Dermot Weld | Horse Racing Free Tips

Tarnawa Back With a Bang at Leopardstown

Leading up to Thursday's G3 Grant Thornton Ballyroan S. at Leopardstown, Dermot Weld raised concerns that star distaffer Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal)) may not be as forward as in previous years, but His Highness The Aga Khan's 5-year-old showed little sign of ring-rustiness and plundered the Foxrock card's 12-furlong feature by daylight. The homebred chestnut enjoyed a banner 2020 season, going unbeaten through a four-race campaign which included wins in the G1 Prix Vermeille, G1 Prix de l'Opera and GI Breeders' Cup Turf. Sent postward as the heavily backed 1-2 favourite, she was settled several lengths off the pace, with just one rival behind, in seventh until improving to go fifth at halfway. Making smooth headway on the bridle in the straight, Tarnawa cruised to the front approaching the final furlong and lengthened clear in imperious fashion to easily account for the overmatched Silence Please (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) by 6 1/2 lengths. Silence Please, in turn, finished 13 lengths clear of the remainder headed by Hector de Maris (Ire) (Camelot {GB}).

“It was her first run back after a long absence and, as you could see, she was carrying a few kilos extra compared to last year,” said trainer Dermot Weld. “I had to be extra careful with her, after the wonderful dry spell that we've had, and my only concern was that I may have left her a little too short. She has not been away to a racetrack and has done all her work at home. I'd love to have got her away about two weeks ago. but it just wasn't possible. She has been training extremely well and has probably strengthened since last year. She just cruised there and I thought she was very impressive. It was always the plan to start here or the [G3] Give Thanks in Cork which she has won the last two years. The forecast was for plenty of rain in Cork so I thought it might be more prudent to come here. It was a very true run race. She is a wonderful mare as she won the Breeders' Cup on firm ground and at Longchamp on heavy.” Looking ahead to targets later in the season, the trainer added, “The [G1 Prix de l'] Arc [de Triomphe] is the plan and the main reason for keeping her in training, while the [G1] Irish Champion probably fits into the programme. The [G1] Prix Vermeille would be a possibility, but the Irish Champion is probably favourite for her next race. This year's crop of horses look outstanding and she has joined an outstanding team of horses to look forward to in the Autumn.”

Tarnawa, half-sister to a yearling filly by Siyouni (Fr), is the first of three foals bred from MSW dual G3 Curragh Cup third Tarana (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), herself the leading performer produced by G3 Noblesse S. third Tarakala (Ire) (Dr Fong). Tarakala is the best horse out of Listed Oyster S. second Tarakana (Shahrastani), who in turn is the leading representative of Tarafa (Ire) (Akarad {Fr}). Tarafa is a half-sister to five black-type winners headed by G3 Princess Royal S. victress Tashtiya (Ire) (Shergar {GB}), G3 Prix Messidor victor Tassmoun (Kalamoun {GB}) and Listed Chester S. winner Tarikhana (Ire) (Mouktar {Ire}), who in turn is the dam of G1 Prix Royal-Oak hero Tiraaz (Lear Fan). Tarafa is also kin to the dam G1 Phoenix S. heroine Damson (Ire) (Entrepreneur {GB}).

Thursday, Leopardstown, Ireland
GRANT THORNTON BALLYROAN S.-G3, €50,000, Leopardstown, 8-5, 3yo/up, 12fT, 2:36.45, yl/sf.
1–TARNAWA (IRE), 133, m, 5, by Shamardal
1st Dam: Tarana (Ire) (MSW & GSP-Ire, $141,525), by Cape Cross (Ire)
2nd Dam: Tarakala (Ire), by Dr Fong
3rd Dam: Tarakana, by Shahrastani
O-H H Aga Khan; B-H H The Aga Khan's Studs SC (IRE); T-Dermot Weld; J-Colin Keane. €30,000. Lifetime Record: Hwt. Older Mare-Eur at 11-14f, Hwt. Older Mare-Fr at 9.5-11f, MG1SW-Fr & GISW-US, 15-9-2-2, $2,959,177. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Silence Please (Ire), 133, f, 4, Gleneagles (Ire)–Crazy Volume (Ire), by Machiavellian. (27,000gns Ylg '18 TAOCT). O-Gary Barber & Team Valor International LLC; B-Lynch Bages Ltd & Camas Park Stud (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington. €10,000.
3–Hector de Maris (Ire), 126, c, 3, Camelot (GB)–Frequential (GB), by Dansili (GB). O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Lynch Bages Ltd & Longfield Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €5,000.
Margins: 6HF, 13, HF. Odds: 0.50, 6.50, 12.00.
Also Ran: Benaud (Ire), Taipan (Fr), Questionare (GB), Seattle Sound (Ire), Effernock Fizz (Ire). Scratched: Layfayette (Ire), Wembley (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Breeders’ Cup Champ Tarnawa Returns

The Aga Khan's G1 Prix Vermeille, G1 Prix de l'Opera and GI Breeders' Cup Turf heroine Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal) takes the 2021 flat season up another level on Thursday as she sets foot on a racecourse for the first time since her brilliant success at Keeneland. Bidding to repeat last year's comeback win when handing Cayenne Pepper (Ire) (Australia {GB}) and Passion (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) 11 pounds weight-for-age in the G3 Give Thanks S. at Cork last August, the 5-year-old evades a penalty due to the conditions of the 12-furlong G3 Grant Thornton Ballyroan S. at Leopardstown. Trainer Dermot Weld said he believes the homebred may be more in need of her return than 12 months ago. “We're very, very happy with her. The only thing is she's done herself extremely well through the summer and she's just carrying a bit more than I'd like condition-wise for her first run,” he explained. “It worked really successfully for her last year and I thought we'd kind of follow a similar pattern, but possibly because we've had a very, very dry and warm summer in Ireland and the ground has been pretty firm I would have liked to have got a bit more work into her. I'm happy with the filly physically and mentally and I suppose she's bigger and stronger in many ways, but I just want to warn I would like to have her a shade fitter than she is going into the race. Last year I had her very forward and she put up an excellent performance at Cork and won her group race well. She's in great form again this year, but possibly not quite as advanced in her training. It's a long road all the way into November, so we're 'hasting slowly'.”

Tackling Tarnawa is J P McManus's 3-year-old colt Benaud (Ire) (Australia {GB}), who was fourth in the G2 Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot last time June 16, but to give a sense of context he is the next-best rated in the race and still 19 pounds off her level. The day's other significant black-type event comes at Deauville in the Listed Prix Arqana Prix de Tourgeville, where Godolphin's G3 Autumn S. winner and G1 Futurity Trophy runner-up One Ruler (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) looks for a confidence boost having finished sixth in the G1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and in the June 5 G1 Epsom Derby and run into Baaeed (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) when third in the Listed Sir Henry Cecil S. on Newmarket's July course last time July 8.

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Frankel Filly A New Rising Star At Leopardstown

Thursday's Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden at Leopardstown saw the latest TDN Rising Star for Frankel (GB) in Moyglare Stud's Homeless Songs (Ire) as the homebred made an impressive winning debut for the Dermot Weld stable. A half-sister to this year's Listed Orby S. winner Reve de Vol (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}), the bay who holds an entry in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. was settled towards the rear early by Oisin Orr. Making eyecatching progress around the outer to get within hailing distance of the leaders passing halfway, the 8-1 shot devoured the ground in the straight to overhaul the solid yardstick Agartha (Ire) (Caravaggio) with half a furlong remaining before staying on powerfully to score by two lengths. There was another length back to another filly with experience in a decent maiden in Smile of Love (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}), with Ballydoyle's Twinkle (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the full-sister to Anthony Van Dyck (Ire), coming home in fifth.

“It was impressive,” Weld said of the 15th TDN Rising Star for her sire. “She's been working very nicely at home and I thought she'd be tough to beat on the day, but inexperience had to be a concern first time. She was green early on and Oisin took his time on her, which was the plan. She could be very talented. The Moyglare would be the plan for her and we'll maybe have one start between now and then. She's a lovely, beautifully-bred filly and she's a stayer with speed. Please God there is plenty to look forward to.”

Bred on the same cross as Adayar (Ire) and the afternoon's Newmarket maiden winner Frankella (GB), as well as the smart Dream Castle (GB) and Mostahdaf (Ire), Homeless Songs is the second foal out of the talented Joailliere (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) who also scored at the first time of asking by seven lengths as a 3-year-old over this trip at Gowran Park in 2015. Pitched straight into the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas, she was a touch over-awed in ninth there before going on to place in the G3 Concorde S., G3 Park Express S. and G3 Gladness S. and win the Listed Frankfurt Sprint Trophy. Her aforementioned first foal Reve de Vol had been third in last year's G2 Champions Juvenile S. before winning the Orby over 10 furlongs and is expected to stay a mile and a half by the Ger Lyons stable.

Joailliere's unraced dam Majestic Silver (Ire) (Linamix {Fr}) also produced the G3 Dance Design S. and G3 Meld S. scorer Carla Bianca (Ire) (Dansili {GB}), who was also twice a winner at listed level and fourth in the 2013 G1 Moyglare Stud S., and the G2 Beresford S. runner-up True Solitaire (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}). She is out of the listed winner Diamond Trim (Ire) (Highest Honor {Fr}), dam of the star stayer Profound Beauty (Ire) (Danehill) whose winning exploits included seven black-type contests and who was also runner-up in the G1 Irish St Leger. Her daughter of Dubawi, Rose de Pierre (Ire), was a dual listed winner and runner-up in the G3 Athasi S. Diamond Trim is out of Moyglare's gold-mine mare In Anticipation (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), linking her to the luminaries Irresistible Jewel (Ire) (Danehill), Princess Highway (Street Cry {Ire}), Royal Diamond (Ire) (King's Best) and Mad About You (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}). Joailliere's yearling colt is by Sea the Stars (Ire), while she also has a 2021 full-brother to the winner.

1st-Leopardstown, €16,500, Mdn, 7-8, 2yo, f, 7fT, 1:30.58, gd.
HOMELESS SONGS (IRE), f, 2, Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Joailliere (Ire) (Hwt. Older Mare-Ger at 5-7f, SW-Ger, MGSP-Ire), by Dubawi (Ire)
2nd Dam: Majestic Silver (Ire), by Linamix (Fr)
3rd Dam: Diamond Trim (Ire), by Highest Honor (Fr)
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $11,674. O/B-Moyglare Stud Farm (IRE); T-Dermot Weld. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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‘Song’ Out of Vintage Crop Due to Ground

Group 1 winner Search For a Song (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), a dual G1 Irish St Leger heroine, will not participate in Sunday's G3 Vintage Crop S. due to unsuitable weather and ground. The 5-year-old was most recently in action on Oct. 17, running second in the G2 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup.

“We hoped to run Search For A Song in the Vintage Crop on Sunday and while she has never been better in her life, with the dry weather and ground we couldn't take the chance running her,” said Kris Weld, assistant to his father Dermot. “We'll wait for another few weeks and see.”

Sear For a Song's stablemate Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal), who produced a thrilling turn of foot to capture the GI Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland in November, is also in good form. However, the Aga Khan homebred does not have a definite reappearance date yet. She won all four starts in 2020, starting with the Aug. 8 G3 Give Thanks S. followed by the G1 Qatar Prix Vermeille on Sept. 13 and the Oct. 4 G1 Prix de l'Opera Longines prior to her Keeneland score.

“Tarnawa is very well. There isn't really a plan with her yet, and boring and all as it sounds, we'll be guided by her,” said Weld. “She is still on her break, but will be back shortly.

“The reason she is being kept in training is to have a go at the Arc and we'll see if she's up to it or not–please God she is.”

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