By Tom Frary
The seven-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden staged on Leopardstown's Thursday evening card has often played host to a future luminary and the latest renewal could have thrown up another as Ballydoyle's Bedtime Story (Ire) (Frankel {GB}–Mecca's Angel {Ire}, by Dark Angel {Ire}) earned instant TDN Rising Star status. Settled in mid-division early by Wayne Lordan, the 5-1 shot enjoyed an untroubled run down the outer in the straight as the stable's 8-11 favourite Giselle (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) became ensnared in traffic deeper towards the rail.
Surging ahead from 150 yards out, the grey asserted to score by 1 1/4 lengths from that promising daughter of Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) to lead home a one-two for the sire who now boasts 39 TDN Rising Stars. The Adrian Murray-trained Queens Fury (Fr) (Blue Point {Ire}) was a further half-length away in third in the maiden won in 2019 by Cayenne Pepper (Ire) (Australia {GB}), when Ballydoyle's Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was fourth, in 2017 by the stable's September (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and in which Discoveries (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) was fourth in 2021 and Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire) ran second in 2015. “She's a lovely filly and had been working nicely,” commented Lordan, who partnered Bedtime Story's G3 Staffordstown Stud S.-winning half-sister Content (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) to be third in this 12 months ago. “She came home well when she hit the rising ground and is very similar to Content, has the same quality and ability but covers more ground than her. Ryan's is quite a nice filly too and probably didn't get the clearest run like me. It rode like a nice maiden and a mile will be a perfect option for her.”
Aidan O'Brien's representative Chris Armstrong added, “They are two lovely fillies going forward. There wasn't much between them at home and it was a tough choice for Ryan. Both fillies were quite green through the race and Wayne's filly probably got an easier run at it. Before the race, they were both in the mix for the [Listed] Chesham [at Royal Ascot] and you can't really take much away from Ryan's filly. We'll see how they come through it and at the moment they are both in the mix. Wayne said when she steps up in trip again, she will be a fine filly for the backend. She has plenty of class and has an unbelievable pedigree.”
Frankel x Mecca's Angel
Bedtime Story is bred to be good and scores on debut for @waynemlordan and Aidan O'Brien, beating exciting stablemate Giselle – out of Newspaperofrecord – in an informative opener at @LeopardstownRC pic.twitter.com/wlKyyQM3GR
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) June 6, 2024
Pedigree Notes
Frankel, whose other TDN Rising Stars include the future group 1 winners Ylang Ylang (GB), Nashwa (GB), Onesto (Ire), Homeless Songs (Ire), Snow Lantern (GB), Quadrilateral (GB) and Veracious (GB), has been passed the baton from Galileo when it comes to covering the dual G1 Nunthorpe S. heroine Mecca's Angel. Of her previous four foals by Coolmore's late great, the first was the colt Hudson River (Ire) who was also labelled a TDN Rising Star on his winning debut but ran only once more when down the field in the G2 Superlative S. Content, who was also a close fourth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, was until Thursday her only other runner.
Mecca's Angel, who also took the G3 World Trophy and G3 Prix de Saint-Georges alongside her big-time exploits at York, is a full-sister to the G3 Criterion S. and G3 Chipchase S.-winning sire Markaz (Ire), while she is a granddaughter of the G3 Prix d'Arenberg scorer and G3 Norfolk S. runner-up Desert Dawn (GB) (Belfort {Fr}). Her 2024 filly is a full-sister to Bedtime Story.
1st-Leopardstown, €18,000, Mdn, 6-6, 2yo, 7f 60yT, 1:34.67, gd.
BEDTIME STORY (IRE), f, 2, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Mecca's Angel (Ire) (MG1SW-Eng, GSW-Ire, GSW & G1SP-Fr, $999,035), by Dark Angel (Ire)
2nd Dam: Folga (GB), by Atraf (GB)
3rd Dam: Desert Dawn (GB), by Belfort (Fr)
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $11,739. O-Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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