Day 2 of the star-studded Longines Irish Champions Weekend features four G1s, two of which are part of the Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ Challenge.
The Moyglare Stud Stakes for 2-year-old fillies and the Derrinstown Stud Flying Five are the contests in question, the latter holding special relevance to the Breeders’ Cup after last year’s winner, Glass Slippers, went on to score at Keeneland as the first overseas winner of the Turf Sprint.
The Kevin Ryan-trained mare defends her crown in Sunday’s €300,000 sprint at the Curragh, where rivals are headed by English-based compatriots Winter Power and Dragon Symbol, first and third in last month’s Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes at York. Top home contenders include Sapphire Stakes 1-2 Mooneista and Gustavus Weston, trained by Jack Davison and Joe Murphy respectively.
Although Aidan O’Brien makes a habit of winning the Moyglare Stud Stakes, the betting suggests he has a fight on his hands this time with his two runners, Prettiest and Concert Hall, not among leading fancies.
Still, it looks an open race. Vying for favouritism are Joseph O’Brien’s Debutante Stakes winner Agartha, Ger Lyons’s supplementary entry Cairde Go Deo and the Dermot Weld-trained Homeless Songs, bidding to give the sponsors their first win in the race.
Also on the second-day card of Irish racing’s showpiece weekend are the Comer Group International Irish St Leger and Ireland’s top 2-year-old race, the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes.
Aidan O’Brien bids for his 12th success in the latter contest with much vaunted Point Lonsdale, who makes his G1 debut as he bids to extend his unbeaten streak to five. The son of Australia is ante-post favourite for next year’s 2000 Guineas and Derby – but Sunday’s main rival, Native Trail, also takes high rank in next year’s Classic markets after winning his first two starts for Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby, who has claimed this with top-class pair Quorto and Pinatubo in recent seasons.
Search For A Song bids for a hat-trick in the Irish St Leger as part of a hefty field featuring several familiar faces from the staying ranks, such as Melbourne Cup hero Twilight Payment and his prolific Joseph O’Brien-trained stablemate Baron Samedi plus Ebor winner Sonnyboyliston.
Flying Five/Moyglare Stud Stakes: A bit of context
History: Formerly held at Phoenix Park, the Flying Five was only a listed race until the late 1980s; raised to the highest level in 2018, it is Ireland’s only G1 sprint (not including 2-year-old races). Mark Wallace-trained Benbaun made the race his own with a hat-trick between 2005 and 2007.
A G1 since 1983, named after its long-term sponsor, the Moyglare Stud Stakes is Ireland’s sole G1 confined to 2-year-old fillies. The 7-furlong contest reliably attracts the nation’s top 2-year-olds among the female division - as evinced by a list of recent winners including Minding and Love, who both went on to win the 1000 Guineas and Oaks in England for Aidan O’Brien, whose subsequent Classic winners Snowfall and Mother Earth were down the field last year behind Shale.
Star turn: Minding (2015) – a step into the big time for a filly destined to become one of the best ever trained by Aidan O’Brien. Ridden by Seamie Heffernan, the wonderful daughter of Galileo was much less fancied than her stablemate, Ballydoyle, for the Moyglare but she scored by a comfortable three-quarter-length margin for the first of seven G1 wins in a brilliant career in which she was a champion at both two and three.
Flying Five
Most wins since 1985 (trainer): Dermot Weld (5) – Committed (1985), Flowing (1991, 1992), Tropical (1993, 1994)
Most wins since 1985 (jockey): Mick Kinane (6) – Committed (1985), Flowing (1991), Tropical (1993, 1994), Ishiguru (2001), Ringmoor Down (2004)
Moyglare Stud Stakes
Most wins since 1973 (trainer): Aidan O’Brien (9) – Sequoyah (2000), Quarter Moon (2001), Necklace (2003), Rumplestiltskin (2005), Misty For Me (2010), Maybe (2011), Minding (2015), Happily (2017), Love (2019)
Most wins since 1973 (jockey): Christy Roche (4) – Tender Camilla (1974), Petipa (1975), Daness (1979), Arctique Royale (1980)
Breeders’ Cup Challenge
The Flying Five is a ‘Win and You’re In’ race offering an automatic fees-paid berth for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Del Mar on November 6; the Moyglare is the first qualifying event for 2021 for the Juvenile Fillies Turf one day earlier. A minimum travel allowance of $40,000 will also be provided for all starters based outside North America.
Already qualified: Juvenile Fillies Turf (0)
Turf Sprint (3): Casa Creed (Jaipur), Dream Of Dreams (Diamond Jubilee), Winter Power (Nunthorpe)
Breeders’ Cup past performance
Last year’s Flying Five winner Glass Slippers bucked every trend when landing the BC Turf Sprint at Keeneland – no other European-trained visitor had been placed in the race since Godolphin’s Diabolical was second in the inaugural running in 2008. Havana Grey, the Flying Five winner three years ago, was never a factor in the U.S. race.
Last year’s Moyglare winner Shale did not travel to Kentucky, where third-placed Oodnadatta was ninth behind Aunt Pearl in the BC Juvenile Fillies Turf. In 2019, the Roger Varian-trained Daahyeh was runner-up in both contests (having been sent off favourite for both). Albigna, sixth at the Curragh, was fourth in the States.
No previous Moyglare winner has gone on to success at the Breeders’ Cup – indeed, Sky Lantern and Happily were both well beaten in the States – but Alice Springs (the dam of O’Brien contender Prettiest on Sunday) was runner-up in both races for Aidan O’Brien in 2015, while September was third in both races two years later.
Top contenders for Flying Five
Winter Power (Tim Easterby/Silvestre de Sousa) – abundance of speed, as shown via convincing victory in Nunthorpe Stakes at York (Dragon Symbol third); form already franked by runner-up Emaraaty Ana, who won G1 Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock next time out; forward-going type’s sole defeat this term came when simply going too fast at Royal Asco,t but a stern rival when emphasis is purely on speed.
Glass Slippers (Kevin Ryan/Tom Eaves) – missed Nunthorpe in favour of defending her title here, having scored when coming from behind frantic early pace 12 months ago; similar pace scenario likely here as she attempts fourth G1 success after Prix de l’Abbaye in 2019 and last year’s BC Turf Sprint, where she surged late for career highlight; said to have needed the run on what was nevertheless a pleasing return to action at Glorious Goodwood.
Dragon Symbol (Archie Watson/Oisin Murphy) – high-class sprinter had never finished worse than second in eight career outings before Nunthorpe third; that was yet another fine effort, and surely few horses more deserve top-level success, given that his three G1 placings include when passing first in Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot only to be demoted by the stewards in favour of U.S.-trained Campanelle; always a serious player.
Top contenders for Moyglare Stud Stakes
Homeless Songs (Dermot Weld/Oisin Orr) – exciting daughter of Frankel represents sponsors Moyglare Stud, who would presumably love to win their own race; thrown in deep end here after scoing on only start in Galway maiden, but plenty to like about that 2-length verdict as she won going away from Sunday’s rival Agartha; turn of foot that day suggested a top prospect and she is sure to improve.
Agartha (Joseph O’Brien/Declan McDonogh) – kept busy with six runs already this term; took a while for penny to drop, but change of tactics and step up to 7f worked the oracle as she broke her maiden with front-running success in G3 at Leopardstown in July; repeated the dose under similar forcing tactics last time with even better effort in G2 Debutante; tough sort who keeps progressing.
Cairde Go Deo (Ger Lyons/Colin Keane) – supplementary entry looked smart when improving for promising debut to score by 4½ lengths over course and distance last time; daughter of Camelot strode clear that day in manner of decent performer.
What they say
Alastair Donald (racing manager to Winter Power’s owners, King Power Racing)
“There aren't many Group 1s over five furlongs so we've got to take a chance. She came out of York well and took a lot of racing last year. There's still three weeks after the Curragh until the Abbaye so there's no reason why she can't do both.” (Racing Post)
Jack Davison (trainer of Mooneista)
“I thought she had the pace to make up into a black-type sprinter as a 3-year-old, but she’s just shown me something extra this year. I think a big part of it is she needs a good gallop – the better the race, the better she’ll be, and she’s got her confidence now and knows how to race and finish. Everything is 100 percent. Her form looks good, and I wouldn’t be afraid to reoppose anything that ran against us in the Sapphire.” (Racing TV)
Aidan O’Brien (trainer of Prettiest)
“We ran her in the Phoenix, and it probably wasn’t the right thing and wasn’t fair. The pace was strong early, and we went with the pace, but she’s probably a filly that wants seven furlongs or a mile. She’s in good form recently, a strongly-run seven furlongs we think will suit her. She seems to have come out of the last race well, and we hope she will leave it behind her.”