Whirl denies Kalpana in pulsating Pretty Polly Stakes
WHIRL GAINED EPSOM compensation when edging out Kaplana in an enthralling Paddy Power Pretty Polly Stakes.
The Group One event looked a match on paper between Andrew Balding's proven Group One performer Kalpana (5-6 favourite) and Aidan O'Brien's narrow Oaks second, and so it proved as the pair served up a Curragh Classic.
Ryan Moore was quickly away dictating terms aboard the 13-8 second-favourite, with Colin Keane never far away aboard the Juddmonte-owned Kalpana and must have thought the race was his for the taking when Whirl was asked for maximum effort with two furlongs to run with Kalpana still travelling menacingly.
However, Whirl was not for giving in and after a titanic tussle the Wootton Bassett filly pulled out extra inside the final furlong to shade a length and a quarter verdict and deny Juddmonte back-to-back victories in the feature event after Bluestocking 12 months ago.
'She's an incredible filly. She's just progressed and she loves getting into a fight,' said O'Brien.
'Obviously we saw that she stays a mile and a half at Epsom. She's absolutely concrete, really. We knew that obviously she wouldn't mind the mile and a quarter as she was very impressive in York when she won the Musidora.
Advertisement
'They got into a battle turning in and battling all the way up the straight like that at the Curragh takes some courage and they kept going together. Ryan said he felt 50 yards from the line that she had a look at the camera and he knew he had her then.'
O'Brien was winning the Pretty Polly for the sixth time and reserved special praise for Moore, who was joining the list of great jockeys who have won the race three times.
'Ryan gave her a brilliant ride, he got the fractions absolutely spot on,' added O'Brien.
'It's a difficult thing when you are running a mile-and-a-half filly back at a mile and a quarter. You are trying to spread the stamina out over a mile and a quarter without stretching the elastic too long, but he got it absolutely spot on.
'He got the favourite to challenge him and this filly gets a mile and a half so there was no point turning it into a sprint. It was the plan to spread it out and let the two of them get together and see who was going to be the best.
'As they say 'let the best horse jump the ditch' after that. Two great jockeys, what can I say about Ryan, day in day out he's incredible.
'They went strong and the two of them went together. Ryan and Colin knew they were each other's dangers and they weren't going to give each other an inch, which they couldn't afford to.
'Those kind of races are few and far between. When you have that type of quality horse lining up and two riders like that. On ground like this, in a place like this, it's a very special weekend.'
As for the future for his winner, O'Brien is inclined to keep an open mind, with Whirl's Epsom conqueror Minnie Hauk also up his sleeve for the season's major events.
He said: 'She can go anywhere now this filly. She can come back here to the Oaks, she can go to the Nassau (at Goodwood).
'She's an unusual filly. She's tough and she's not even blowing there, her nostrils weren't even flaring.
'She's obviously a very high-class filly and it's very exciting. It's possible she's kept apart from Minnie Hauk, but the lads could let them run together in the Oaks.
'I'd imagine if Minnie Hauk comes back to the Oaks and she's well she'll be let go by herself and this filly could do other things.
'She's not slow either.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
6 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Major Wimbledon change as iconic feature of tournament will be MISSING for first time in its 148 year history
LINE judges will be absent from Wimbledon today for the first time in the tournament's 148-year history — after being booted out by AI. Around 300 of the blazer-wearing officials who call 'out' and 'fault' have been axed in favour of an electronic gizmo. Advertisement 1 Line judges will be absent from Wimbledon for the first time in the tournament's 148-year history Credit: AFP Replacing them is the Voices used by the tech are from people working behind-the-scenes at Wimbledon, including tour guides. The decision to adopt AI was made after a pilot at last year's tournament. It is understood the All England Club was reluctant, but the tech has been used in other events for years. Advertisement READ MORE ON WIMBLEDON Chair umpires will remain. Sally Bolton, chief executive of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, said AI will ensure 'maximum accuracy' in officiating. British No 4 Billy Harris, 30, said: 'I'm sure the umpires will be missed. 'It feels like a quieter court when they're not there, and they are all dressed up nice in the suits. Advertisement Most read in Sport 'But if the line calls are more accurate I guess most of the players are not going to be complaining.' Former line judges had to compete for 80 new match assistant roles, which can involve measuring the net, opening tubes of new balls and escorting players to the toilet. Veteran linesman Charles Falconer, 77, who would have been awarded a trophy and certificate to mark his 50th year this summer, reportedly missed out. Emma Raducanu giggles as she addresses Carlos Alcaraz relationship ahead of Wimbledon One judge said: 'Charlie even asked if he could do stewarding to make the milestone, but the tournament told him there was nothing available. Advertisement 'I thought Wimbledon were better than that.' A total of 23 Brits are in the singles events at this year's tournament — the most since 1984. QUEUE CANNOT BE SERIOUS TENNIS-mad fans pitched tents and sofas overnight to be the first through the gates of Wimbledon this morning. Some 1,400 eager supporters braved searing heat and crammed into nearby Wimbledon Park. Tournament bosses have even issued a dossier on how to queue correctly. The guide warns against smoking, cooking on barbecues and toilet breaks of more than half an hour. Among those queuing last night was Quin Latimore, 29, who said: 'It's filling up fast. 'I have been doing this for quite a few years and have never seen it this busy.'
Irish Times
8 hours ago
- Irish Times
Lambourn delivers workmanlike performance to complete Epsom-Curragh Derby double
It was workmanlike but Lambourn ultimately landed Sunday's €1.25 million Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby and became the 20th colt to complete the Epsom-Curragh 'Blue Riband' double. The 8/13 favourite ground out a three-parts-of-a-length victory over his 28/1 stable companion Serious Contender, with the Epsom runner-up Lazy Griff in third and Tennessee Stud fourth in front of an official crowd of 11,200. Ryan Moore discarded Lambourn at Epsom, allowing Wayne Lordan in for a career-defining victory in his place, but took the reins this time and became the first jockey to win Ireland's premier classic three years in a row. It was also a landmark moment for Aidan O'Brien , enjoying a 17th win in the race, and completing an unprecedented hat-trick of Europe's three major Derby races in one season. READ MORE At the start of June, Camille Pissarro landed the Prix Du Jockey Club at Chantilly, six days before Lambourn made most of the running at Epsom. As widely anticipated, the month ended with a classic trifecta on home ground and if Lambourn's performance was more stolid than spectacular, the substance of the overall achievement is massive. At 55, and almost 30 years at the helm of Ballydoyle, O'Brien's grip on Europe's major classic prizes has never looked tighter. Sunday's race was his second Curragh classic of the season so far, a tally equalled in France and coming on the back of a Derby-Oaks double at Epsom. Lambourn is a son of O'Brien's 2014 double Derby winner Australia, who's by the legendary Galileo, who managed the feat also in 2001. Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore with Lambourn after victory in The Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho It's the sort of lineage that's likely to only extend and the Irishman's partnership with Moore also shows no sign of slowing down. Saturday's Pretty Polly Stakes success for Whirl was their 150th Group/Grade One victory together. Number 151 mightn't have been spectacular enough to feature too highly in their highlights reel. But there was a remorselessness to it that surely resonates with both men. Usually economical with his post-race comments, Moore was more vocal than normal and keen to reassure that Lambourn's performance was much more controlled than it might have looked. 'It wasn't pretty, but he's got a big engine,' said the Englishman, who insisted he was 'always in control' on a straightforward colt that stays very well. Moore was keen to make the most of those virtues and quickly bustled the Epsom hero up to the front alongside the English outsider Sir Dinadan. Turning into the straight, the favourite's rider quickly got animated and briefly looked vulnerable to Serious Contender. Considering Serious Contender had previously been beaten in an Ascot handicap it was a remarkable step up in performance and only in the final 100 metres did Lambourn assert. If none of it crackled with the sort of excitement that greeted previous 'sexier' winners such as Nijinsky or Montjeu, it was a welcome Irish Derby outcome for a race under pressure. Only Serious Contender disrupted the first three from Epsom, a result that suggests it is Europe's best three-year-old form at 1½ miles right now. On a warm day there was also a healthy-looking crowd. Ryan Moore after completing his Irish Derby hat-trick. Photograph: Morgan Treacy/Inpho In a show of unity, Moore ventured outside his usual post-race repertoire and commented: 'I grew up watching Irish Derbys and the great horses who have won it, so it is a really important race. It would be great if it could get back to where it should be.' Coolmore Stud supremo John Magnier was present and O'Brien urged more positivity about both the race and the redeveloped Curragh opened six years ago at a cost of €81.5 million. As for his sixth dual-Derby winner, all options are open. 'He's a little bit laid-back, a little bit lazy and you could see up the straight he was waiting all the time but that's him. Ryan thought he would keep pulling out and he was pricking his ears all the way. 'He could be a King George horse, he could be an Arc horse. He gets the trip well and is very sound and very genuine,' O'Brien said. 'We minded the second horse for a handicap in Ascot that we thought he couldn't get beat and then a horse came and beat us that was entered in the King George, so it just goes to show what can happen,' he added. Having won in 2023 on Auguste Rodin, and last year on Los Angeles, Moore again had to work harder than might have been anticipated. But having overlooked Lambourn at Epsom he's unlikely to make the same mistake again. 'He stays well, is straightforward and is typical of his sire and how Aidan trains them. He'll keep getting them to progress, to be consistent and he'll keep running big races all year. 'He hasn't done a huge amount there and I just had to keep him awake. If was in front he might have focused a bit better. He was lazy out there today but has loads of ability and was always in control,' Moore said.
RTÉ News
8 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Calandagan impresses in first Group One win at Saint-Cloud
Calandagan claimed the elusive Group One success his connections craved with a decisive victory in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud under Mickael Barzalona. Second four times at the highest level since striking at Royal Ascot last summer, Francis-Henri Graffard's four-year-old has locked horns with some of the best around, performing admirably up against the likes of City Of Troy and most recently Jan Brueghel at Epsom. However, returned to home soil he proved a cut above the opposition in what appeared a stacked contest on paper, storming three and a half lengths clear of Christophe Ferland's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe runner-up Aventure. Calandagan is now challenging his Epsom conqueror Jan Brueghel for favouritism in the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot on July 26. Graffard said: "Well, he's not ungenuine. The race went really well for him and I thought he was travelling much more into the rhythm of the race this time. Mickael said he still had to ask him to keep up sometimes during the race but then in the straight, when there is rhythm and he can follow the pace, he can really lengthen and quicken really strongly. I thought he was really impressive. "After Epsom my first conclusion was that he needed the run probably against that horse on that ground that day. I thought he came on a lot for that and I think he's gaining experience with his jockey knowing him better also. "He's never run a bad race and he's either been beaten by a champion or circumstances. Today everything went his way and we saw how good he could be. "I will obviously discuss the King George with connections, but he is entitled to go to Ascot, it is a place he has won before and I would like to take him there 100%. Calandagan's victory capped a fine afternoon for Graffard and the Aga Khan Studs team as they earlier watched Daryz remain unbeaten with an impressive display in the Prix Eugene Adam. George Scott's Bay City Roller can count himself unfortunate to bump into the exciting son of Sea The Stars, who after being shortened for the Arc, could take a trip to York for the Juddmonte International Stakes later in the summer. "We'll take it step by step with Calandagan and the next race (at Ascot) is a big one. But if you want to talk about the Juddmonte International then that is a race I will put forwards for Daryz," Graffard added to Sky Sports Racing. "I will discuss with Princess Zahra where she would like to go, but I will probably make an entry for Daryz at York and he is a horse I like a lot. I need to make him tougher and give him experience and I think he will get that if he goes abroad."
