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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