Shane Crosse | Horse Racing Free Tips

American Pharoah Filly Powers To ‘TDN Rising Stardom’ at Leopardstown

Coolmore and Westerberg's sophomore filly Above The Curve (American Pharoah) caught the eye when overcoming a slow getaway to finish strongly for third in a one-mile Leopardstown maiden last October. Back at the Foxrock venue for Wednesday's 10-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden, a contest won in 2019 by MG1SW distaffer Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal), she stamped her class on a field stacked with well-bred individuals to earn 'TDN Rising Star' status with an eyecatching display. The 6-5 favourite was more in focus at the break this time and settled off the tempo out wide in midfield through halfway. Making smooth headway into contention on the home turn, she quickened in taking fashion to seize control approaching the final furlong and kept on strongly under mild coaxing in the latter stages to easily outpoint Thoughts of June (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) by 2 3/4 lengths.

“We think a lot of her,” revealed trainer Joseph O'Brien of the June 3 G1 Epsom Oaks and July 16 G1 Irish Oaks entry. “She had a really good run last year and has an amazing pedigree. We couldn't ask for more and we'll see where we go now, but we think she's an [Irish] Oaks type. She's very big so we'll manage her gently, maybe something like the [G3] Blue Wind [at Naas next month] would suit. We won't throw her in at the deep end and we'll take baby steps with her. She really is huge, in a way she's nearly too big, and we'll have to manage her correctly. She hasn't done anything wrong so far anyway. I don't think she will be an Epsom [Oaks] filly and I think we will look at the Curragh [for the Irish Oaks], but it is early days to be targeting that.”

Above The Curve is the third of five foals and second scorer out of an unraced sibling of eight black-type performers headed by MG1SW sire Giant's Causeway (Storm Cat). She is a full-sister to G3 Irish 1000 Guineas Trial and G3 Weld Park S. third Thinking Of You and her dam Fabulous (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was bred to Justify last year, has a 2-year-old filly and yearling filly by Justify to come. Descendants of the April-foaled bay's MGSW second dam Mariah's Storm (Rahy), herself a half-sister to G1SP sire Panoramic (GB) (Rainbow Quest), also include MG1SW sires Gleneagles (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Decorated Knight (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), Classic heroines Joan of Arc (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Marvellous (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), MG1SW distaffer Happily (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and elite-level performers Vatican City (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Coolmore (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Taj Mahal (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).

1st-Leopardstown, €15,000, Mdn, 4-6, 3yo, f, 10fT, 2:10.66, gd.
ABOVE THE CURVE, f, 3, by American Pharoah
1st Dam: Fabulous (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Mariah's Storm, by Rahy
3rd Dam: Immense, by Roberto
Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-1, $11,538. O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Westerberg; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (KY); T-Joseph O'Brien. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Churchill Colt To The Fore In The Star Appeal

Off the mark at the second attempt by five lengths at Down Royal Sept. 3, Demi O'Byrne's Snaffles (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) was one of a clutch of unexposed juveniles lining up for Friday's Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Star Appeal S. at Dundalk and ultimately proved strongest to open his black-type account in the seven-furlong test. Settled in the box seat by Shane Crosse tracking the leading duo Corviglia (Karakontie {Jpn}) and Leinster House (War Front) early, the 11-1 shot worked his way to the front with 150 yards remaining and fought hard to stay there as King X J (Ire) (Cotai Glory {GB}) stayed on out wide to make the margin 3/4 of a length at the line.

“It was a lovely performance. I think he should be unbeaten, as first time out he was slowly away, got into all sorts of trouble and ran on well,” trainer Joseph O'Brien's assistant Brendan Powell said. “Last time at Down Royal he was very laid-back but went and did it well in the end, he learned from that. I think he'll keep improving, if you saw him in the paddock before he's literally asleep. He's the most laid-back horse you'll ever get. He's a tall, sparely-made horse but a good-looking horse and I think he has a very bright future. They've all come to him today and Shane said he's just doing enough in front, because he's having a look at the stands and the whole lot. He's very genuine, will stay a mile very well and could stay further as he's so laid-back.”

Snaffles is the last known foal out of the dam, with her first being the six-times group-winning sire Libranno (GB) (Librettist) whose exploits included successes in the G2 Park S., G2 Richmond S. and G2 July S. Also responsible for the G3 Prix de Cabourg runner-up Al Muthana (Fr) (Pastoral Pursuits {GB}) and the G3 Brownstown S. and G3 Silver Flash S. runner-up Unforgetable (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}), she is a half to the G3 Polar Cup-winning multiple Scandinavian champion Alyshakeys (Den) (Sendawar {Ire}).

IRISH STALLION FARMS EBF STAR APPEAL S.-Listed, €47,500, Dundalk, 10-1, 2yo, 7f (AWT), 1:25.32, st.
1–SNAFFLES (IRE), 131, c, 2, by Churchill (Ire)
1st Dam: Annabelle Ja (Fr), by Singspiel (Ire)
2nd Dam: Alamea (Ire), by Ela-Mana-Mou (Ire)
3rd Dam: Adjala (Ire), by Northfields
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. (£28,000 RNA Ylg '20 GOFOR; €11,000 Ylg '20 GOFOCT). O-D L O'Byrne; B-Lynch Bages, Camas Park & Arkle Bloodstock (IRE); T-Joseph O'Brien; J-Shane Crosse. €28,500. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $47,596. *1/2 to Libranno (GB) (Librettist), MGSW-Eng, $620,826.
2–King X J (Ire), 131, c, 2, Cotai Glory (GB)–Star of Kings (GB), by Sea the Stars (Ire). (€25,000 Wlg '19 GOFNOV; £15,000 RNA Ylg '20 TATIRY; £100,000 2yo '21 TATGOR). O-Paul J Nolan; B-Tom and Hazel Russell (IRE); T-Michael O'Callaghan. €9,500.
3–Markaz Paname (Ire), 131, c, 2, Markaz (Ire)–Vale of Paris (Ire), by Vale of York (Ire). O-Mrs M Boylan; B-Mr Donal Boylan (IRE); T-Ger Lyons. €4,750.
Margins: 3/4, NK, NO. Odds: 11.00, 6.00, 3.30.
Also Ran: Corviglia, Leinster House, Star Girls Aalmal (Ire), The Entertainer (Ire), Cornman (Ire), Gaire Os Ard (Ire), Absolute Ruler, Lyrical Poetry (Ire). Scratched: Dirtyoldtown (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result.

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Night Of Thunder’s Thundering Nights Wins The Pretty Polly

Narrowly denied in the GII New York S. earlier this month, Shapoor Mistry's Thundering Nights (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) was able to come out on top of another tight finish on Sunday when garnering The Curragh's G1 Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly S. Settled behind the leading trio early by Shane Crosse, the 16-5 shot seized the advantage approaching the final furlong and held off the strong challenge of TDN Rising Star Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) to score by a neck, with 2 1/2 lengths back to the 11-4 favourite Cayenne Pepper (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in third. “She's a great mare, she's very tough and every time you ask her a question she rises to the occasion,” trainer Joseph O'Brien said. “She always has a bit of a look around when she goes to the front and she did that again today, but when the other one came to her she really fought back.”

First coming to prominence when beating the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Albigna (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and Epona Plays (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in the nine-furlong G3 Snow Fairy S. here in August, Thundering Nights was a well-beaten third to Cayenne Pepper in the course-and-distance G2 Blandford S. in September before finishing seventh in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. at Ascot the following month. Back with a half-length second to Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in the G3 Alleged S. again over this track and trip Apr. 17, the bay came up short by a nose to Mean Mary (Scat Daddy) in the New York June 4 and upped her game again to strike for the older fillies and mares here.

This was straightforward for Thundering Nights, who enjoyed a clear trip all the way and who had time to wait on Santa Barbara inside the closing stages before giving extra. “Broome just nabbed her here on the line, but she had an opportunity to fight back today and she did that,” Joseph O'Brien said. “In America, she would have won in another stride, the tight track caught her out a little bit as it was her first time around the bends over there. She had to spend a week after the race over there, so she's only been back a couple of weeks. She trained there for a week, then shipped straight back and came straight here. She has a great constitution. She has options back in America, like the [Aug. 9 GI] Beverly D., and she also has the likes of the [G1] Nassau [at Goodwood July 29] and [the G1] Matron [at Leopardstown Sept. 11]. She's a group 1 winner now, so she's a very exciting broodmare prospect no matter what happens.”

Aidan O'Brien believes that Santa Barbara finally had the chance to show what she is made of here with ideal trip and ground. “I'm delighted she ran well, I was very happy with her,” he said. “After Epsom, we were hoping it was the trip and the ground and it looks like she wants a mile or a mile-and-a-quarter as she's not short of pace. She did everything right, Joseph's filly was very unlucky in America the last day and she's tough. When she got to her, she didn't surrender and his horses are running well. We were thinking of going to the Nassau with Joan of Arc and maybe to split them up this filly could have the option of going to the [G1] Belmont Oaks in a couple of weeks' time. She's a big powerful filly and hopefully she'll be there for next year as well.”

Raised at Manjri Farm in India, Thundering Nights is the first foal out of the multiple-winning middle-distance performer Cape Castle (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), who was bought by Stroud Coleman Bloodstock for 32,000gns carrying the winner at the 2017 Tattersalls February Sale. She is a granddaughter of the G3 Nell Gwyn S. winner and G1 Prix Vermeille runner-up Cloud Castle (GB) (In the Wings {GB}), whose trio of black-type winners are headed by the G3 Winter Hill S. winner Queen's Best (GB) (King's Best). She in turn produced the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf heroine Queen's Trust (GB) (Dansili {GB}), while Cloud Castle is also the second dam of this year's GI Turf Classic S., GI Manhattan S. and GI Hollywood Derby hero Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}), the G3 Fred Darling S. winner and G1 Prix Marcel Boussac third Dabyah (Ire) (Sepoy {Aus}) and the G2 Badener Meile winner Royal Solitaire (Ire) (Shamardal). Cloud Castle is kin to the four-times group 1-winning dual Coronation Cup hero Warrsan (Ire) (Caerleon) from the dynasty of the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches and G1 Prix de Diane heroine Avenir Certain (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}). Cape Castle's 2-year-old filly is by the stud's resident Phoenix Tower.

Sunday, Curragh, Ireland
ALWASMIYAH PRETTY POLLY S.-G1, €250,000, Curragh, 6-27, 3yo/up, f/m, 10fT, 2:08.72, g/f.
1–THUNDERING NIGHTS (IRE), 138, f, 4, by Night of Thunder (Ire)
1st Dam: Cape Castle (Ire), by Cape Cross (Ire)
2nd Dam: Kaabari, by Seeking the Gold
3rd Dam: Cloud Castle (GB), by In the Wings (GB)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€17,000 RNA Wlg '17 GOFNOV; €19,000 RNA Ylg '18 TIRSEP). O-Shapoor Mistry; B-Manjri Farm (IRE); T-Joseph O'Brien; J-Shane Crosse. €150,000. Lifetime Record: GSP-US, 11-4-3-1, $412,193. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Santa Barbara (Ire), 126, f, 3, Camelot (GB)–Senta's Dream (GB), by Danehill. O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Westerberg; B-Whisperview Trading Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €50,000.
3–Cayenne Pepper (Ire), 138, f, 4, Australia (GB)–Muwakaba, by Elusive Quality. (195,000gns Wlg '17 TATFOA). O-Mrs S Kelly; B-G H S Bloodstock & J C Bloodstock (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington. €25,000.
Margins: NK, 2HF, 3/4. Odds: 3.20, 3.00, 2.75.
Also Ran: Insinuendo (Ire), Epona Plays (Ire), Shale (Ire), Silence Please (Ire), Oodnadatta (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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Fillies’ Mile Glory For Lawman’s Pretty Gorgeous

Friday’s G1 bet365 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket was fought out by two elite TDN Rising Stars, with Pretty Gorgeous (Fr) (Lawman {Fr}) prevailing by half a length over Indigo Girl (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) to claim the bragging rights. Runner-up in the Sept. 13 G1 Moyglare Stud S. at The Curragh, John Oxley’s Pretty Gorgeous had been forced to miss Sunday’s G1 Prix Marcel Boussac due to the well-documented feed contamination but confidence remained intact as she traded as the 5-2 favourite. Racing well off the honest tempo as Shane Crosse played the waiting game, the bay who had earlier won the G2 Debutante S. cruised into contention two out and was in front soon after chased by a Ballydoyle runner which was at the time believed to be the 50-1 shot Snowfall (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). Able to see off that Rosegreen representative with relative comfort, she was beyond reach as George Strawbridge’s G2 May Hill S. winner Indigo Girl closed late on. It later transpired that the eventual third, who was the same margin behind, was in fact Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and not Snowfall with the number cloths having been mixed up. “Early on, I wasn’t overly happy and she’s so big she didn’t come down the hill all that great but once I got her balanced and rolling in the last half-furlong it was a case of me getting there too soon,” commented Crosse, who had missed out on G1 St Leger glory last month after a positive COVID-19 test.

Pretty Gorgeous was a rare Rising Star to run at the low-key Irish venue of Bellewstown, but the promise of her five-length defeat of the useful Talacre (Flintshire {GB}) over this trip was there for all to see July 2. Runner-up to Donnacha’s Shale (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the G3 Silver Flash S. over the first of three seven-furlong outings when the going was lively at Leopardstown Aug. 6, she turned that form around with ease in the ground when scoring by 2 1/2 lengths in the Debutante at The Curragh Aug. 22 before again coming off second-best to Shale in the Moyglare. “She was very impressive and I’m delighted for everybody at home, for Mr Oxley who was keen to come here and for Justin who bought her,” trainer Joseph O’Brien said. “I thought Shane gave the filly a great ride. He was patient on her and committed when he had to. Shane is a young man, but he is a very good rider–strong and cool in a finish and he doesn’t panic.”

“I was a little bit worried coming here, given that she’d been to France but she was very fresh and in great shape so we thought we’d better take our chance,” he added. “From the first day she worked, she was impressive at home and proved today that she is top-class. The Breeders’ Cup is an option, but it’s more likely she’ll be put away now and trained for a Guineas next Spring. She is a Lawman, so she would not be bred to go very far. I think Lawman’s can get 10 furlongs and I see her more as an eight to 10-furlong filly rather than an Oaks-type filly at this stage.”

John Gosden said of the runner-up, “It was a great run and I’m very happy with her. Her mother won the French St Leger and her sister won a group one over a mile and a half. She will be trained more for a mile and a quarter and middle-distance races. She won’t be trained as a Guineas filly.”

Aidan O’Brien explained the mix-up with his fillies later in the afternoon, telling the Racing Post, “I didn’t see the race live and when I looked at the replay after it was brought to my attention, I could see straight away. I contacted the BHA straight away and let them know what is after happening. We have a team based in England these days because of the coronavirus restrictions, so the problem is the lads that are with the horses at home can’t always go racing with them. I don’t know what to say other than I am so sorry that it happened.”

Pedigree Notes:
Pretty Gorgeous’s listed-placed dam Lady Gorgeous (GB) (Compton Place {GB}), who also produced the Listed Prix Nureyev scorer Alwaab (Fr) (Toronado {Ire}), is kin to the G3 Prix Fille de l’Air third Kartica (GB) (Rainbow Quest) who is in turn the dam of the G1 Coronation S., G1 Prix Rothschild and G2 Duke of Cambridge S. heroine Qemah (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}). The listed-winning second dam Cayman Sunset (Ire) (Night Shift), who was also placed in the GII Canadian H. and GIII All Along Breeders’ Cup S., is from the family of the GII Lexington S. and GIII Everglades H. winner Royal Roberto (Roberto). Lady Gorgeous’s colt by Shalaa (Ire) was purchased by Peter and Ross Doyle Bloodstock for 90,000gns at last year’s Tattersalls December Foal Sale and heads back to that venue to come under the hammer during Tuesday’s session of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale Book 2.

Friday, Newmarket, Britain
BET365 FILLIES MILE-G1, £400,000, Newmarket, 10-9, 2yo, f, 8fT, 1:39.10, sf.
1–PRETTY GORGEOUS (FR), 126, f, 2, by Lawman (Fr)
1st Dam: Lady Gorgeous (GB) (SP-Eng), by Compton Place (GB)
2nd Dam: Cayman Sunset (Ire), by Night Shift
3rd Dam: Robinia, by Roberto
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€55,000 Wlg ’18 ARQDE; 525,000gns Ylg ’19 TATOCT). O-Mr John C Oxley; B-EARL Ecurie Haras du Cadran, Enrico Ciampi, SAS I.E.I. & Ecurie la Boetie (FR); T-Joseph O’Brien; J-Shane Crosse. £226,840. Lifetime Record: GSW & G1SP-Ire, 5-3-2-0, $433,221. *1/2 to Alwaab (Fr) (Toronado {Ire}), SW-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Indigo Girl (GB), 126, f, 2, Dubawi (Ire)–Montare (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire). O/B-George Strawbridge (GB); T-John Gosden. £86,000.
3–Snowfall (Jpn), 126, f, 2, Deep Impact (Jpn)–Best In the World (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Roncon, Chelston Ire, Wynatt (JPN); T-Aidan O’Brien. £43,040.
Margins: HF, HF, NK. Odds: 2.50, 5.00, 50.00.
Also Ran: Dubai Fountain (Ire), Zabeel Queen (Ire), Shale (Ire), Star of Emaraaty (Ire), Mother Earth (Ire), Isabella Giles (Ire), Lilac Road (Ire). Scratched: Seattle Rock (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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