Vespertilio Al Shira’aa’s ‘Best Chance’ At Irish Champions Festival

Al Shira'aa's Kieran Lalor has nominated Vespertilio (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}) as the operation's best chance of a winner at the Irish Champions Festival where the rapidly-progressive filly lines out in Sunday's G1 Moyglare S. at the Curragh. 

Vespertilio forms part of a three-pronged attack on Ireland's flagship Flat festival that features homebred Atlantic Coast (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) in Saturday's G2 KPMG Champions Juvenile S. at Leopardstown and Ocean Jewel (Ire) (Sioux Nation) in the Matron S. on the same card. 

“We've six horses in training in Ireland and three of them are competing at the Irish Champions Festival, so we need to keep pinching ourselves,” racing and bloodstock manager Lalor said on Friday. 

The black and red silks of Al Shira'aa has already enjoyed top-level triumphs with Mutamakina (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) in America and Jannah Rose in France (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and Lalor has talked up the chances of Vespertilio in Sunday's eagerly-anticipated Moyglare. 

Vespertilio comes into that race off the back of a wildly impressive display in the G2 Debutante S. over the same course and distance and, while Lalor is respectful of the opposition with G3 Silver Flash S. conqueror Ylang Ylang (GB) (Frankel {GB}) heading the market, he is expecting a bold show.

He said, “Vespertilio is getting better and better with experience. She had a fantastic run in the Debutante, showing a tremendous turn of foot to come from last under Billy [Lee] and I don't think he had to ride her too hard to do that, either. I'd say if she had been closer to Ylang Ylang in the Silver Flash, I think she would have been right there at the line. She's only a May foal so is developing and growing all the time.”

Lalor added, “She's just getting better and better with racing. It's a tough task and to have a runner in the Moyglare is very special for us. We're going in there with a lot of confidence but obviously it's Group 1 and anything can happen. We're very excited. She's our best chance of the weekend and it's great for Willie [McCreery, trainer], who is a big part of our operation. He's a top-class trainer–he was a bloody good footballer but some would argue he's an even better trainer and he's hugely important to us.”

Atlantic Coast has the unwanted task of staring down the barrel of another Ballydoyle big gun in Diego Velazquez (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) at Leopardstown. 

Trained by Joseph O'Brien, the homebred colt made a fine start to his career when winning a Curragh maiden in good fashion, and Lalor is expecting more to come.

He said, “This is actually a good story because we usually sell all of our colts but the day before the Orby, David Cox of Baroda Stud called to say that this lad had kicked a wall and that he had to be scratched. Thank God he did! 

“Now, he probably would have made three or four hundred grand because he's such a beautiful-looking colt, but it's very special for everyone on the farm to have a homebred running in a Group 2 at the Irish Champions Festival.”

Lalor added, “It's a big step up from a maiden into a Group 2 but Joseph has done a brilliant job with him and I don't think stepping up to a mile will be an issue for him either. It's a good race, with Deepone and Formal Display in there, but it seems as though we all have to beat Diego Velazquez.”

Should Diego Velazquez justify his short price in the betting, it wouldn't be all that bad for Al Shira'aa, the emerging bloodstock force of Sheikha Fatima bint Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan. 

Lalor wisely secured Saadiyat (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), a half-sister to Diego Velazquez, at Book 1 at Tattersalls in 2021 and the page has gone from strength to strength ever since. 

Saadiyat, like the majority of the Al Shira'aa string, will return to the farm just off the Curragh at Maddenstown and join the broodmare band when her career is over. 

The small but select approach to one of the newest owner-breeding operations in Ireland is paying rich dividends and, while Al Shira'aa were not active at Arqana last month, Lalor explained that it was not for a lack of trying and he revealed the team would be out in force at the Goffs and Tattersalls sales in the coming weeks. 

Lalor said, “We didn't get anything at Arqana but we plan on being active at the Orby at Goffs and at Tattersalls as well. I must say that the Orby looks very good this year. I've gone through the catalogue a couple of times and it looks like one of those great Orbys from the late nineties when everyone was scrapping for Flame Of Taras and the like. We've a very big list to get through and, in fairness to the breeders and to Goffs, they've put on a good book. Hopefully the physicals match up.”

But before then, Al Shira'aa also has Ocean Jewel to look forward to the Matron, and Lalor is not ruling out McCreery's filly out-running her odds of 33-1. 

He said, “Ocean Jewel is much better than what she showed at Naas a few weeks back. She won a Group 3 at Leopardstown over seven furlongs earlier this season and the question with her is if she will get the mile or not. If she does, she could get a slice of it but Tahiyra is the one to beat, for sure. The ground will suit Ocean Jewel and anything can happen at this level. She's a very good filly and deserves a shot at her Group 1 here. This has been the plan for a while.”

He added, “The really exciting thing about this is, when I speak to the boss, everything points to the future and with these fillies, they will all retire here and are exciting broodmares for us to look forward to.”

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Homeless Songs “The Most Important One” For Moyglare On ICW

Slap bang in its 60th year, Moyglare Stud has come up trumps with Homeless Songs, one of the most impressive Irish 1,000 Guineas winners of the modern era, who is on course to run in Saturday's G1 Coolmore America “Justify” Matron S. at Leopardstown.

The stud also has Irish St Leger hotpot Kyprios (Ire) Galileo (Ire), Blandford S. hope Trevaunance (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}) and Boomerang Mile contender Just Beautiful (GB) (Pride Of Dubai {Aus}) to look forward to on Irish Champions Weekend but, according to Moyglare's Fiona Craig, Homeless Songs (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) is the one that matters most.

“Homeless Songs is the most important one and we're keeping our fingers crossed that there's enough rain so that she can run on Saturday,” Craig said on Monday. “She looks like a Dubawi (Ire)–she's quite heavy-topped and does herself very well. She is quite short-legged and, the thing is, we want her to race on next year.”

Homeless Songs has not run since that memorable Irish Guineas triumph in May with connections opting then to sidestep Royal Ascot with the Classic winner due to what they felt was unsuitably quick going. 

The prolonged dry period has been labelled as hugely frustrating by Craig, however, spirits were lifted when Dermot Weld's star filly worked well after racing at the Curragh last weekend. 

The forecast has also been kind to those in the Homeless Songs camp. Leopardstown was hit with 66mm of rain over the weekend, with the ground on Monday described as yielding, good to yielding to places. 

There is further rain forecast for the week and, provided it arrives, Craig expects Homeless Songs, a warm order at 6-4 favouritism for the Matron, to make her eagerly anticipated return at Ireland's flagship Flat meeting.

“She'd run her heart out on firm ground, she'd try like hell, but the question would be, what would we have left at the end? She's too important to do that. We have been praying for rain all summer and it's just been frustrating.”

Craig added, “She worked after racing at the Curragh last weekend. She worked seven furlongs and that went fine. Chris Hayes rode her and he was very happy. She had a bit of a blow but she hasn't run since the Irish Guineas. 

“Saffron Beach (Ire) (New Bay {GB}) will be a hell of a tough filly to try and beat but Homeless Songs likes Leopardstown and has won twice around there before. If she's in as good of form as she was in when she won the Irish Guineas, she will give everything a run.”

The Aidan O'Brien-trained Kyprios, the outstanding stayer in Europe this season, is expected to go off at prohibitively short odds in Sunday's Irish St Leger.

Craig said, “It would be brilliant if he could win on Sunday but, don't get me wrong, a filly is always going to be more important for us, which is why Homeless Songs is the one. But Eva [Maria Bucher-Haefner] couldn't be at Ascot or at Goodwood so it would be nice if she could be there to see him win.”

Kyprios has gone from strength to strength this season, winning the Gold Cup at Ascot followed by the Goodwood Cup, cementing a relatively new relationship between Moyglare and Coolmore Stud, who are joint-owners of the 4-year-old stallion prospect. 

Moyglare can also call on Jessica Harrington, Ger Lyons and Paddy Twomey on its training roster and, while Weld remains the number one, Craig revealed the new approach to be one that's working well. 

She explained, “We're feeling our way with it. Dermot is still the main trainer but he seemed to have lots of other owners so it seemed to be a good idea to have horses elsewhere. 

“The ones with Aidan are foal shares with Coolmore so Kyprios, Thoughts Of June (Ire) (Galileo) and Kiss You Later (Ire) (Galileo) are all owned 50-50. The other ones are out of newer mares and obviously it has got off to a great start.”

Not only will the stud celebrate 60 years of success this weekend, but Sunday marks the 40-year anniversary of the G1 Moyglare S., in which the operation will be represented by Harrington's Eternal Silence (War Front). 

Speaking on running plans for the rest of the team, Craig said, “It looks as though Eternal Silence will run, although we'll know for sure on Tuesday. The plan had been for Trevaunance to run in France; she will now run in the G2 Blandford S. on Sunday. Just Beautiful will run in the Boomerang on Saturday.”

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Limiti Di Greccio will miss Irish 1,000 Guineas

The Irish 1000 Guineas will come too soon for Limiti Di Greccio (Ire) (Elzaam {Aus}), according to trainer Paddy Twomey, who is concentrating on the second half of the season with the exciting filly after she picked up “a minor training setback”. 

Limiti Di Greccio, winner of the Listed Staffordstown Stud S. last season, had been as short as 15-2 to provide Twomey with a breakthrough Classic success at the Curragh on Sunday.

Twomey explained, “She picked up a minor training setback and is not ready to run at the Curragh on Sunday.”

He added, “The plan is to train her with a view towards the second half of the season where races like the Matron Stakes could be targeted.”

The Tipperary-based trainer may be without Limiti Di Greccio at the Curragh on Guineas weekend but Pearls Galore (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) is firmly on course to fly the flag for the yard in 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 said, “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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Bubble Rock Best In Matron At Belmont

Shortleaf Stable's homebred Bubble Rock reeled in pacesetter Mystic Eyes and staved off the late-running Gal in a Rush to secure a half-length score in Saturday's $150,000 Grade 3 Matron, a six-furlong inner turf sprint for juvenile fillies, at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Trained by Brad Cox and piloted by Irad Ortiz, Jr., who captured his 3,000th career win here on Thursday, Bubble Rock entered from a dominant 3 1/4-length maiden score sprinting 5 1/2-furlongs over the Mellon turf on September 3 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Mystic Eyes, with Manny Franco up, broke alertly and led the field through a half-mile in :44.24 over the firm going with Makin My Move tracking her early foot from second position.

Bubble Rock, who settled outside rivals in third, advanced four-wide through the turn and gradually picked off Makin My Move before surging past a stubborn Mystic Eyes to secure the win in a final time of 1:08.01.

Gal in a Rush, who exited the outermost post 9 under Dylan Davis, saved ground in the early going before tipping out and rallying strongly down the lane to complete the exacta by a half-length over Mystic Eyes.

The victory marked the second Matron score for Ortiz, Jr., who captured last year's edition aboard Royal Approval.

“She's nice. Last time she won and finished well, too,” said Ortiz, Jr., who has piloted Bubble Rock in all three starts. “I just did the same thing today. I waited for my time to go and when I asked her, she finished up really strong again. She's got a really good size to her and she always finishes well, so I think she'll be alright.”

Dustin Dugas, the New York-based assistant for Cox, said Bubble Rock has matured over the course of her campaign.

“She's progressed a lot mentally,” Dugas said. “She's been a very nervous filly to work with and she's kind of taken some time. She's really progressed mentally and physically she's a very big, good-looking filly and moves great.”

Rounding out the order of finish were Makin My Move, The Club, Lady Danae, Dufresne, High Arabian, and Mainstay. Benbang was scratched along with the Wesley Ward-trained duo of Poppy Flower and Chi Town Lady, who are both slated to take on the boys in Sunday's Grade 3 Futurity.

Bubble Rock is out of the Giant's Causeway mare Reef Point, who is a half-sister to millionaire Blue Chipper – winner of the 2019 Group 1 Keeneland Korea Sprint in Seoul and third-place finisher in that year's Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile.

A Kentucky homebred, Bubble Rock banked $82,500 in victory while improving her record to 3-2-1-0. She paid $7 for a $2 win wager.

Live racing returns Sunday at Belmont Park with a nine-race card featuring the $250,000 Grade 2 Beldame for fillies and mares 3-years-old and upward going nine furlongs; the $150,000 Grade 3 Futurity for juveniles going six furlongs on the turf, a “Win And You're In” for the Grade 2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint; and the $150,000 Grade 3 Knickerbocker going nine furlongs on the turf for 3-year-olds and upward. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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