By Tom Frary
There is toughness in racehorses and then there is Zarinsk (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) and Juddmonte's irrepressible front-runner played her usual trump card for a career-best success in Leopardstown's G2 Romanised Minstrel S. on Thursday. In front early and again passing two out, the G3 Brownstown S., G3 Cornelscourt S. and Listed Ingabelle S. winner kept pulling it out to justify 11-5 favouritism by 3/4 of a length from Honey Girl (GB) (Mayson {GB}). This was win number four from her last six starts, with her run interrupted by a fourth in Chantilly's G2 Prix de Sandringham last month and a third in the G3 Ballylinch Stud 1000 Guineas Trial over this course and distance in April.
“She's been a queen all season and you'd nearly say she's still improving,” trainer Ger Lyons said. “I was against sending her to France last month, but it turned her inside out and she looks like a mare now and is maturing lovely. They won't give her an easy lead now, but it shows that she's maturing and he can ride a waiting race.”
🤝 A fine season for Zarinsk continues as she lands the feature G2 Romanised Minstrel Stakes for Ger Lyons, Colin Keane & @JuddmonteFarms at @LeopardstownRC
🏆 G2 Romanised Minstrel Stakes
🏆 G3 Brownstown Stakes
🏆 G3 Cornelscourt Stakes pic.twitter.com/T9mwI4GbyN— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 27, 2023
“There's the [G1] Matron now, on Irish Champions Weekend which is huge for us and we have a free shot at it which is fantastic,” Lyons added. “I did say to Barry [Mahon] that we could win our grade I in America if we come up a tad short here, so it's up for discussion. I would say she's made for that, but the only thing is that I like her with juice in the ground and I couldn't see her handling fast American ground.”
Pedigree Notes
Zarinsk is a daughter of the Listed Michael Seely Memorial S. winner Pavlosk (Arch), who is in turn a full-sister to the fellow listed scorer Rostova and a half to the G3 Premio Carlo d'Alessio winner Exhibit One (Silver Hawk) who also produced the G3 Chunichi Shimbun Hai scorer Maitres d'Art (Jpn) (Zenno Rob Roy {Jpn}). The family includes the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches runner-up Irish Rookie (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}) and the Stud's luminary Zafonic as well as his full-brother and fellow leading sire Zamindar. Pavlosk's unraced 2-year-old filly Star Magnolia (Ire) is by Kingman (GB), while she also has a yearling full-sister to Zarinsk and a filly foal by Expert Eye (GB) to follow.
Thursday, Leopardstown, Ireland
ROMANISED MINSTREL S.-G2, €120,000, Leopardstown, 7-27, 3yo/up, 7f 32yT, 1:30.45, sf.
1–ZARINSK (GB), 126, f, 3, by Kodiac (GB)
1st Dam: Pavlosk (SW-Eng), by Arch
2nd Dam: Tsar's Pride (GB), by Sadler's Wells
3rd Dam: Bold Empress, by Diesis (GB)
O-Juddmonte; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-Ger Lyons; J-Colin Keane. €72,000. Lifetime Record: 9-5-0-1, $255,398. Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Honey Girl (GB), 133, f, 4, Mayson (GB)–Fleeting Image (GB), by Sir Percy (GB). (3,000gns Wlg '19 TATFOA; 4,500gns Ylg '20 TAOCT; 180,000gns HRA '22 TATMA). O-Tim Porter; B-P T Tellwright (GB); T-Joseph O'Brien. €24,000.
3–Tarawa (Ire), 126, f, 3, Shamardal–Tanoura (Ire), by Dalakhani (Ire). O-H H Aga Khan; B-His Highness The Aga Khan's Studs SC (IRE); T-Dermot Weld. €12,000.
Margins: 3/4, NK, SHD. Odds: 2.20, 5.50, 3.00.
Also Ran: Power Under Me (Ire), Cosmic Vega (Ire), Salt Lake City (Ire), Lord Massusus (Ire), Snapraeterea (Ire), Real Appeal (Ger), Alexander John (Ire). Scratched: Montesilvano (Ire).
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