Twomey Hoping Pearls Can Shine At The Curragh

He may be without one of the most exciting horses in his stable this weekend after being forced to rule Limiti Di Greccio (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}) out of Sunday's Irish G1 1000 Guineas but Paddy Twomey has talked up the chances of Pearls Galore (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) ahead of the G2 Lanwades Stud S on the same day.

Pearls Galore was beaten just a neck in the G1 Matron S. at Leopardstown last season before chasing home Space Blues (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) in the G1 Prix de la Foret at ParisLongchamp and Twomey is hoping to achieve top-level success with the 5-year-old at some stage during the campaign.

He explained, “Pearls Galore will run in the Lanwades Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday. That has been the plan since she won at Leopardstown on her return and she has been kept in training with the distinct aim of winning a Group 1. This looks the logical next step and then I'd be hopeful of targeting Group 1s for the rest of the year with her.”

On future plans, Twomey added, “She's in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot but I don't fancy taking on Baaeed with a filly so I'd say the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes, the Falmouth Stakes, the Prix Rothschild and even the Prix Maurice de Gheest, races like that could suit. Any of those mile or seven-furlong Group races, she could be aimed at those.”

Rumbles Of Thunder (Ire) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) maintained the strong start to the season for the stable in carrying Twomey's own white and green colours to victory on just her second start for the trainer in the Listed McCalmont Memorial S. at Gowran Park last month.

A Listed winner in France last term, Rumbles Of Thunder was picked up privately by Twomey, who shared that Group races will be on the agenda before a possible appearance at the December Mares Sale at Tattersalls.

He said, “Rumbles Of Thunder was very good at Gowran Park. We had her a little bit fresh going there, we didn't over-train her going to Cork and thought she'd come on for that, which she did at Gowran Park, and I think she's a filly who can progress throughout the season. She will have a Group campaign.”

Twomey added, “The plan is to race her throughout the year and, if everything went to plan, we might send her to the December Sales if she is not sold beforehand. I think she will end up being traded at some stage.

“She's a nice filly, is well-bred, and showed a nice level of form before joining us. She showed an ability to quicken when winning at Toulouse, came from the back of the field to win a Stakes race quite readily, so we said we'd roll the dice on her.”

La Petite Coco (Ire) (Ruler Of The World {Ire}), who mowed down Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G2 Blandford S. at the Curragh on Irish Champions Weekend last season, the recent Moyglare Stud-owned addition Just Beautiful (GB) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) and French Claim (Fr) (French Fifteen {Fr}) are others that Twomey is quietly hopeful about this term.

He said, “La Petite Coco is in great form and we purposely didn't run her in the first half of the season. She will probably start her season off in the Munster Oaks at Cork and her owners would like to have a tilt at the Breeders' Cup later in the year. The Pretty Polly and the Yorkshire Oaks could also be on her radar. We'll keep her to fillies' races for the first part of the campaign and if we have a good time we could look at taking on the colts at some stage.

“Just Beautiful has settled in well but, again, we're looking towards the second half of the season with her. She's a nice addition to the team and is training well.”

Twomey added, “French Claim will be aimed at the St Leger. He won well at Cork on soft ground and we ran him in a Derby trial as connections were keen to explore the Epsom option but that faster ground didn't play to his strengths. He likes an ease in the ground and will be aimed at Doncaster.”

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Ruler of the World’s La Petite Coco Prevails In Blandford Thriller

It was a case up heads up, heads down at the close of the G2 Moyglare “Jewels” Blandford S. at The Curragh on Sunday with the 3-year-old La Petite Coco (Ire) (Ruler of the World {Ire}) enjoying the rub of the green to shade it from Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). On a weekend replete with close finishes, Team Valor's 16-5 shot needed all of the 10 furlongs to reel in Ballydoyle's G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Epsom Oaks heroine but there was just enough yardage to overhaul that 6-5 favourite and score by a short head. In what amounted to a group 1 in all but name, there were three lengths back to the G1 Pretty Polly S. heroine Thundering Nights (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}). “She is a hardy filly, I got a lovely thread through, followed Ryan every step of the way,” Lee said of the impressive Aug. 7 G3 Give Thanks S. winner. “Ryan had me flat out, but I knew she wouldn't give up. We thought a lot of her, she was impressive in Cork the last day and she backed it up nicely in what I thought was a high-quality field.”

La Petite Coco's first start for this stable resulted in a 4 1/4-length defeat of the subsequent G1 Irish 1000 Guineas fourth Belle Image (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) over a mile at Killarney May 11, with her next outing being a second to Ballydoyle's Willow (Ire) (American Pharoah) in the 10-furlong Listed Naas Oaks Trial June 23. Back at Killarney for a conditions event over 11 furlongs July 12, the bay sprung forth from that confidence boost to win by 5 1/2 lengths in Cork's Give Thanks last time. Held up early behind the leaders, she was the only member of the field able to live with Love inside the final two furlongs and made the weight-for-age and that rival's group 1 penalty count in the finial stride.

“I had mapped out a plan and wasn't going to waver, as this looked a lovely next step but I hadn't factored in Love coming here,” trainer Paddy Twomey explained. “We had taken all the baby steps we could to try and educate her, as she does what she has to do at home and I felt she was green and needed racing experience. She had a great time going around Killarney and beat good opposition well there which set her up for Cork. She is versatile enough ground-wise, but handles heavy ground better than others and a mile and a half is her thing, so there were a couple of unknowns there. Team Valor like racing, so I'd imagine she'll travel next year and they intend to have great fun with her. The [Oct. 16 G1 QICPO Champions] Fillies and Mares at Ascot has been the plan and anything after that, we'll see–it depends how she takes it.”

The first runner from three live foals out of the unraced La Petite Virginia (Ger) (Konigstiger {Ger}), La Petite Coco is connected to some big names in German racing history. One of the dam's half-brothers is the G1 Deutsches Derby hero Lavirco (Ger) (Konigsstuhl {Ger}), himself a full-sibling of the G2 Deutsches St Leger winner Laveron (Ger) who was also third in the domestic Derby. La Petite Virginia is out of La Virginia (Ger) (Surumu {Ger}), who is also the second dam of the G3 Badener Stutenpreis winner and G1 Premio Lydia Tesio runner-up Lacy (Ger) (Authorized {Ire}) and the G3 Preis des Winterfavoriten winner Langtang (Ger) (Campanologist).

La Virginia is a full-sister to the group 3-winning La Colorada (Ger), who produced the triple group 1-winning champion and leading sire Lomitas (GB), with this being the dam line of Gestut Fahrhof's blue hen Love In (GB) whose descendants include another Deutsches Derby hero in Lagunas (GB) and the leading sire Lord of England (Ger). La Petite Virginia also has a yearling filly by Ivawood (Ire).

Sunday, The Curragh, Ireland
MOYGLARE JEWELS BLANDFORD S.-G2, €196,000, Curragh, 9-12, 3yo/up, f/m, 10fT, 2:08.39, gd.
1–LA PETITE COCO (IRE), 128, f, 3, by Ruler of The World (Ire)
     1st Dam: La Petite Virginia (Ger), by Konigstiger (Ger)
     2nd Dam: La Virginia (Ger), by Surumu (Ger)
     3rd Dam: La Dorada (Ire), by Kronzeuge (Fr)
O-Team Valor International LLC; B-Mr B Schone (IRE); T-Paddy Twomey; J-Billy Lee. €105,000. Lifetime Record: 7-4-1-0, $208,509. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Love (Ire), 137, f, 4, Galileo (Ire)–Pikaboo (GB), by Pivotal (GB). O-Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €35,000.
3–Thundering Nights (Ire), 137, f, 4, Night of Thunder (Ire)–Cape Castle (Ire), by Cape Cross (Ire). (€17,000 RNA Wlg '17 GOFNOV; €19,000 RNA Ylg '18 TIRSEP). O-Shapoor Mistry; B-Manjri Farm (IRE); T-Joseph O'Brien. €17,500.
Margins: NO, 3, HF. Odds: 3.20, 1.20, 3.50.
Also Ran: Insinuendo (Ire), Oodnadatta (Ire), Cayenne Pepper (Ire), Amma Grace (Ire), Woodland Garden (Ire). Scratched: Lovely Esteem (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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What’s In a Name: La Petite Coco (Ire)

Coco has many different meanings in French and it is maybe futile to try to divine which one caught the fancy of the breeder and first owner of brave 3-year-old filly La Petite Coco (Ire) (Ruler of the World {Ire}–La Petite Virginia {Ger}, by Konigstiger {Ger})–a brilliant winner of the G3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Give Thanks S. at Cork on Saturday. But one of those many meanings is a terme affectueux, a very popular term of endearment, equivalent to 'dear', 'darling', or 'sweetie'.

Famously, “Mais non, mon coco,” is what Jean Seberg tells Jean-Paul Belmondo in the 1960 masterpiece film “A Bout du Souffle/Breathless”, in reply to the question “Is he one of the guys who slept with you?”–the whole thing being a maltendu about Nobel Prize winner William Faulkner and one of his books.

Still, affection is stronger than any little misunderstanding, and La Petite Coco is getting plenty of it, because “she has not put a foot wrong,” as her trainer Paddy Twomey said.

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Ruler Of The World’s La Petite Coco Stuns Give Thanks Rivals

Coming into Saturday's G3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Give Thanks S. with a growing reputation, Team Valor's La Petite Coco (Ire) (Ruler of the World {Ire}) only served to enhance it significantly as she ruled with an iron fist in the Cork feature. Runner-up to the re-opposing Willow (Ire) (American Pharoah) in the June 23 Listed Naas Oaks Trial before dominating a conditions event over 11 furlongs at Killarney July 12, the 2-1 favourite was always travelling enthusiastically behind the front pair and when given her head by Billy Lee took off with 2 1/2 furlongs to race. Stretching clear over the furthest trip she has encountered so far, the bay hit the line strong to score by 5 1/2 lengths from the G3 Munster Oaks winner Thunder Kiss (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}). “We've had her since April and she has not put a foot wrong,” trainer Paddy Twomey said. “She is progressing physically and is enjoying training and has plenty of talent. She has plenty of entries and I said after Killarney that the [Oct. 17 GI] E. P. Taylor is a possible target, but I have her in the [Oct. 16 G1 QIPCO] Champion Fillies and Mares Stakes and the [G1] Prix Vermeillle [at ParisLongchamp Sept. 12] also. She is versatile ground-wise and although she has the pace for 10 furlongs, a mile and a half is no problem to her.”

La Petite Coco is the first runner from three live foals out of the unraced La Petite Virginia (Ger) (Konigstiger {Ger}), who is a half to the G1 Deutsches Derby hero Lavirco (Ger) (Konigsstuhl {Ger}) and his G2 Deutsches St Leger-winning full-brother Laveron (Ger) who was also third in the Deutsches Derby. Also kin to the G3 Furstenberg-Rennen winner Lyonel's Glory (GB) (Green Desert), she is a daughter of La Virginia (Ger) (Surumu {Ger}) who is the second dam of the G3 Badener Stutenpreis winner and G1 Premio Lydia Tesio runner-up Lacy (Ger) (Authorized {Ire}) and the G3 Preis des Winterfavoriten winner Langtang (Ger) (Campanologist). La Virginia is a full-sister to the group 3 scorer and G2 German 1000 Guineas runner-up La Colorada (Ger), whose own impressive progeny list is headed by the legendary triple group 1-winning champion and leading sire Lomitas (GB) with this being the dam line of the blue hen Love (GB) (Crepello {GB}). Her descendants include another Deutsches Derby hero in Lagunas (GB) and another notorious sire in Lord of England (Ger). La Petite Virginia's yearling filly is by Ivawood (Ire).

Saturday, Cork, Ireland
IRISH STALLION FARMS EBF GIVE THANKS S.-G3, €65,000, Cork, 8-7, 3yo/up, f/m, 12fT, 2:39.84, sf.
1–LA PETITE COCO (IRE), 127, f, 3, by Ruler of the World (Ire)
1st Dam: La Petite Virginia (Ger), by Konigstiger (Ger)
2nd Dam: La Virginia (Ger), by Surumu (Ger)
3rd Dam: La Dorada (Ire), by Kronzeuge (Fr)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Team Valor International LLC; B-Mr B Schone (IRE); T-Paddy Twomey; J-Billy Lee. €39,000. Lifetime Record: 6-3-1-0, $85,257. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Thunder Kiss (Ire), 140, f, 4, Night of Thunder (Ire)–Desert Snow (GB), by Teofilo (Ire). O-Newtown Anner Stud Farm Ltd; B-Newtownanner Stud (IRE); T-Ger Lyons. €13,000.
3–Federica Sophia (Ire), 137, f, 4, Galileo (Ire)–Sapphire (Ire), by Medicean (GB). O/B-Moyglare Stud Farm Ltd (IRE); T-Dermot Weld. €6,500.
Margins: 5HF, HD, NO. Odds: 2.00, 2.75, 9.00.
Also Ran: Amma Grace (Ire), Willow (Ire), Yaxeni (Fr), Camphor (Ire), Rosscarbery (Ger), High Heels (Ire), Traisha (Ire). Scratched: Silence Please (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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