G1 Pretty Polly S. | Horse Racing Free Tips

Via Sistina to Seek Romanet Riches at Deauville

Mrs. R. G. Hillen's G1 Pretty Polly S. winner Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) will head to France for her next start in the G1 Prix Jean Romanet at Deauville on Aug. 20, trainer George Boughey revealed Tuesday. She most recently finished third in the G1 Tattersalls Falmouth S. at Newmarket on July 14.

“Via Sistina is in great shape,” Boughey said. “It was a little frustrating watching the [G1] Nassau [last week at Goodwood] without having her in it in that [soft] ground, but it was never really the plan after we went to the Falmouth and she's getting ready to run in the Romanet at Deauville on Aug. 20.

“She'd had two quick runs and we've got to pick our battles–you can't run in every race–and it's been the plan to run in the Romanet for a long time should the ground be right for her. It's the last 4-year-old and above fillies-only race for her this year and we're very pleased with her. She worked yesterday [Monday] morning, Jamie Spencer sat on her and was very happy.”

In the Romanet, Via Sistina will return to 1 1/4 miles at Deauville and will go longer distances for the rest of her campaign, according to Boughey.

“We wanted to experiment over the mile in the Falmouth, but she was tapped for toe and we'll go back up in trip,” Boughey added.

“She's entered in the 10-furlong [G1 Champion S.] and the 12-furlong race [G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares S.] on Champions Day at Ascot and she'll be in the [G1] Prix de l'Opera over 10 [furlongs] on Arc day.”

The post Via Sistina to Seek Romanet Riches at Deauville appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Pretty Polly Result Stands As IHRB Dismisses Pair Of Appeals

A pair of appeals regarding the finish of the G1 Pretty Polly S. at the Curragh earlier this month have both been dismissed by the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB).

George Boughey trainee Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), ridden by Jamie Spencer, drifted across the course near the finish and impeded placed horses when winning by two lengths earlier this month. Runner-up Stay Alert (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus])'s owners Ben and Sir Martyn Arbib appealed the stewards' decision to leave the placings as is. However, that appeal was dismissed on Tuesday.

In addition, Spencer was given a six-day ban for his mount's waywardness, but his suspension, too, remains and will take place on July 15, 17-20, and 22. Spencer's upcoming G1 July Cup ride aboard Royal Ascot longshot winner Khaadem (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) has been filled by Rob Hornby.

The post Pretty Polly Result Stands As IHRB Dismisses Pair Of Appeals appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

The Curragh: “She’s Ready to Rock and Roll.” Is Pretty Polly-Bound Via Sistina the Real Deal?

Very few elite contests are won in the style that Via Sistina (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) displayed in last month's G2 Dahlia S., but Becky Hillen's star mare has to do it again at the next level in Saturday's G1 Yulong Pretty Polly S. at The Curragh. Granted more ease in the ground, trainer George Boughey is intent on pitching her against the best of the Irish in the 10-furlong test. “I've never seen her look so well and she's been training super, so it's all systems go as long we get a little bit more rain,” the trainer said of the former Joseph Tuite-trained 5-year-old, who signed off last season with a win in the G3 Prix Fille de l'Air. “She's travelled over good and she's ready to rock and roll. It's been the plan for a while and we look forward to taking them on.”

Joseph O'Brien, who was responsible for two of the last four winners, saddles TDN Rising Star Above The Curve (American Pharoah), who took all of the attention away from Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}) when winning last month's G2 Prix Corrida at Saint-Cloud. Last year's G1 Prix Saint-Alary winner is one of two Coolmore hopes alongside Ballydoyle's Never Ending Story (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) who is backed up 13 days after after her second in the G1 Prix de Diane at Chantilly.

Al Riffa In International Return…
It has taken a while, but Jassim Bin Ali Al Attiyah's G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. winner Al Riffa (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) is back in action in the G3 Paddy Power International S. on the Pretty Polly undercard. Not sighted since winning the track's juvenile feature in September, he is giving Joseph O'Brien all the right vibes as he faces another long-absent colt in Ballydoyle's TDN Rising Star Alfred Munnings (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), last seen finishing a disappointing sixth in the Listed Chesham S. at last year's Royal Ascot.
While Alfred Munnings has to dust off the cobwebs, stablemate and fellow TDN Rising Star Matrika (Ire) (No Nay Never) is back just eight days after her runner-up finish in the Royal meeting's G3 Albany S. as she takes in the G2 Airlie Stud S. Three of Aidan O'Brien's last four winners of this had also been in action in Berkshire, but if this proves too quick a turnaround it may be that it benefits another with Coolmore involvement in the Joseph O'Brien-trained Grand Job (Justify) who was second in Matrika's course-and-distance maiden last month.

Return Acts At Newmarket…
The July Course's season got underway on Thursday and the action there on Saturday is not to be missed, with Charlie Appleby taking the wraps off last year's G3 Gordon S. winner and promoted G1 St Leger runner-up New London (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the Listed Fred Archer S. “New London has had wind surgery since his last run and we have been very pleased with him at home,” his trainer said. “He has been for two racecourse gallops and this looks a good starting point for a campaign that should progress through the summer and into the autumn.”

The Fred Archer also sees the comeback of Shadwell's talented Al Aasy (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), who looks to become the latest in a sequence to defy a lengthy lay-off having been sidelined since his win in Ascot's Listed Buckhounds S. last May. Interestingly, William Haggas also brings back another of Sheikha Hissa's stars missing in action of late in Aldaary (GB) (Territories {Ire}) in the card's G3 Criterion S.

“We need soft ground for Aldaary, I declared him when it was raining,” Haggas said of last year's impressive Listed Spring Trophy winner who has been off for the same 420-day stretch as Al Aasy. “The ground is on the slow side at Newmarket, but whether that remains the case we'll see. We can make a decision as late as we need to, but as long as it's not fast I'd say he'll probably run because he needs to get going. Al Aasy is the same, he likes a bit of cut in the ground, but he needs to start. They've both been training well, so I'm hopeful they'll run well.”

In the fixture's opening Listed Maureen Brittain Memorial Empress Fillies' S., Charlie Appleby tests the waters with TDN Rising Star Star Of Mystery (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) who dazzled at Haydock 16 days ago. She faces Ballylinch Stud's What A Question (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), a key member of the Charlie Johnston juvenile academy who was impressive at Goodwood on her debut a day after her Godolphin rival.

The post The Curragh: “She’s Ready to Rock and Roll.” Is Pretty Polly-Bound Via Sistina the Real Deal? appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

A ‘Pretty’ Picture At The Curragh On Sunday

The Curragh's G1 Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly S. takes centre stage on Sunday and it is a strong renewal, with the G1 Prix d'Ispahan and G2 Dahlia S. winner Dreamloper (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) tackling several others who have pretensions at attaining that level. This is the first time that the 5-year-old will tackle a mile and a quarter, but her emphatic display over nine furlongs and 55 yards in the G1 Prix d'Ispahan at ParisLongchamp on May 29 suggests it is time to try. Trainer Ed Walker is hoping the amount of rainfall is not significant. “I don't want it to get too soft, there's a bit of rain forecast so we'll just keep an eye on it,” he said earlier this week. “She's well and in good shape. This race was always the plan, then we thought we didn't want to travel with her again and we thought we might wait for the Falmouth instead, but then we just thought it made sense to go there. She's thriving, her last two runs have been career-bests.”

Coco Returns

Making her seasonal bow is Team Valor's G2 Blandford S. winner La Petite Coco (Ire) (Ruler of the World {Ire}), who alongside Robert Moran's June 8 G3 Munster Oaks winner Rosscarbery (Ger) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) forms a strong two-pronged assault by Paddy Twomey. “La Petite Coco is a lovely filly and the plan has been very much to campaign her with the second half of the season in mind,” the trainer explained. “She didn't miss a beat last year and we couldn't be happier with her.” William Haggas's golden period with black-type runners continued apace on Saturday and it may be significant that he saddles both Lael Stables' June 5 G2 Prix de Sandringham winner Purplepay (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) and Sunderland Holding's My Astra (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). The latter took Ayr's Listed Rothesay S. by 12 lengths on soft ground May 18 and as a half-sister to My Prospero (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) and My Oberon (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) has the pedigree to get to this level in the immediate future.

“Purplepay is a charming filly. It is obviously her first time at the trip, but Tom [Marquand] is quite keen that she tries it,” Haggas said. “My Astra is up in class and she has only won a listed race, but she is very well and we hope she will run well.” Ballydoyle's Irish 1000 Guineas third and Oaks fourth Concert Hall (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) adds rich texture to a fascinating contest.

Statuette To The Test

If the Pretty Polly is a tantalising main course, then the six-furlong G2 Airlie Stud S. is the ideal appetiser with Ballydoyle's 'TDN Rising Star' Statuette (Justify) looking to enhance her already-significant reputation. So impressive on her debut over an extended five at Navan May 28, the daughter of Immortal Verse (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) is taken on by Juddmonte's Zarinsk (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) whose defeat of Olivia Maralda (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), Never Ending Story (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Zoinnocent (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in a course-and-distance maiden May 22 is hot form. Also in the mix is another who has shown up well on debut over this track and trip in the May 20 Irish EBF Auction Series Maiden winner Papilio (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}). The Fozzy Stack trainee's form received a boost on Saturday when the runner-up Apache Outlaw (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) was third in the Railway.

Click here for the group fields.

The post A ‘Pretty’ Picture At The Curragh On Sunday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post