Kitty Rose lands the Irish Champions Festival opener!

It's a first Listed success for rising trainer Natalia Lupini and what a time to get it, success here in the @BallylinchStud @IrishEBF_ Ingabelle Stakes at @LeopardstownRC @wjlee24786 pic.twitter.com/1FzgqiDexe

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 9, 2023

For Milan-born and Co. Down-based Lupini, the win was a landmark moment in her fledgling training career. The winner, a 20,000gns Tatts Book 3 bargain, beat the smart yardstick Tannola (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}) decisively on debut in the race that the stable's Highly Desirable (Ire) (Twilight Son {GB}) had been third in last year before going on to finish in the same spot in this race. “She's a big filly, very honest and when she gets into a rhythm she gallops towards the line. She gives it all,” she said. “The lads were looking at the Guineas next year. She'll be a stronger filly and she won't have any problems over a mile.”

“We'll see how she comes out of this race and we'll talk to the owners and see what they would like to do,” the trainer, who is expecting a child in October, added. “We would like to give her a bit of time in the winter to fill out. She's a big filly and will benefit from a winter break. She'll be a nice three-year-old and we're very much looking forward to having her next year. Hopefully we'll get to train her.”

Like the card's G2 Solonaway S. winner Flight Plan (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Kitty Rose hails from the family of Whitewater Affair (GB) (Machiavellian). She is currently the last known foal out of the dam Varnish (GB) (Choisir {Aus}), a grandaughter of that G2 Prix de Pomone winner's half-sister White House (GB) (Pursuit Of Love {GB}) who produced the G2 Ribblesdale S. runner-up Eldalil (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}) and who is the second dam of the G3 Round Tower S.-winning sire Cappella Sansevero (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) who was third in the G1 Phoenix S.

Saturday, Leopardstown, Ireland
BALLYLINCH STUD IRISH EBF INGABELLE S.-Listed, €100,000, Leopardstown, 9-9, 2yo, f, 7f 72yT, 1:30.14, gd.
1–KITTY ROSE (GB), 128, f, 2, by Invincible Army (Ire)
1st Dam: Varnish (GB), by Choisir (Aus)
2nd Dam: Bronze Star (GB), by Mark Of Esteem (Ire)
3rd Dam: White House (GB), by Pursuit Of Love (GB)
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. (20,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Nigel O'Hare, Gary Devlin & Kabin Racing Syndicate; B-Carmel Stud (GB); T-Natalia Lupini; J-Billy Lee. €60,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $80,125.
2–Content (Ire), 128, f, 2, Galileo (Ire)–Mecca's Angel (Ire), by Dark Angel (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Westerberg, Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor & D Smith; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €20,000.
3–Serious Notions (GB), 128, f, 2, Advertise (GB)–Darling Grace (GB), by Nayef. 1ST BLACK TYPE. (50,000gns RNA Wlg '21 TADEWE; €68,000 Ylg '22 GOFOR). O-Gaynor Bloodstock LLC; B-Highgate Stud (GB); T-Ger Lyons. €10,000.
Margins: 2HF, HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 3.00, 1.63, 28.00.
Also Ran: Sea The Boss (GB), Making Time (Ire), Nemonte (Ire), Apricot Ice (Ire), Elegant Madame (Ire), Question Of Class (Ire). Scratched: Grand Job.

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“Master Of The Seas will now bypass the G1 Queen Anne S. at Royal Ascot after disappointing in his last piece of work,” Appleby tweeted.

The royal blue colourbearer had been set to face the undefeated Baaeed (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) among other rivals in that test on June 14.

Also missing a Royal Ascot Tuesday engagement is Group 1 winner A Case Of You (Ire) (Hot Streak {Ire}). Originally set for the G1 King's Stand S. over five furlongs, the Gary Devlin-owned 4-year-old colt will instead resurface in the 1200-metre G1 Platinum Jubilee on June 18, the final day of Royal Ascot. At his best to land the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye in the autumn, the Ado McGuinness trainee bolted up to win the G1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan on Mar. 26. He most recently reported home third in the G2 Greenlands S. at the Curragh on May 21.

McGuinness said, “With the ground looking decent and the way they'll come back to him over six I just think that race will suit him more. The weather doesn't look as if it is going to turn the ground soft so the five-furlong race will be very quick.

“I just feel the six will be a better race for him, he's a horse that likes to warm into a race and it will be a nicer race for him, I hope.”

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“I was worried I might be getting there a bit early but he was going so well,” said Whelan. “His last furlong is always his strongest and he's such a tough and genuine horse. Five furlongs, six furlongs, soft ground, fast ground, it doesn't matter to him. I love him. He came on so much from the prep run on Super Saturday. Having that experience stood to him and he improved so much from it. It means the world to all the team. To win such a big race at Meydan, it's the stuff you dream of but don't think will happen.”

Happy Romance's jockey Sean Levey added, “She ran a blinder. I thought the draw [post 6] maybe cost me a length and I think she would have been bang there with a better draw. She's run a blinder and the year is young.”

Bred by Derek Iceton at Tara Stud, A Case Of You failed to attract the reserve price of €3,000 at the Goffs Sportsman's Sale as a yearling, and began his career with trainer John McConnell before selling privately to the McGuiness stable after winning the G3 Anglesey S. as a juvenile. In 2021, he won at Dundalk in the spring and later added a score in the G3 Goffs Lacken S. at Naas. Given some time off following a lackluster finish in the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, he returned to finish third in the G3 Phoenix Sprint S. followed by a runner-up finish in the G1 Derrinstown Stud Flying Five S. in September. Registering a career high win in the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye at ParisLongchamp in October, he was given a crack at the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar the following month, finishing an even fifth. Coming into the Al Quoz, he had to play the bridesmaid to Man of Promise, beaten 4 3/4 lengths in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Sprint Mar. 5.

“I knew he had improved plenty from the [Nad Al Sheba Sprint],” said winning trainer Ado McGuinness. “Ronan Whelan gave him a great ride, he was super cool.”

He added, “Ian Brennan has looked after him [at Meydan] and has done a great job with him. He's a very, very good horse. We might get some credit now! People said it was a weak Abbaye he won, but one thing is for sure, it wasn't a weak race today. He's only four and he'll only get better. I think he'll win another Group 1 this year and the long-term target at the end of the year will be back at the Breeders' Cup.”

Pedigree Notes:
A Case of You is the fifth foal out of Karjera (Ire), a full-sister to MSW Akanti (Ire) and Lock And Key (Ire), Grade III/Group 3-placed in both Ireland and America. The dam of six foals, the 14-year-old Karjera also is responsible for a pair of winners, Loose Chippings (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) and Knight of Luck (Ire) (Mukhadram {GB}). Her latest produce is Ali Babes (Ire), a 3-year-old filly by Alhebayeb (Ire).

Saturday, Meydan, Dubai
AL QUOZ SPRINT SPONSORED BY AZIZI DEVELOPMENTS-G1, $1,500,000, Meydan, 3-26, 3yo/up, 6fT, 1:08.81, gd.
1–A CASE OF YOU (IRE), 126, c, 4, by Hot Streak (Ire)
                1st Dam: Karjera (Ire), by Key of Luck
                2nd Dam: Lock's Heath, by Topsider
                3rd Dam: Lock's Dream, by Youth
(€3,000 RNA Ylg '19 GOFSPT). O-Gary Devlin; B-Limestone and
Tara Studs (IRE); T-Adrian McGuinness; J-Ronan Whelan.
€870,000. Lifetime Record: MGSW & G1SP-Ire, G1SW-Fr,
14-7-2-2, $1,364,424. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the
 eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Happy Romance (Ire), 121, f, 4, Dandy Man (Ire)–Rugged Up
(Ire), by Marju (Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (£25,000 Ylg
'19 GOFFPR). O-The McMurray Family; B-Redpender Stud Ltd
(IRE); T-Richard Hannon. $300,000.
3–Man of Promise, 126, g, 5, Into Mischief–Involved, by
Speightstown. 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. ($170,000 Ylg '18
KEESEP). O-Godolphin; B-Betz/Magers/Coco
Equine/Kidder/Lamantial/Davidson (KY); T-Charlie Appleby.
$150,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, NK, HF.
Also Ran: Naval Crown (GB), Casa Creed, Taxiwala (Ire), Khuzaam, Mutafawwig (GB), Lauda Sion (Jpn), Berneuil (Ire), Air De Valse (Fr), Entscheiden (Jpn), Suesa (Ire), Creative Force (Ire), Emaraaty Ana (GB), Get Smokin. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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“He's good and we're very happy with him,” said trainer Ado McGuinness. “He grubbed up well after the race, he had a nice roll on Sunday morning. I don't know how we are going to beat the winner but we're going to try again.

“I suppose if the winner wasn't in it, we'd be hot favourite for the Sprint on World Cup night because we beat the third easy enough.

“It's definitely the Al Quoz next barring any mishaps. We'll see what we do then. We'll sit down and maybe make a plan for Ascot after that. The Al Quoz will be his first port of call.

“He's staying over there. I was out with him before I came home. He looks great and there's not a bother on him. He looks a million dollars in the sun.”

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McGuinness said, “He's all good and I was delighted with his run at the Breeders' Cup. He finished very strongly and I think he'll have learnt a lot from running at Del Mar, definitely.

“We were going to go to Hong Kong, but it would be his third run out of the country in three months and with the travelling and everything, we've decided to put him away and mind him. We want him for next season and there's a lot to look forward to.”

“We could look at Dubai before bringing him back for races like the [G1] King's Stand at Royal Ascot,” McGuinness added. “We'll definitely look at the Flying Five at the backend, hopefully the Abbaye again and then if he's safe and sound, the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland–I wouldn't be afraid to go back with him. When you have a horse as good as him and we're able to showcase him around the world, that's what we'll do.”

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“To win your first Group 1 and to win it on one of the biggest days in Europe was very special for everybody involved,” McGuinness said. “[Jockey] Ronan [Whelan] has been riding for me for a long time and to get a Group 1 like that, it was just so special. We can get very vocal sometimes and that's just the way we are no matter what type of winner we have. It was a very special day and something you'll remember for the rest of your life. Words can't really describe what it was like that day. I know what it's like now and hopefully I can experience it again.”

McGuinness could get that chance again on Saturday when he saddles A Case Of You in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint. Having arrived in Del Mar on Monday evening, McGuinness was trackside on Tuesday morning to supervise his stable star as the 3-year-old went through an easy canter over the dirt course.

“The horse traveled over very well,” McGuinness said. “He had two days in quarantine and he was very fresh [on Monday] morning and he had a go with his rider, but he had a nice canter this morning and he was more laid back. We're really happy that we have a really good draw and hopefully he'll run a nice race for us.”

That draw is six of 12, which McGuinness said gives Whelan options with A Case Of You.

“I think the six is good for him because he might not have the tactical speed really early, so they can jump and go forward and he can just sit right in behind them,” he explained. “I think it's an ideal draw for him that will leave us with two options, so we're very happy. We're a little concerned because it's a round track and it's tight, but he's handled Dundalk, our all-weather surface at home, and it's round so hopefully he'll put up a bold show.”

A Case Of You has been on an upward trend since joining McGuinness last winter, and he is the type of horse that keeps the smaller operator dreaming. Bought for 950gns as a foal by trainer John McConnell, A Case Of You failed to find a new home at the Goffs Sportsmans yearling sale of 2019, and was led out unsold at €3,000. When McConnell sent A Case Of You to the races in his own colours, it became immediately apparent that the horse had been far undervalued. Third first out at Bellewstown last August going a mile over heavy ground, A Case Of You promptly graduated next out when dropped down to seven furlongs at Down Royal before posting a minor upset when coming home the 6-1 winner of The Curragh's G3 Anglesey S. A Case Of You was then due to be sold to Hong Kong, but when that deal fell through, McGuinness swooped.

“We were looking for a horse at the end of the year and this horse was to be sold to Hong Kong, but the deal fell through so we went looking for him,” the trainer recalled. “We brokered the deal for him just before Christmas. It was a long time trying to get him and it was probably the most money I've ever paid for a horse, yet he wasn't expensive; compared to what he has done today, he was a very cheap horse. I think it's onwards and upwards. the horse is just thriving and he's a rags to riches type of horse. He's very talented and it's a privilege to have him.”

A Case Of You's first outing for McGuinness was a win in a Dundalk conditions race going six furlongs, and he trailed home last of 12 when hanging badly in the seven-furlong Listed 2000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown three weeks later. Dropping back to six, A Case Of You and Whelan took the G3 Lacken S. at Naas, but beat just four home in the G1 Commonwealth Cup, having lost a shoe in running over the heavy ground. After he finished third in the G3 Phoenix Sprint S. again over six furlongs on Aug. 8, McGuinness dropped A Case Of You back to five furlongs for the first time, a move which has transformed the horse. After coming from well out of it to finish second in the G1 Flying Five S. at The Curragh on Sept. 12, A Case Of You made a similar move at ParisLongchamp, sprinting away from the eventual third-placed Glass Slippers (GB) (Dream Ahead) to cut down the lead of Air De Valse (Fr) (Mesnil Des Aigles {Fr}) and hit the line a short head in front. A Case Of You re-opposes the defending Turf Sprint winner Glass Slippers, who he has had behind him his last two outings, at Del Mar.

“The Irish handicapper was sort of knocking him a bit on his two runs, but his first two ever runs over five furlongs were a second in a Group 1 and a win in a Group 1, so you can't get much better than that,” McGuinness said. “If Ronan had ridden him at The Curragh again he might have won the first Group 1 as well, because we were giving him a bit of time. We're learning about him every day, he's still a 3-year-old. It was a hell of a performance and a hell of a ride from Ronan on both days, and I think the second day was a fantastic ride because a lot of people would have given up when the French horse had gone so far clear, but Ronan knew the horse and knew what he could get out of him. It was a world-class ride.”

Today, McGuinness has just shy of 50 horses in his care, and he said the purchase of A Case Of You was part of a plan to focus on upgrading the quality of his stock.

“I'm training 21 years, and the last four or five years we've really upped the ante with regards to trying to buy a better horse,” he explained. “We've won a lot of big sprint handicaps in Ireland and we had our first group race winner last year and we've won two Group 3s since. My cousin Stephen Thorne works for me, he's a Darley Flying Start graduate, and we do a lot of work at the sales and sourcing nice horses in training. We've been lucky with a few yearlings as well that we've bought and we're trying to get more into the yearling market to try to get better owners in. It's not easy in Ireland because it's probably one of the most competitive places in the world to try and train young horses.

“We've definitely upped the ante on our stable the last few years. At the Galway Racing Festival we've won three of the big flat races in the last three years, and it gives us great advertising to try to get more owners into the yard. It's all about getting a better horse into the yard, and we've proved we can train them if we get good horses, so that's what it's all about.”

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