Latest news with #GroupOne
Powys County Times
8 minutes ago
- Sport
- Powys County Times
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. Group 1 glory! Whirl strikes from Kalpana in a thrilling €300,000 @paddypower Pretty Polly Stakes for Ryan Moore, Aidan O'Brien and Ballydoyle 👏 @curraghrace — Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 28, 2025 '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. '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. Whirl returns after winning the Paddy Power Pretty Polly Stakes @curraghrace — Live (@IrishRacing365) June 28, 2025 '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.'
North Wales Chronicle
9 minutes ago
- Sport
- North Wales Chronicle
Suzie Songs in tune to upset Flushing Meadows
Keane and trainer Ger Lyons may have been disappointed to see Lady Iman lose her unbeaten record only 35 minutes earlier but quickly gained their revenge on Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore with the Moyglare Stud-owned daughter of Starspangledbanner. A winner on debut at Cork, Suzie Songs was sent off the 7-2 second-favourite for this Group Three event and it was the market principals who came to the fore inside the final furlong, as Suzie Songs and 1-4 favourite Flushing Meadows engaged in a duel to the finishing post, with only a short head separating the pair at the finish. Still unbeaten – but not the one you perhaps expected! Suzie Songs (Starspangledbanner) downs 1/4F Flushing Meadows to land the Group 3 @JebelAliRC Anglesey Stakes for @ctkjockey, Ger Lyons and @MoyglareStud @curraghrace — Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 28, 2025 Lyons had won the race with his Group One star Babouche 12 months ago and was delighted to find the scoresheet once again, as he now eyes stepping up in trip for the Moyglare Stud Stakes back at the Curragh in September. He said: 'It was a last-minute decision (to run), but the beautiful thing about training for Moyglare is you are allowed to do that, there are no set plans. 'I'm blessed with owners like that, I wake up and I change my mind and do whatever. 'We were watching the entries, it wasn't the plan and she hasn't worked since Cork and I just threw her in. Suzie Songs — Live (@IrishRacing365) June 28, 2025 'I thought it got to her today so we'll give her a wee break and we'll come back for the Moyglare. It's a race I'd love to put on the CV. 'We've a horse last night that ran well (Justiciar) and this filly. We have a nice bunch of horses heading that route. 'Colin said in Cork that she wanted further and sticking to the original plan her next race would have been seven, but this presented itself during the week with no entries, so here we are.'
North Wales Chronicle
9 minutes ago
- Sport
- North Wales Chronicle
Quinault not for passing in Criterion Stakes at York
The five-year-old has long been an admirable servant for his Newmarket handler and always capable of mixing it at a high level and proved so once again to notch his 11th career success. A 12-1 chance for the first running of the Group Three event on the Knavesmire, Hart wasted little time taking the initiative and although plenty tried to reel Quinault in late on, he held on gamely for a length success over Kevin Ryan's fast-finishing Room Service. Williams said: 'We're delighted and he's always been a high-class horse. We hoped he was up to winning at Group level, before he'd only won at Listed level but when he gets his own way in front he's a hard horse to get past and he's always determined to win which helps. 'Jason gave him a great ride and he had his conditions today which helped. He really likes York and funnily enough he's won three times at York now and is unbeaten at the track. He's just a really good horse basically.' Paddy Power make Quinault a 16-1 chance for the Lennox Stakes at Goodwood, but it is more likely he returns to Yorkshire for a tilt at Group One glory in the upgraded Sky Bet City of York Stakes during the Ebor Festival on August 23. 'I think for sure we'll have a crack at the City Of York and that was the reason for coming here rather than the Chipchase at Newcastle,' continued Williams. 'We'll see what he's like at home but I would imagine the plan would be to go straight to it. If he got a bit fresh at home, which he can and he does take his racing well, we might have to look at something else in between.'
Irish Independent
18 minutes ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Whirl denies Kalpana in pulsating Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh
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. '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. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more '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.'
South Wales Guardian
24 minutes ago
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Whirl denies Kalpana in pulsating 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. Group 1 glory! Whirl strikes from Kalpana in a thrilling €300,000 @paddypower Pretty Polly Stakes for Ryan Moore, Aidan O'Brien and Ballydoyle 👏 @curraghrace — Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 28, 2025 '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. '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. Whirl returns after winning the Paddy Power Pretty Polly Stakes @curraghrace — Live (@IrishRacing365) June 28, 2025 '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.'
