The Fugue beats males in Irish Champion, earns BC Turf
berth
After all the dalliances with the weather and the added drama of the late
scratching of Declaration of War and the virtual pulling-up midrace of his
stable companion Kingsbarns, it was left to Lord Lloyd-Webber’s The Fugue to
impart some class on proceedings in Leopardstown’s Group 1 Irish Champion
Stakes, a “Win and You’re In” event for the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
Allowed to take part despite the quickly deteriorating ground conditions, the
last-out Yorkshire Oaks heroine justified that gamble by upstaging the 9-10 pick
Al Kazeem with a stylish performance. Sent off the 4-1 joint-second favorite,
the homebred traveled strongly behind the leading trio early and was clearly
going best in the homestretch before being committed on the front end by William
Buick with a furlong remaining. Skipping clear from there, the John Gosden filly
was not fully extended to score with ears pricked by 1 1/4 lengths from her
British compatriot.
“I was worried about the ground, but it worked out well,” her rider
commented. “She’s been so unlucky and should have won so many times last year,
so I’m just glad she’s getting the rub of the green now. She’s always been
special and has arguably beaten the best around at the moment.”
The Fugue looked every bit a leading contender for the 2012 Epsom Oaks when
winning York’s Musidora, but encountered the first piece of the misfortune that
would dog much of her sophomore campaign in the classic itself when third after
a troubled passage. Heavy rain last summer may have cost her the Ribblesdale at
Royal Ascot and the Yorkshire Oaks either side of a smooth win in the Nassau at
Goodwood, and traffic issues were to blame for her third-place effort behind
Zagora in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf.
If 2013 began with the promise that her luck had turned with a fine comeback
third behind Al Kazeem in the Prince of Wales’s at Royal Ascot June 19, the
demons returned at Sandown when she exited the July 6 Eclipse under a cloud
having put in a rare dull effort in seventh to the Roger Charlton trainee. Back
with a flourish with a dominant performance in the August 22 Yorkshire Oaks, the
bay who had been committed this week with the forecast for predominantly dry
weather was almost scratched as the rain arrived, but connections opted to take
roll the dice.
Always traveling with her customary zip as Trading Leather set off in front,
she stuck to the heels of Al Kazeem as Joseph O’Brien elected to take Kingsbarns
out of the action at halfway. Mastering the longtime leader and favorite
approaching the furlong pole, she only needed two slaps with the whip to seal
the result and record back-to-back successes for the distaff brigade following
the exploits of Snow Fairy.
Lady Lloyd-Webber confirmed that her participation had been up in the air.
“It has been touch-and-go, and I nearly didn’t get on the plane, because I
didn’t think we were going to run with all the rain that was forecast,” she
stated. “But John (Gosden) said, ‘It’s good ground and we have to run.’ I
thought we would have to wait 20 years to get another filly like Dar Re Mi, but
here we are and it’s unbelievable.”
“We walked the track twice before racing.” Gosden said, “and I’m glad we
decided to run now, so there is a sense of relief. The ground yesterday would
have been perfect, but luckily the heavy rain has only really started now and if
we’d got that three hours before racing we wouldn’t be standing here.
“After coming over, I wasn’t inclined to go back to Newmarket and then across
the Channel for the Prix Vermeille next week. She’s still relatively fresh and
this is a solid form line with Al Kazeem and Trading Leather.
“We were devastated after the Eclipse, which knocked us for six, as I thought
she’d win that. I knew it was in her to do it and the weather has not defeated
us. She’s entered on Arc weekend, but that would be dependent on ground as it
can be bottomless, and the Breeders’ Cup Turf is on the agenda too.”
Joseph O’Brien revealed that Kingsbarns had lost his action.
“When he met the road, he took a bit of a bad step,” he told PA Sport. “He
wasn’t too bad pulling up and hopefully he’s just given himself a little bit of
a bang.”
Elsewhere on the card, the renewal of the Group 1 Matron had a hollow look to
it on paper following the withdrawal of Elusive Kate. It may be notable that
despite her odds of 25-1, La Collina was the sole Group 1 winner in the line-up.
That had come when she upstaged subsequent Irish Two Thousand Guineas hero Power
when 33-1 in the Phoenix at the Curragh in August 2011, but she failed to
progress off that effort and was only fifth and sixth, respectively, in the
English and Irish One Thousand Guineas.
Despite some smart efforts in the interim, including when beaten just over
two lengths when fifth in this race last year and when fourth in the Sun Chariot
at Newmarket soon after, the bay looked to be stuck in a rut and was no match
for Chigun in the Curragh’s Ridgewood Pearl over this trip May 25. Sixth in the
Pretty Polly over 10 furlongs back at that venue June 30, she turned in a rare
flop when down the field in the nine-furlong Meld here when last seen July 25,
but rebounded with a timely revival of fortunes to provide jockey Chris Hayes
with a first victory at this level.
Covered up in midpack racing toward the fence, La Collina was shuffled back
before the home turn but kept grinding her way through rivals and eventually
passed Lily’s Angel and Say with 50 yards remaining.
“She’s very, very special,” trainer Kevin Prendergast commented. “She’s very
genuine and everything went right for her today. She has plenty of guts and the
only bad race she’s run was the last day here when it was very heavy. She had
worked during the week with Gordon Lord Byron, and when he won at Haydock that
made us more confident. We will probably go for the Sun Chariot Stakes (Group 1
at Newmarket September 28).”
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