A badly hampered fourth in the Epsom Oaks (Eng-G1) after annexing last
month’s Cheshire Oaks, Roisin Henry and Susan Magnier’s Diamondsandrubies
(Fastnet Rock) bounced back in game fashion to make almost all in Sunday’s
Pretty Polly S. (Ire-G1) at the Curragh.
Asserting for the lead along the rail after the initial exchanges, the 8-1
chance was pestered by Secret Gesture (Galileo) into the stretch run and, once
seeing off that rival under a drive approaching the final eighth, kept on
resolutely in the dying embers to bravely hold One Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1)
victress Legatissimo (Danehill Dancer) and last term’s Prix Jean Romanet (Fr-G1)
winner Ribbons (Manduro) by a short head and a neck in a three-way photo.
“I rode her in Epsom and it didn’t really swing my way,” said winning rider
Seamus Heffernan. “Sometimes Epsom finishes a horse and sometimes the good
horses thrive on it. She’s obviously good and we thought she’d stay.
“I jumped to be forward and she landed in front, and I was happy enough to go
along with it. I knew they were coming, but I knew where the line was. Aidan
(O’Brien) trains them to progress from run to run and today she was at her best
so hopefully there will be more improvement.”
Diamondsandrubies, who ran sixth to Tamadhor (Arcano) going seven furlongs at
Leopardstown in her only juvenile start last September, opened her sophomore
campaign with an April 9 Tipperary maiden win upped a quarter-mile and hit the
board behind Bocca Baciata (Big Bad Bob) and Pleascach (Teofilo) in the Salsabil
S. at Navan nine days later. The bay was back on song when streaking to a
six-length score around Chester’s tight oval in the May 6 Cheshire Oaks despite
being slapped in the face by a rival’s whip, but suffered a horror trip when
hampered badly in the straight before rallying gamely to finish fourth in the
Epsom Oaks last time June 5. Diamondsandrubies will now point to the July 18
Irish Oaks (Ire-G1) back here.
“She was very unlucky at Epsom and probably the most inconvenienced by the
whole thing,” O’Brien said. “She was always going to come here and we said we’d
let (Oaks winner) Qualify (Fastnet Rock) take her chance in the (Irish) Derby
([Ire-G1] where she finished sixth). We’d like to have got a lead, but that’s
not the way it worked out, and Seamie gave her a great ride.
“(Jockey) Emmet McNamara rides her out every day at home and does a great
job. We know the dam (Quarter Moon) well and I’m delighted for (part-owners)
Richard and Roisin (Henry).
“We’ll ride her a bit more patiently over a mile-and-a-half, and Qualify and
Words (Dansili) will also run in the Irish Oaks.”
Legatissimo once again fell the wrong side of a narrow verdict, having been
nailed by Qualify in the dying strides at Epsom. Pleascach, who was unable to
add to her Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1) triumph in the June 18
Ribblesdale S. (Eng-G2) at Royal Ascot last time, held every chance in the
straight, but failed to display her usual sparkle and finished fifth.
Diamondsandrubies’s dam, the Moyglare Stud S. (Ire-G1)-winning Quarter Moon
(Sadler’s Wells), is a full sister to the Irish One Thousand Guineas winner and
Epsom Oaks runner-up Yesterday. The family also boasts Poule d’Essai des
Poulains (Fr-G1) scorer Aussie Rules (Danehill) and numerous other Group 1
winners.
O’Brien sent out the top two finishers in the Curragh Cup (Ire-G3), as the
Galileo three-year-olds Bondi Beach and Order of St George overturned older
horses in the 14-furlong test. Heffernan was again aboard the winner.
Bondi Beach went untested as a juvenile and opened up with a short-head
victory over stablemate Bantry Bay (Galileo) going 12 furlongs at Leopardstown
May 10 before dead-heating for second in the King George V Cup over that same
course and distance last time June 5. Steadied in second after breaking on the
lead here, he came under pressure when shuffled back one spot on the home turn
and stayed on in determined fashion, despite Heffernan dropping his whip, once
hooking up with Order of St George approaching the final eighth to embellish the
rider’s banner day in another thrilling bobber.
Ascot Gold Cup (Eng-G1) third Forgotten Rules (Nayef) went off as the 8-13
chalk, but was unable to match the late kick of the O’Brien pair. He was
collared for third on the line by Drifting Mist (Muhtathir).
“They look two proper St Leger (Eng-G1) horses, and have pulled right away as
well,” commented O’Brien. “The mile and six furlongs helped Bondi Beach and
Seamie gave him a great ride. Order Of St George was entitled to get tired as he
was ready in the spring and then got a temperature. He could go for something
like the (August 19 Great) Voltigeur S. (Eng-G2) at York, while the winner may
not need another run (before the September 12 St Leger at Doncaster).”
Of Heffernan, O’Brien added, “Seamie has been with us since the start. He’s a
world-class rider and always was, and has been riding big-race winners for us
for so long. He’s a massive part of the team and nobody deserves today more than
him.”
Hot on the heels of Painted Cliffs (Canford Cliffs) providing a first stakes
success for his freshman sire in Saturday’s Railway S. (Ire-G2) over this course
and six-furlong distance, Most Beautiful (Canford Cliffs) doubled that tally on
black-type bow in the Grangecon Stud S. (Ire-G3).
The David Wachman trainee progressed off a debut fourth in an April 27
five-furlong maiden at Naas and accounted for subsequent Norfolk S. (Eng-G2)
hero Waterloo Bridge (Zoffany) in an all-gender affair when graduating upped one
panel at Navan last time May 30. Stalking the pace in a close second after an
alert exit, the 11-8 favorite eased to the front approaching the final furlong
and was ridden out inside the last 150 yards to comfortably hold Only Mine (Pour
Moi). The pacesetting Miss Elizabeth (Intense Focus) kept on gamely once headed
inside the final quarter-mile and finished a close-up third.
“She’s always worked like a good filly,” revealed Wachman. “She’s big and is
still a bit weak, you could see that in the last furlong, and she has a nice
future.
“(Ireland Rugby International and part-owner) Ronan (O’Gara) couldn’t be here
today as he’s on a family holiday in the south of France, but I’d say he won’t
miss the next day wherever that is. She’s well entered up and will go further.
The one thing is she likes goodish ground.”
The Ralph Beckett-trained Air Pilot (Zamindar) captured the International
(Ire-G3) from only two rivals, Parish Hall (Teofilo) and Roheryn (Galileo).
Progressing out of handicaps to run third in the October 17 Darley S.
(Eng-G3) at Newmarket, Air Pilot garnered a first black-type score in the
November 1 James Seymour S. back at Headquarters and hit the board once more in
the Huxley S. (Eng-G3) at Chester on seasonal return last time May 7. Leading
his two rivals at little more than a hack canter after a sharp getaway, he was
shoved along soon after turning for home and outsprinted Parish Hall under a
final-quarter drive to register a career high.
“We were lucky to fall into a three-runner Group 3,” admitted Beckett.
“There’s not many of those around and we didn’t want to make the running as he’s
lazy in front. Ryan (Moore) felt he probably did more on Thursday morning before
he came over. I thought Ger Lyons’s filly (Roheryn) was sure to go on, but they
obviously decided otherwise.
“He’s a (Lady Cobham) homebred and had problems as a three-year-old, and only
came to me at the beginning of last year. He’s ground dependent and needs juice
in the ground. The rain last night was a big help. He was entitled to win a race
of that nature.”
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