Galileo’s Aikhal Surges To International Success

Aidan O'Brien trainee Aikhal (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}–Diamond Fields {Ire}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who ran fourth in last term's G3 Autumn S. and G1 Criterium International, came back off a 234-day sabbatical to finish last of 11 in this month's G1 St James's Palace S. at Royal Ascot and bounced back in style to register a career high in Saturday's G3 ARM Holding International S. on the G1 Irish Derby undercard. Stalking the pace in second until sent to the fore approaching the quarter-mile pole, the 20-1 chance quickened in style to poach a decisive advantage entering the final furlong and was ridden further clear in the closing stages to easily dismiss G3 Eyrefield S. winner and G1 Irish 2000 Guineas fifth Duke de Sessa (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Fr}) by an impressive 4 1/4 lengths.

“We thought this was a very good horse last year, but he got a hold up in the spring and he went to the [G1] St James's Palace without a run which is certainly not ideal,” the winning trainer revealed. “It was a slow pace [at Royal Ascot] and then they quickened and left him. Ryan [Moore] said maybe we ran the wrong horse in the [G1 Irish] Derby when he got off him. They went a strong gallop and Ryan couldn't believe how well he was going. He ran right through the line.” Moore added, “He's a lovely, little horse and has done that very well. He was off a long time and went straight into the St James's Palace. He stepped up to a mile-and-a-quarter today and got the trip very well. You'd be delighted with what he has done there and he has beaten some real solid older horses. He won well and they weren't getting anywhere near him. Hopefully, he has got a bright future from here.”

Aikhal, kin to a 2-year-old filly by Frankel (GB) and a yearling colt by Kingman (GB), is the first of three foals produced by G3 Gladness S. victrix Diamond Fields (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who is a half-sister to G1 Irish Derby hero Latrobe (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) and stakes-winning G1 Investec Oaks, G1 Irish Oaks and G1 Pretty Polly S. placegetter Pink Dogwood (Ire) (Camelot {GB}). The March-foaled bay's second dam, Listed Bosra Sham Fillies' S. runner-up Question Times (GB) (Shamardal), is a half-sister to G3 Sceptre S. victrix and G1 Cheveley Park S. second Sunday Times (GB) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), herself the dam of stakes-winning G3 Chipchase S. third Classical Times (GB) (Lawman {Fr}) and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and GI Just A Game S. heroine Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}).

Saturday, Curragh, Ireland
ARM HOLDING INTERNATIONAL S.-G3, €100,000, Curragh, 6-25, 3yo/up, 10fT, 2:08.15, gd.
1–AIKHAL (IRE), 123, c, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Diamond Fields (Ire) (GSW-Ire, MGSP-US & SP-Eng, $225,664), by Fastnet Rock (Aus)
2nd Dam: Question Times (GB), by Shamardal
3rd Dam: Forever Times (GB), by So Factual
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Mary Slack, Coolmore & Westerberg; B-Wilgerbosdrift (UK) Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €60,000. Lifetime Record: 6-2-1-0, $98,426. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Duke de Sessa (Ire), 126, c, 3, Lope de Vega (Ire)–Dark Crusader (Ire), by Cape Cross (Ire). (£60,000 RNA Ylg '20 GOFOR). O/B-Newtown Anner Stud Farm Ltd (IRE); T-Dermot Weld. €20,000.
3–Rumbles of Thunder (Ire), 132, f, 4, Night of Thunder (Ire)–Blanche Neige (GB), by Halling. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€77,000 Wlg '18 GOFNOV; 425,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT; 100,000gns RNA 2yo '20 TATBRE; €390,000 RNA 3yo '21 ARQDEC). O/T-Paddy Twomey; B-F Killen (IRE). €10,000.
Margins: 4 1/4, HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 20.00, 6.50, 2.75.
Also Ran: Mac Swiney (Ire), Bear Story (Ire), Vega Magnifico (Ire), Visualisation (Ire). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

 

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Galileo’s Changingoftheguard Gets Royal Winner Number 80 For Aidan O’Brien

All the rage for Friday's G2 King Edward VII S., Changingoftheguard (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) issued a display of resolute galloping in the Westerberg silks to make it a landmark 80th Royal Ascot winner for Aidan O'Brien. Fifth in the Derby only 13 days ago, the G3 Chester Vase winner was taken to the lead by Ryan Moore soon after the start and was asked several questions on the long journey to the home straight, but kept responding to pressure to see off all bar the Derby 11th Grand Alliance (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}). Whereas the run to the line was straight and true for the heavily-backed 11-10 favourite, the Charlie Fellowes trainee was off on a tangent and drifting left with Danny Tudhope in the closing stages. That meant that when the moment of truth came, the short-head verdict went the way of the Ballydoyle runner, with a four-length margin back to Lysander (GB) (New Approach {Ire}) in third.

Following on from the successes of Kyprios (Ire) and Magical Lagoon (Ire) on Thursday, Changingoftheguard was supplying his remarkable late sire with a Royal Ascot treble in 2022 and puts him one behind his great rival Dubawi (Ire). John Magnier was on hand to witness the latest Galileo to lay down a particular milestone. “The secret's out,” he quipped in his inimitable manner. “It's well-known and well-discussed that Galileos have their will to win and it's coming through with his sons and daughters. It is all over the place really.” When asked about the now 899 group winners for Aidan O'Brien, he reflected, “That does the talking–he doesn't have to do it. It's refreshing to see a modest approach, I think. You see it with Chris Waller too. Their records show it.”

Aidan O'Brien said of the winner, “Changingoftheguard is a tough hardy horse–very genuine and he'll stay further. We think the horse might be very happy going the St Leger trip. He doesn't surrender.” Moore added, “He was not at his best today–he was having a look and wasn't focused. The runner-up has run across the track, but I needed a bit of help really. He is a very honest horse, but he just gallops. He could have done with a bit of company and he wasn't getting a lot of it, so we were sitting ducks but he does have that bit of class.”

Fellowes said of the runner-up, “To have a really good one for the Roys is fantastic. They have been supporters of mine for quite a long time now and the lads have done such a great job with the horse. He is not straightforward. He has his own ideas about the game, but he's very talented and is a pleasure to have around the place. He'll have his day–it's not today, but he will. The St Leger has been mentioned. Whether he'll stay that far, I don't know.”

Changingoftheguard's dam Lady Lara (Ire) (Excellent Art {GB}) registered five wins in stakes company, with the pinnacle being the GII Honey Fox S. and GIII My Charmer H. The fourth dam Dancing Rocks (GB) (Green Dancer) captured the G2 Nassau S. before producing three black-type winners headed by the Listed Cheshire Oaks winner and G1 Yorkshire Oaks-placed Rockerlong (GB) (Deploy {GB}), while she is also the ancestress of seven group one winners including the 2000 Guineas-winning sire Footstepsinthesand (GB), as well as the European champion Superstar Leo (Ire) (College Chapel {GB}) whose wins featured the G3 Norfolk S. at this meeting. Lady Lara's unraced 2-year-old Galileo's Compass (Ire) is, as his name suggests, a full-brother to Changingoftheguard who was bought by BBA Ireland for Yulong Investments for €250,000 at the Goffs Orby, while she also has a filly foal by Wootton Bassett (GB).

Friday, Ascot, Britain
KING EDWARD VII S.-G2, £250,500, Ascot, 6-17, 3yo, c/g, 11f 211yT, 2:30.44, g/f.
1–CHANGINGOFTHEGUARD (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Lady Lara (Ire) (MGSW-US, SW & MGSP-Eng, $781,203), by Excellent Art (GB)
2nd Dam: Shanty (GB), by Selkirk
3rd Dam: Pippas Song (GB), by Reference Point (GB)
O-Westerberg, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-B V Sangster (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £142,059. Lifetime Record: 7-3-1-0, $319,658. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Grand Alliance (Ire), 128, c, 3, Churchill (Ire)–Endless Love (Ire), by Dubai Destination. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Mrs Susan Roy (IRE); T-Charlie Fellowes. £53,858.
3–Lysander (GB), 128, c, 3, New Approach (Ire)–Darting (GB), by Shamardal. 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (120,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Highclere Thoroughbred Racing (Beehives); B-Highclere Stud (GB); T-William Haggas. £26,954.
Margins: NO, 4, NO. Odds: 1.10, 10.00, 7.50.
Also Ran: Ottoman Fleet (GB), Dark Moon Rising (Ire), Savvy Victory (Ire). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

 

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No Nay Never’s Meditate Makes All In The Albany

Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore kicked off Royal Ascot Friday with a bang as Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) dominated the G3 Albany S. Sent off the 5-2 second favourite with Godolphin's Mawj (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) shading it at 2-1, the May 15 G3 Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies Sprint S. winner was quickly at the head of affairs and thoroughly professional throughout as she led at every step to beat that TDN Rising Star by 1 3/4 lengths, with the 66-1 shot Ivory Madonna (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) a neck behind in third.

 

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Galileo Thursday Double As Kyprios Wins The Gold Cup

Thursday's G1 Gold Cup maintained its place at the heart of Royal Ascot with a thrilling and dramatic finale as Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Ryan Moore outgunned Mojo Star (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) and Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}), with the latter falling foul to ill fortune for the second consecutive year. Sent off the 13-8 favourite on the back of his wins in Navan's Listed Vintage Crop S. Apr. 23 and Leopardstown's G3 Saval Beg Levmoss S. May 13, Kyprios who represents the consortium of Moyglare Stud, whose colours he sports, and messrs Magnier, Tabor, Smith and Westerberg was held up in mid-division early out wide and out of trouble. It was a typical Gold Cup without much movement until the scramble out of the back straight and with Frankie panicking into angling off the rail he ended up nine-wide in the run for home as the Ballydoyle representative stayed on past Mojo Star in the final 150 yards. At the line, Kyprios had the measure of Amo Racing's seasonal debutante by half a length, with 3/4 of a length back to Stradivarius who paid for the errant passage he was forced to take.

Ryan Moore revealed it was far from straightforward afterwards. “It wasn't a nice race to ride,” he said. “I had to move him to the outside and I don't like doing that, but I felt I had to keep Kyprios going. Mojo Star has come to us, but this fella kicked in then and it was comfortable at the line. It wasn't a true test today and I don't think we saw the best of him. It was a more complicated race than it should have been and I think he was much the best. To be fair, Aidan had him earmarked for this a year ago! He knows what he is looking for and identified the right horse in him and it all worked out right.”

Kyprios was burying the memories of his three prior unhappy visits to this country, which had resulted in well-beaten efforts in the 2020 G3 Zetland S. and Listed Lingfield Derby Trial last May and an injury sustained in the stalls before this meeting's G2 Queen's Vase. Unbeaten in Ireland and still a lightly-raced project, the chestnut was tardy from the gates here and possibly further back than Moore would have wanted as Earlofthecotswolds (Fr) (Axxos {Ger}) enjoyed an easy time in front but it was Dettori who had the real issue as Stradivarius was hemmed against the rail and essentially trapped.

As Moore wound up the eventual winner approaching the home bend, Stradivarius was caught behind a wall and as he took a diagonal path to daylight the Willie Mullins raider Burning Victory (Fr) (Nathaniel {Ire}) loomed full of running up the inside route he could have enjoyed had Frankie held his nerve. Mojo Star looked to have pulled off a remarkable training performance from Richard Hannon until deep inside the last furlong, but Kyprios was too strong for a record eighth Gold Cup for Aidan O'Brien. “The horse was very brave,” he said. “We brought him here last year, but he came out underneath the stalls and his back was badly bruised and he didn't get to race any more. He missed the St Leger, so it was always the plan that we would train him with this race in mind and give him two preps for it.”

“He had the same tenacity that he showed all the other times and Ryan was very strong on him. It was great Stradivarius was here–it makes these races even more special and incredible. Kyprios is light-bodied and a good mover who looks after himself and they are all the things that he will need. He did it today and hopefully he can do it in the years to come. He could go to Goodwood next or something like the Irish St Leger.”

Richard Hannon said of Mojo Star, who came so close to emulating Le Moss (Ire) in winning this on his seasonal bow, “The Gold Cup next year will be the plan. He's very manoeuvrable. He can go back to a mile and a half and, now he gets two and a half miles, anything in between. I worked him with my milers–with Lusail and Chindit at Kempton and I thought he might have worked the best and wondered if he ought to be in the Queen Anne, or something! I thought then he might run a big race if he got the trip and he got the trip. It is gutting, it really is galling. We've had too many seconds this week, but it will come. The horse is a real pleasure to be associated with, and his day will come. He's been second in three group ones, now–Derbys, St Legers, Gold Cups; there aren't many of them.”

Reflecting on the deflating experience of watching helpless as Stradivarius became the victim of circumstance once again, John Gosden said, “I was bit surprised from having been in the box seat that we dropped back so far. The problem is when they sprint, you had to come wide to get a run and he had to come widest of all. He had a chance the last furlong and the race slipped on him as they had gone a steady pace. Stradivarius is a great horse to get here and to now run in five Gold Cups–to have the longevity he has had. He came back in and had a neigh, so he seems happy. Great credit to the horse and the owner-breeder to keep him racing. There are younger horses there that are first and second. I just wish we had been a little handier and not had to go through a wall of horses.”

Dettori added, “The younger horses had more legs than me at the end. I had every chance to get them, but they were stronger than me. He's been a great hero and came out flying. I had to pull out wide and the only place I could go was the outside and everything was getting tight. When I've pulled him out plenty of times, usually he's got the electric turn of foot, but he's not four anymore, he's eight. I laboured a bit at the end and I was never going to get them. He has been a star. You have to pass on the baton to the younger ones. He did his best and we're very proud of him.”

Kyprios becomes the third top-level winner for Moyglare's incredible Polished Gem (Ire) (Danehill) alongside his full-sister Search For a Song (Ire), who captured two renewals of the G1 Irish St Leger, and the G1 Prince of Wales's S.-winning sire Free Eagle (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}). He is her last known foal, with her tally of eight black-type winners also including the seven-times group scorer Custom Cut (Ire) (Nonowcato {GB}) and the G2 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. winner Sapphire (Ire) (Medicean {GB}). Kyprios's other two full-siblings are the listed scorer and G2 Blandford S. runner-up Amma Grace (Ire) and last year's Chester Cup winner Falcon Eight (Ire).

Polished Gem is a full-sister to the GI Matriarch S. heroine Dress To Thrill (Ire), with both being out of the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Trusted Partner (Affirmed) who is also the third dam of the G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. hero Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}). The third dam Talking Picture (Speak John) collected the GI Matron S. and GI Spinaway S. before producing five stakes winners, with the G2 Premio Legnano winner Easy To Copy (Affirmed) the ancestress of the G1 Grand Prix de Paris and G1 Sydney Cup hero Gallante (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}).

Thursday, Ascot, Britain
GOLD CUP-G1, £500,000, Ascot, 6-16, 4yo/up, 19f 210yT, 4:26.52, g/f.
1–KYPRIOS (IRE), 129, c, 4, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Polished Gem (Ire) (Broodmare Of The Year-Ire), by Danehill
2nd Dam: Trusted Partner, by Affirmed
3rd Dam: Talking Picture, by Speak John
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Moyglare Stud, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Westerberg; B-Moyglare Stud Farm Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £283,550. Lifetime Record: GSW-Ire, 7-5-0-0, $434,026. *Full to Search For A Song (Ire), 2x Hwt. Older Mare-Eur at 14f+, MG1SW-Ire, SW & GSP-Eng, $951,390; Falcon Eight (Ire), SW-Eng & GSP-Ire, $202,827; Amma Grace (Ire), SW & GSP-Ire; and 1/2 to Free Eagle (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), Hwt. Older Horse-Eur at 9.5-11f, G1SW-Eng, GSW & G1SP-Ire, $926,416; Sapphire (Ire) (Medicean {GB}), Hwt. Older Mare-Ire at 11-14f, MGSW & G1SP-Ire, GSW-Eng, $518,947; Custom Cut (Ire) (Notnowcato {GB}), Hwt. Older Horse-Ire at 7-9.5f, MGSW-Eng & Ire, $951,925; and Valac (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), GSW-Aus, $356,631. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Mojo Star (Ire), 129, c, 4, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Galley (GB), by Zamindar. (130,000gns Wlg '18 TATFOA; 220,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT). O-Amo Racing Ltd; B-Barbara Prendergast (IRE); T-Richard Hannon. £107,500.
3–Stradivarius (Ire), 130, h, 8, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Private Life (Fr), by Bering (GB). (330,000gns RNA Ylg '15 TATOCT). O/B-Bjorn Nielsen (IRE); T-John & Thady Gosden. £53,800.
Margins: HF, 3/4, NK. Odds: 1.63, 7.50, 2.00.
Also Ran: Burning Victory (Fr), Tashkhan (Ire), Princess Zoe (Ger), Bubble Smart (GB), Alignak (GB). Scratched: Trueshan (Fr). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

 

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