hold on to her. So unfortunately, sadly, I have to sell her even though she's the last of the Choose Me progeny.”

Owenstown still retains a few links to the family, however, with Choose Me's sisters Aphrodite's Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Spirit of Cuba (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) in the broodmare band. Hecuba has a colt foal by Starspangledbanner (Aus) and is back in foal to Mehmas.

Aphrodite's Angel's first foal, a grey colt by Kodiac, is in the Orby as lot 355, while Spirit of Cuba's sixth foal, an Iffraaj (GB) colt, is part of Owenstown's three-horse draft for Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

“Aphrodite's Angel has a very nice Kodiac colt,” Tuthill said. “He's a grey, he's strong, he's a good mover and straightforward. He's another one you'd like to be associated with.”

Owenstown's Orby consignment is completed by lot 169, a colt by Roaring Lion who is the third foal out of Owenstown's homebred G3 Ballyogan S. winner Penny Pepper (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}), who is a half-sister to Art Power. Like Choose Me, Penny Pepper descends from a Juddmonte family, her second dam Shadow Casting (GB) (Warning {GB}) having been a winner for Khalid Abdullah and Barry Hills. Tuthill bred Evening Time (Ire) (Keltos {Fr}) from Shadow Casting, and running under the ownership of Whitehead she won the 2006 Listed Flame Of Tara S. and the 2007 Listed Sweet Mimosa S. for Kevin Prendergast. That was just a year before Choose Me came onto the scene.

“Between Evening Time and Choose Me, those two fillies kept Mrs. Whitehead alive for another few years,” Tuthill said. “She was in the final years of her life and they gave her such excitement and such reason to keep going. It was great that even as she was becoming more frail she still had something to shout for. I can remember her being cautioned in hospital for making too much noise shouting at the television. She had a lot of fun with them and they've both been great producers.”

Penny Pepper and Art Power are two of Evening Time's three stakes winners; she is also responsible for the Listed Prix Ronde de Nuit winner Morning Frost (Ire) (Duke Of Marmalade {Ire}) and the American listed-placed Shaan (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}). Penny Pepper's first two foals, a 3-year-old filly by Dragon Pulse (Ire) named Penny Pulse (Ire) and a 2-year-old colt by Dark Angel (Ire) named The Grey Wolf (Ire), are as-yet unraced, but Tuthill said the Roaring Lion colt shows all the signs of being something good.

“He's got great presence–there's plenty of horse there,” he said. “He's very nice; a big, powerful colt. He's everything you'd hope to produce. He really has a look that says, 'come and look at me, I'm going to be something special.' It was such a shame that Roaring Lion himself had such a short life, because if the rest of his progeny are anything like my lad, he would have made such a mark on the pedigrees.”

Mares like Choose Me and Evening Time are key to shaping the modern history of Owenstown, which was established by Englishman Major Dickson in Maynooth, Co. Kildare shortly after the turn of the 20th century. Owenstown and Dickson's neighboring Moygaddy Stud were managed by Tuthill's grandfather Frank Tuthill. When Major Dickson opted to return to England in the midst of the political unrest in Ireland, he offered Frank Tuthill the opportunity to buy his studs. Tuthill could only afford one and chose Owenstown, and he soon embarked on a highly successful run as a breeder in his own right. The most famous Thoroughbred produced at Owenstown under Frank Tuthill's tutelage was the Oaks and 1000 Guineas winner Musidora, while other Classic winners reared there during that time period included Indiana, Humble Duty and Cavan. Frank Tuthill later handed Owenstown off to his niece, Averil Whitehead, who bred the likes of Indian Ridge-a dual Royal Ascot winner and influential sire-and G3 Rockfel S. winner Negligent in the early days of her Owenstown reign. Whitehead remained keenly involved in the running of the stud until her death in 2010.

“Mrs. Whitehead handed it over to me 25 years ago and I ran it very much with her until she died and I've continued on myself,” Tuthill said. “My core business is breeding and selling yearlings, but I also board mares, either long term, permanent boarders or some short term ones through the breeding season. We would foal about 50 mares and we'd have some mares that would come in to visit Irish stallions.”

In addition to his Orby and Tattersalls Book 2 drafts, Tuthill has yearlings to sell at this week's Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale as well as the Goffs Sportsman's Sale and Tattersalls October Book 3. He said he is hoping to go some way toward healing the damage done during last year's pandemic-ravaged season.

“I'm expecting the market to be stronger than last year,” he said. “My perception is that people want to shake off the horrors of Covid and I think there is an appetite to buy some horses and get racing again and try to get the normality and the enjoyment out of the sport. I hope that positivity is reflected in good yearling prices and certainly I'm hoping I have a good year to in some way make up for last year.”

With a select group of yearlings by commercial sires from current top-class female families, there is every reason to believe the shrewdest buyers should be shopping at Owenstown Stud.

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De Sousa Returns From Three-Month Absence

Former champion jockey Silvestre de Sousa will be back in the saddle on Wednesday when he rides the Richard Hannon-trained Always Fearless (Ire) (Camacho {GB}) for his retained owner King Power Racing in a Lingfield handicap. De Sousa hasn't been seen on raceday for three months-a planned shoulder operation in December was delayed after the Brazilian contracted Covid-19.

“I'm really looking forward to getting back at it–it's been a while,” De Sousa said. “At the time I was supposed to have my operation I caught Covid, and by the time I was better, they then couldn't do it for a few more weeks. Basically I missed my whole winter, so it was frustrating. I was planning to rehab and then go to Hong Kong and Dubai before the season starts here.

“On the other side I've spent a lot more time with my family than I would usually, so that has been nice. It's been different, but good to spend the winter at home for a change. I can build myself back up to full fitness before the season really begins. Last season I was in a bit of pain most days–now I should be back to normal.”

De Sousa said King Power's 4-year-old Art Power (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) is among the horses he is looking forward to this season. The grey won the Palace Of Holyroodhouse H. at Royal Ascot and the G3 Lacken S. last summer before finishing fourth in both the G1 Sprint Cup and G1 British Champions Sprint S.

“When you look at the races he ran last year when he was just a 3-year-old, being beaten just a length on Champions Day, you'd have to think he can improve again,” De Sousa said.

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