Showcasing’s Free Solo Claims TDN Rising Stardom at Leopardstown
2nd at Leo, Mdn, €17,500 | Frank Conroy Irish EBF Maiden | (8f) | Winner: Free Solo (Ire), c, 2 by Showcasing (GB) |
Free Solo | Racing Post
By Sean Cronin
The Niarchos Family’s homebred Free Solo (Ire) (Showcasing {GB}) was a staying-on third over seven furlongs at Naas in his only prior start July 6 and powered to TDN Rising Stardom upped to one mile in the Frank Conroy Irish EBF Maiden–a race which includes Camelot (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}) on the honour roll–at Leopardstown on Thursday evening. The 4-1 chance was sharpest into stride from the outside stall and seized immediate control of this return. Scrubbed along off the home turn, he was driven clear approaching the final eighth and stayed on strongly in the closing stages to score by an impressive five lengths from Cabot Hills (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}), who chinned stablemate Yankee Stadium (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) by a short head on the line for second.
“He learned a lot in Naas where he was coming home [at the finish],” commented winning trainer Jessica Harrington. “He was just like a baby at Naas, he jumped out and stopped rather than jumping out and going. Today he was just a different horse and will improve with racing. He loves that good ground, he got the mile easy and got an easy lead in front. He had the experience and it stood to him. He’s got some fancy entries and will probably go for the seven-and-a-half furlong Listed race at Tipperary [Aug. 11 Coolmore Ivawood S.] next.”
Free Solo, half to a colt foal by Le Havre (Ire), is the first foal produced by a daughter of MG1SW European champion Six Perfections (Fr) (Celtic Swing {GB}). The homebred chestnut’s unraced dam’s siblings include MGSW G1 Racing Post Trophy second Yucatan (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), G2 Prix du Gros-Chene-winning sire Planet Five (Storm Cat), GIII Modesty H. victress Faufiler (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and G2 Beresford S. runner-up Mount Everest (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}).
2nd-Leopardstown, €17,500, Mdn, 7-25, 2yo, 8fT, 1:44.23, gd.
FREE SOLO (IRE), c, 2, by Showcasing (GB)
1st Dam: Amuser (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Six Perfections (Fr), by Celtic Swing (GB)
3rd Dam: Yogya, by Riverman
Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-1, $13,224. O/B-Niarchos Family (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Galileo’s Love Makes All In the Silver Flash
LEP, Gr. Stk, 60000 | G3 Jockey Club of Turkey Silver Flash S. | (7f 20y) | Winner: Love (Ire), f, 2 by Galileo (Ire) |
By Tom Frary
With TDN Rising Star Windracer (Ire)(Showcasing {GB}) sleepwalking through Thursday’s G3 Jockey Club of Turkey Silver Flash S. at Leopardstown, Ballydoyle’s Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was alert and sprightly in contrast to register an impressive 11th success in the race for Aidan O’Brien. Runner-up to that Jessie Harrington trainee at The Curragh June 27, the chestnut had shown an aptitude for hard graft by breaking her maiden over this course and distance from the subsequent G3 Anglesey S. third Soul Search (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) July 11. Sent to the front soon after the stalls’ opening by front-running supremo Seamie Heffernan, the 8-1 shot never looked back en route to a 3 1/4-length dismissal of the Joseph O’Brien-trained Unforgetable (Ire) (Muhaarar {GB}). Two more from Ballydoyle, So Wonderful (War Front) and the 2-1 favourite Precious Moments (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), were third and fourth in another O’Brien father-son whitewash while Windracer started sluggishly in last and stayed there throughout.
“She’s a lovely filly and is progressing obviously,” O’Brien said. “They are really coming forward with every run. They are just progressing and she won nicely here the last day. Ryan was happy with his filly [Precious Moments], he didn’t have a good draw, but he was happy with her. She has plenty of speed. Wayne [Lordan on So Wonderful] was happy with his filly too and said she’s still progressing. She’s still a maiden as well. They’ll probably all go to the [G2] Debutante [S. at The Curragh Aug. 23] and we’ll see what happens there.”
JOCKEY CLUB OF TURKEY SILVER FLASH S.-G3, €60,000, Leopardstown, 7-25, 2yo, f, 7f 20yT, 1:30.84, gd.
1–LOVE (IRE), 126, f, 2, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Pikaboo (GB), by Pivotal (GB)
2nd Dam: Gleam of Light (Ire), by Danehill
3rd Dam: Gold Runner, by Runnett (GB)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith & Mrs John Magnier; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien; J-Seamus Heffernan. €35,400. Lifetime Record: 4-2-1-0, $55,726. *Full to Flattering (Ire), GSW-Ire & SP-Eng, to Peach Tree (Ire), GSW-Ire, $137,084, & 1/2 to Lucky Kristale (GB) (Lucky Story), MGSW-Eng, $288,793. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Unforgetable (Ire), 126, f, 2, Muhaarar (GB)–Annabelle Ja (Fr), by Singspiel (Ire). (425,000gns Ylg ’18 TATOCT). O-John C Oxley; B-Lynch Bages, Camas Park & Arkle Bloodstock (IRE); T-Joseph O’Brien. €11,400.
3–So Wonderful, 126, f, 2, War Front–Wonder of Wonders, by Kingmambo. O-Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith & Mrs John Magnier; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (KY); T-Aidan O’Brien. €5,400.
Margins: 3 1/4, 1, HF. Odds: 8.00, 7.00, 14.00.
Also Ran: Precious Moments (Ire), One Last Look (Ire), Schroders Mistake (Ire), Isabeau (Ire), Windracer (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Galileo’s Armory Takes the Tyros
LEP, Gr. Stk, 60000 | G3 Japan Racing Association Tyros S. | (7f 20y) | Winner: Armory (Ire), c, 2 by Galileo (Ire) |
Armory | Racing Post
By Tom Frary
Trainers are often creatures of habit and it is safe to assume that whatever Aidan O’Brien runs in Leopardstown’s G3 Japan Racing Association Tyros S. is one of his top prospects. Where the likes of Gleneagles (Ire), Churchill (Ire) and Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) led so the stable’s new hope Armory (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) followed on Thursday as he surged to a five-length verdict in the important staging post. Showing a smart burst to get out of a pocket and win a seven-furlong maiden at The Curragh June 27, the 2-5 favourite followed stablemate Toronto (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and when sent past approaching the final furlong stretched clear for an emphatic success. “He’s a very exciting colt and this has been a nice race over the years, so hopefully it bodes well for the future,” Ryan Moore commented. “He did it very impressively and hopefully he’ll go on from there. He travelled very comfortably and showed a good turn of foot to put the race to bed very quickly. He was strong through the line and his last furlong was his most impressive.”
Armory, who was third on debut behind Justifier (Ire) (Free Eagle {Ire})–withdrawn from this rematch due to a temperature by Ger Lyons–in a June 13 course-and-distance maiden, was becoming the 13th winner for Aidan O’Brien who said, “You’d be delighted with him and we’ll go for the [G2] Futurity [S. at The Curragh Aug. 23] with him. He’s progressing lovely, he came forward lovely from his first to his second and you’d have to be very happy with him. He looks like a mile would be his trip horse as a three-year-old. You never know, he could stay further, but he’s not short of pace.”
JAPAN RACING ASSOCIATION TYROS S.-G3, €60,000, Leopardstown, 7-25, 2yo, 7f 20yT, 1:32.39, gd.
1–ARMORY (IRE), 129, c, 2, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: After (Ire) (MGSP-Ire, $107,377), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
2nd Dam: Noahs Ark (Ire), by Charnwood Forest (Ire)
3rd Dam: Abstraction (GB), by Rainbow Quest
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €35,400. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-1, $53,538. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Toronto (Ire), 129, c, 2, Galileo (Ire)–Mrs Marsh (GB), by Marju (Ire). O-Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O’Brien. €11,400.
3–Zarzyni (Ire), 129, c, 2, Siyouni (Fr)–Zunera (Ire), by Invincible Spirit (Ire). O-H.H. Aga Khan; B-His Highness the Aga Khan’s Studs S.C. (IRE); T-Mick Halford. €5,400.
Margins: 5, 2HF, 3 3/4. Odds: 0.40, 7.00, 3.50.
Also Ran: Innervisions (Ire). Scratched: Justifier (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.