Innisfree Returns on Friday

Aidan O'Brien takes the wraps off the long-absent Innisfree (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) on Friday, with the 2019 G2 Beresford S. winner and G1 Futurity Trophy runner-up returning in The Curragh's 10-furlong G3 Royal Whip S. Not seen since his 3 1/4-length defeat by Kameko (Kitten's Joy) in that juvenile highlight staged on Newcastle's Tapeta in November of that season, the full-brother to High Definition (Ire) faces a tough tasking giving five pounds to the course-and-distance G3 Gallinule S. winner and G1 Irish Derby fourth Earlswood (GB) (Pivotal {GB}).

Also on the card is the 14-furlong G3 Comer Group International Irish St Leger Trial S., where another Irish Derby protagonist in Wordsworth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) bids to get back to winning ways following a string of solid placings in better company. Third in that June 26 Curragh Classic before running second in the G1 Grand Prix de Paris July 14, Ballydoyle's full-brother to Kew Gardens (Ire) encounters last year's G1 Prix du Cadran winner and June 17 G1 Gold Cup runner-up Princess Zoe (Ger) (Jukebox Jury {Ire}).

Princess Zoe's trainer Tony Mullins said, “I'd say she's coming forward all the time, which is unreal at her age. We believe this is not her ideal distance, but it's an ideal prep race after a lovely bit of rain in the last couple of days. I don't see any reason why she won't go to York and Friday's run will have the bearing factor on which race she goes for–that will tell us a lot more. I was afraid if no rain came for York and we didn't run on Friday, then we'd have nowhere. We're not worried about good ground, I just don't want good-to-firm. It was a brilliant run on good-to-firm at Ascot, but we have no desire to run on that ground again.”

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Innisfree on the Comeback Trail

Group 1-placed Innisfree (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), second in the 2019 G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy in his last start, is making progress toward a start later this year, according to trainer Aidan O'Brien. Second at Naas in July of 2019, the colt broke his maiden at Galway in July and captured the G2 Beresford S. at The Curragh that September, just like his year-younger full-brother High Definition (Ire), who is headed to the G1 Cazoo Derby on Saturday. After his Vertem Futurity Trophy second, Innisfree sustained an injury in 2020 and has not graced the racecourse since.

He said, “He got an injury last year so we took our time with him and we had him nearly ready to run again in the spring, but he went a little bit off on us again.

“We had to back off him again. He's done very well physically and I'd imagine he's six weeks away from running. We're looking at the second half or quarter of the season.”

Innisfree does hold entries for the June 27 G2 Comer Group International Curragh Cup, Sandown's G1 Coral-Eclipse on July 3 and the G1 Irish Champion S. at Leopardstown on Sept. 11. The 4-year-old bay has also been entered in the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in October.

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High Definition a New Rising Star At The Curragh

Aidan O’Brien had a duo engaged in Saturday’s Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden over a mile at The Curragh and enjoyed a one-two as the middle-distance types begin to emerge from the stable’s crop of juveniles. While the market favoured Wordsworth (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the full-brother to the G1 St Leger and G1 Grand Prix de Paris hero Kew Gardens (Ire) ultimately had to give best to the stable’s second-string High Definition (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who swooped late to score with authority at 7-1. Held up in rear early by Wayne Lordan, the son of the listed scorer and group 3-placed Palace (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) was looking for room two out still anchored at the back. Delivered with a surge to cut through the pack and make up three lengths on that 5-2 favourite, he was going away at the line where he held a 3/4-of-a-length margin over his stablemate, with Flying Visit (Ire) (Pride of Dubai {Aus}) a head away in third.

The winner is a full-brother to last year’s G2 Beresford S. winner and G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy runner-up Innisfree (Ire), GSW-Ire, G1SP-Eng, $141,701, who has yet to be seen this term but was front rank in the Derby picture during the winter. Lordan was impressed with the bay, who is a late-May foal. “He was a little raw early. Through the middle of the race they didn’t quicken away from me and I was getting into a nice rhythm,” he commented. “He finished out comfortably. He’s a lovely colt and he’s going to be a lovely horse next year going a trip.”

Palace was always held in high regard at Ballydoyle and that was evidenced in that fact that she was only 6-1 for the 2014 G1 Irish 1000 Guineas following her second in the G3 Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial. Fifth in that Classic before being picked by Ryan Moore in the G1 Epsom Oaks where she was seventh, she went on to gain a vital black-type success in the Listed Cairn Rouge S. over an extended mile having run second in the 10-furlong Listed Naas Oaks Trial. She is a half-sister to this stable’s Furner’s Green (Ire) (Dylan Thomas {Ire}), who took the G3 Leopardstown 2000 Guineas Trial and was a close third in the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains, as well as the listed-winning G1 Irish Oaks third Lady Lupus (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), the listed-winning and G3 Solonaway S. third Mystical Lady (Ire) (Halling) and the Lincoln H. winner Bravery (Ire) by Innisfree’s sire Galileo. Mystical Lady is the dam of three black-type performers for Ballydoyle including the Listed Dee S. winner and G1 Irish Derby and G1 Ascot Gold Cup runner-up Kingfisher (Ire) also by Galileo. The third dam is the high-class Sonic Lady (Nureyev), heroine of the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas, G1 Sussex S. and G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp.

1st-Curragh, €16,500, Mdn, 8-22, 2yo, 8fT, 1:45.95, sf.
HIGH DEFINITION (IRE), c, 2, by Galileo (Ire)
     1st Dam: Palace (Ire) (SW & GSP-Ire), by Fastnet Rock (Aus)
     2nd Dam: Lady Icarus (GB), by Rainbow Quest
     3rd Dam: Sonic Lady, by Nureyev
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $11,678. O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Mrs Anne Marie O’Brien; B-Whisperview Trading Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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