Curvy wins rough running of Ribblesdale

Curvy overcame trouble to take the Ribblesdale (Frank Sorge/Horsephotos.com) Jockey Ryan Moore navigated Curvy (Galileo) out of trouble in the final furlongs and his mount accelerated to a decisive one-length victory in Thursday’s Ribblesdale Stakes (Eng-G2), an about 1 1/2-mile test for three-year-old fillies at Royal Ascot. Sent postward at 9-2 odds, the Irish-based Curvy notched her fourth consecutive win for trainer David Wachman. She was exiting her first Group tally, a neck decision in the May 24 Gallinule (Ire-G3) at The Curragh. “It was a very messy race and they went no gallop at all,” Wachman said. “They were clambering all over each other so she did very well to win such a messy race. A lot of the horses would not have been suited by the slow gallop but she handled it best of them all. She finished well and I think she won it quite snugly as she doesn’t do much when she gets there.” Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1) heroine Pleascach (Teofilo), the even-money favorite, had to settle for second after being overhauled by Curvy. “I was confident that if she managed to get out she would have a great chance because Pleascach was starting to struggle so I wasn’t too worried about anything,” Wachman said. “When I saw Kevin Manning working away on his filly (Pleascach) I thought we had a chance. I thought she was going to be second best on the day but it is obviously great that she has won.”

A stablemate to English One Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1) winner Legatissimo (Danehill
Dancer), who finished a head second in the June 5 Epsom Oaks (Eng-G1), Curvy has
a host of options for possible targets later on in the season and Wachman was
keeping his options open as to where she could end up.

“She will probably step up to Group 1 class now and we will just keep her
separate from Legatissimo,” the conditioner noted.

Moore, registering a 36/1 double on the day and his seventh winner of Royal
Ascot 2015, was happy to see Curvy turn in her best effort to date.

“She has done well to pick up immediately today,” Moore said. “She was only
doing the minimum at The Curragh (when she won the Gallinule), and she rides
like a filly who always has a bit left. I was very worried about (Jim) Bolger’s
filly (Pleascach) though, she impressed me in the Irish Guineas, but my filly is
improving.”

When asked what had caused the bit of interference in the race, Moore said:
“I wasn’t sure — I think the horse on the inside shifted on to Kevin (Manning)
maybe and Kevin shifted on to me, and I had to re-gather her, and she did well
to pick up and win then.”

Classic winner Pleascach, carrying the colors of Godolphin for the first
time, proved her stamina when stepping up to 1 1/2 miles in the Ribblesdale
Stakes, but found Curvy too good.

“We think she stayed all right, but it didn’t just happen today,” Bolger said
of the runner-up. “We have options because she is very versatile at a mile, a
mile and a quarter and a mile and a half, although I wouldn’t envisage going
beyond that. Curvy is improving every day of the week since starting off on a
mark of 72 at Navan earlier this season.”

Pamona (Duke of Marmalade) was given a bump when the winner was pushed left
by Pleascach and wound up finishing another four lengths back in third.

“We’re thrilled,” racing manager Harry Herbert said. “She trapped wide, which
wasn’t the end of the world, but considering she was given such a bump by the
winner in the straight she stayed on really well. I don’t think that would have
made any difference to the result.”

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