Order of Australia Dominates The Minstrel

Enjoying a step back to seven furlongs for the first time, Ballydoyle's GI Breeders' Cup Mile hero Order of Australia (Ire) (Australia {GB}) made all to get back on track in Sunday's G2 Romanised Minstrel S. at The Curragh. Eighth on his return in Royal Ascot's G1 Queen Anne S. June 15, the 2-1 favourite was always comfortable using his stride in front and Ryan Moore's body language told all as he easily held off Njord (Ire) (Roderic O'Connor {Ire}) to score by 1 1/4 lengths. “His first run this year at Ascot was just a bit of a mess, as they jumped out and they hacked. It was the first time we decided to sit him in, being his first run of the year,” Aidan O'Brien commented. “He has plenty of speed and he's able to quicken. He is very straightforward. He's made like a sprinter/miler and at halfway he really started to turn it on. He's a horse that takes his racing well, so we were thinking of coming here and then going for the [July 28 G1] Sussex Stakes [at Goodwood]. He's a horse to look forward to and can go to America later in the year and maybe races after that as well.”

Campaigned over middle distances until his visit to Keeneland, Order of Australia took a highly unusual path to the Breeders' Cup Mile having won conditions events over 10 1/2 furlongs and 12 furlongs on Dundalk's Polytrack and this venue respectively in September. Able to stretch out sufficiently to finish fourth in the G1 Irish Derby in June, the bay who was sixth in the G1 Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin in December has been something of an enigma as far as trip is concerned but has now found his metier and will shape a different proposition taking on Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}) and Poetic Flare (Ire) (Dawn Approach {Ire}) in the Sussex.

Order of Australia's dam Senta's Dream (GB) (Danehill) is nothing short of a sensation, with two Breeders' Cup winners under her auspices including the Filly & Mare Turf heroine Iridessa (Ire) (Ruler of the World {Ire}) who also captured the G1 Fillies' Mile, G1 Pretty Polly S. and G1 Matron S. She may well have a third waiting in the wings, with last week's GI Belmont Oaks Invitational winner Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) looking for all the world a viable candidate for the meeting this year. Senta's Dream is one of only two foals out of another Filly & Mare Turf heroine in Starine (Fr) (Mendocino), who also annexed the GI Matriarch S. and GII Diana H.

Sunday, Curragh, Ireland
ROMANISED MINSTREL S.-G2, €100,000, Curragh, 7-18, 3yo/up, 7fT, 1:27.28, gd.
1–ORDER OF AUSTRALIA (IRE), 139, c, 4, by Australia (GB)
1st Dam: Senta's Dream (GB), by Danehill
2nd Dam: Starine (Fr), by Mendocino
3rd Dam: Grisonnante (Fr), by Kaldoun (Fr)
O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Mrs A M O'Brien; B-Whisperview Trading Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €60,000. Lifetime Record: Hwt. 3yo-Ire at 7-9.5f & GISW-US, 11-4-0-1, $1,232,016. *1/2 to Iridessa (Ire) (Ruler of the World {Ire}), MG1SW-Ire, G1SW-Eng & GISW-US, $1,988,198; and Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), GISW-US & G1SP-Ire, $491,612. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Njord (Ire), 136, g, 5, Roderic O'Connor (Ire)–Rosalind Franklin (GB), by Intikhab. (€1,000 Wlg '16 GOFNOV; €14,000 Ylg '17 TIRSEP; €54,000 3yo '19 GOFHIT). O-Blessingndisguise Partnership; B-Mrs Eithne McDonnell (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington. €20,000.
3–Power Under Me (Ire), 129, g, 3, Mehmas (Ire)–Oonagh (Ire), by Arakan. (€28,000 Wlg '18 GOFNOV). O-Vincent Gaul; B-Ms Barbel Reiss (IRE); T-Ger Lyons. €10,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 2HF, HF. Odds: 2.00, 7.50, 5.00.
Also Ran: Current Option (Ire), Ace Aussie (Ire), Thunder Beauty (Ire), Galtee Mist (Ire). Scratched: Military Style. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Concert Hall Targets Snowfall Maiden

Observations on the European Racing Scene turns the spotlight on the best European races of the day, highlighting well-pedigreed horses early in their careers, horses of note returning to action and young runners that achieved notable results in the sales ring. Sunday's Observations features a daughter of G1 Epsom Oaks heroine Was (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).
1.35 Curragh, Mdn, €16,500, 2yo, f, 7fT
CONCERT HALL (IRE) (Dubawi {Ire}) bids to build on a promising debut effort when second over what is probably an inadequate six-furlong trip at Fairyhouse 11 days previously in the maiden won 12 months ago by his stable's Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). The Smith/Magnier/Tabor/Westerberg representative, who is a daughter of the G1 Epsom Oaks heroine Was (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) from the family of New Approach (Ire), is joined by the fellow Ballydoyle runner Kiss You Later (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), an unraced daughter of the GI Santa Monica S. heroine Switch (Quiet American) who races for her breeder Moyglare Stud Farm and Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor.

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Powerscourt Dies In Turkey

G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup and GI Arlington Million winner Powerscourt (GB) (Sadler's Wells-Rainbow Lake {GB}, by Rainbow Quest) has died age 21 at the Jockey Club of Turkey after suffering a heart attack.

Bred by Juddmonte Farms out of its G3 Lancashire Oaks winner Rainbow Lake, Powerscourt's pedigree gained further pomp after his racing career was over when his half-sister Kind (Ire) (Danehill) produced the great Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and three-time Group 1 winner Noble Mission (GB) (Galileo {Ire}). Another half-sister, Riposte (GB) (Dansili {GB}), won a trio of Grade/Group 3s.

Powerscourt raced for Sue Magnier and finished second in the G1 Racing Post Trophy at two before taking the G2 Great Voltigeur S. at three and finishing third in the G1 Irish St Leger. He won the Tattersalls Gold Cup on his 4-year-old debut and was placed that season in the G1 Prince of Wales's S., G1 Dallmayr-Preis Bayerisches Zuchtrennen, G1 Irish Champion S. and GI Breeders' Cup Turf. He wrapped up his career with a victory in the Arlington Million over American turf champion Kitten's Joy the following season at five.

Powerscourt entered stud at Coolmore's Ashford Stud in Kentucky, where he sired GI Turf Classic scorer Finnegans Wake and G1 Moyglare Stud S. victress Termagant. He also sired two Group 1 winners in South America from a stint shuttling to Chile. Powerscourt was sold to the Jockey Club of Turkey in 2010, and has sired 108 winners and three internationally-recognized stakes winners there. He has sired a total of 21 stakes winners.

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Deep Impact’s Snowfall Routs The Irish Oaks Field

It was a mere 8 1/2-length margin on Saturday as Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) read the script to become the 15th filly to follow up her G1 Epsom Oaks success in The Curragh's G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks. Always travelling comfortably in fourth under Ryan Moore, the 2-7 favourite coasted to the lead two out and powered clear in now-customary fashion to put safe distance between her and stablemate Divinely (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), with Nicest (Ire) (American Pharoah) half a length back in third. While there was no repeat of her astounding 16-length victory in the June 4 Classic, this still represented another impressive marker laid down to the rest of Europe's middle-distance leaders by Ballydoyle's latest sensation. “She's a high-class filly, is straightforward and she has done what she was entitled to do,” commented Ryan Moore, who after a barren spell was bringing up a fourth group 1 or grade I win for the stable in five in the space of two weeks. “We went a good honest pace and we had to fight for a little bit of room off the bend, but she has plenty of class. She has done nothing wrong this year and is very exciting. I wouldn't say anything is too much of a problem for this filly.”

Breaking her maiden in the seven-furlong maiden at this meeting 12 months ago, having almost been brought down when clipping heels on her second start over the same course and distance, Snowfall gradually slipped down the pecking order with four efforts hardly screaming dual Classic winner at three. Fourth in Leopardstown's G3 Silver Flash S. and fifth in the G2 Debutante S. here in August, she was ninth in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. in September prior to running eighth when mistaken for Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in the G1 Fillies' Mile at Newmarket in October. Amazingly, she was 14-1 when dismissing the much-vaunted pair of Noon Star (Galileo {Ire}) and Teona (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in the G3 Musidora S. over an extended 10 furlongs at York May 12 and passed over by Moore in favour of Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) in the Oaks and it was Frankie Dettori who enjoyed the long-to-be-remembered cruise through the Epsom feature as a result.

Anything other than an emphatic win here would have been questioned and Snowfall did not disappoint to provide Aidan O'Brien with a sixth renewal to take him level with Sir Michael Stoute for the record. “She's very smart and she has a lot of quality,” he said. “We purposely let her down a little bit from Epsom, because the season is going to roll on and it was soft ground there. The plan was to come here, go on to the [G1] Yorkshire Oaks [at York Aug. 19] and then she'd be ready for the autumn. I'm delighted with her and she's done very well from Epsom physically, she's got very big and strong. Ryan said she has a lot of speed. She goes very strong and she finishes out very well.”

Reflecting on last term, the master of Rosegreen added, “She's a filly that always had a lot of natural ability and we had to get her to relax a little bit, so we didn't worry too much about it as we were always concentrating on switching her off. Things went against her. Her first run was over five-and-a-half furlongs in Navan and Mother Earth was second. Then she came back here to a maiden and Seamus nearly fell off her. That's why it took a few runs to win a maiden and it might have been a blessing in disguise, as she became very mature and grown up from it mentally. Because she was busy early in the season it might have took it's toll at the end of the season, even though she was perfect mentally. She and Mother Earth ran in the Fillies' Mile and we were nearly siding with her over Mother Earth. That's what we always thought of her. We always thought fast ground was her thing and I was very worried in Epsom about her with that ground.”

Bred in the purple she carries, Snowfall is the first foal out of Best In the World (Ire) by the much-missed Galileo (Ire) whose two successes came in the G3 Give Thanks S. and the Listed Silken Glider S. and who was also runner-up in the G2 Blandford S. She is a full-sister to the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and GI Breeders' Cup Turf heroine Found (Ire), who the winner could stand comparison with in time, as well as the G3 Weld Park S. winner Magical Dream (Ire) and the G3 Flame of Tara S. scorer Divinely (Ire) who was third in the Epsom Oaks and runner-up here. Found is in turn the dam of last year's G2 Vintage S. and Listed Chesham S. winner and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf and G1 St James's Palace S.-placed Battleground (War Front). The second dam is the G1 Lockinge S. and G1 Matron S. heroine Red Evie (Ire) (Intikhab). Best In the World has the unraced 2-year-old full-brother to Snowfall named Newfoundland (Ire) and a yearling colt by Dubawi (Ire).

Saturday, Curragh, Ireland
JUDDMONTE IRISH OAKS-G1, €448,000, Curragh, 7-17, 3yo, f, 12fT, 2:34.36, gd.
1–SNOWFALL (JPN), 128, f, 3, by Deep Impact (Jpn)
1st Dam: Best In The World (Ire) (GSW-Ire, $141,246), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Red Evie (Ire), by Intikhab
3rd Dam: Malafemmena (Ire), by Nordico
O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Roncon, Chelston Ire, Wynatt (JPN); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €232,000. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Eng, 10-4-0-1, $667,020. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Divinely (Ire), 128, f, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Red Evie (Ire). by Intikhab. O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €80,000.
3–Nicest (Ire), 128, f, 3, American Pharoah–Chicquita (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire). O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Donnacha O'Brien. €40,000.
Margins: 8HF, HF, 2 3/4. Odds: 0.29, 11.00, 10.00.
Also Ran: Willow (Ire), Party House (Ire), La Joconde (Ire), Ahandfulofsummers (Ire), Mariesque (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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