Ireland may have been losing in the football in France, but at The Curragh national pride was being richly rewarded on Sunday as Ballydoyle continued to fly the flag during the Irish Derby weekend fixture. This time it was TDN Rising Star Roly Poly who brought further pattern-race glory to Rosegreen as the Aidan O'Brien-Ryan Moore partnership flourishes with more than just shades of the era of Vincent O'Brien and Lester Piggott. Off the mark over five furlongs at Naas Apr. 25, the bay encountered unsuitably soft conditions on her next two starts but showed an admirable professionalism to stick to her task when fourth and eighth respectively in the Listed Marble Hill S. here May 21 and in Royal Ascot's G2 Queen Mary S. 11 days prior to this breakthrough. Up to six for the first time, the daughter of the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Misty For Me was able to coast in mid-division early before moving up to join battle with Seafront approaching the furlong marker. Only getting the better of that tough opponent in the last 50 yards, Roly Poly stayed on just the stronger to earn a tilt at the G2 Debutante S. over seven furlongs here Aug. 21. “The little bit of extra distance may have suited her. It's not that long after Ascot, but she's a hardy filly,” Aidan O'Brien said. “It was a tough performance and you would have to be happy. She's a very important filly as a group winner with her pedigree. She could go for the Debutante if we want to try her over seven furlongs.”
Misty For Me enjoyed one of her finest hours on this card when destroying Midday (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) in the G1 Pretty Polly S. to add to her Classic victory and her 2-year-old achievements in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. and G1 Prix Marcel Boussac. Her full-sister Ballydoyle (Ire), whose naming itself reveals the importance of this family to connections, emulated her success in the latter Longchamp feature in October before running second in the G1 1000 Guineas. Their dam Butterfly Cove is a sister to the GSW Kamarinskaya and, more vitally, a half to the monstrous European champion 2-year-old colt Fasliyev who was one of the earliest indicators of the gravity of Aidan O'Brien's tenure at his famous training establishment. The fourth dam Anne Campbell produced the sires Desert Wine and Menifee and was understandably labelled broodmare of the year in 1999. Misty For Me could become one of Coolmore's more important broodmares herself, as Roly Poly is only her second foal and she has a yearling full-brother and a foal full-sister to this winner to follow.
Sunday, Curragh, Ireland
GRANGECON STUD S.-G3, €65,000, CUR, 6-26, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:15.32, yl.
1–#@ROLY POLY, 126, f, 2, by War Front">War Front
1st Dam: Misty For Me (Ire) (Hwt. 2yo Filly-Ire & Fr, Hwt. 3yo-Ire at 9.5-11f, MG1SW-Ire, G1SW-Fr & GISP-US, $1,124,364), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Butterfly Cove, by Storm Cat
3rd Dam: Mr. P's Princess, by Mr. Prospector
($575,000 RNA Ylg '15 KEESEP). O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Misty For Me Syndicate (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €38,350. Lifetime Record: 4-2-0-0, $56,031. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
[bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred-keen-grad”][bullet ad=”irt-shell”]2–Seafront (GB), 126, f, 2, Foxwedge (Aus)–Locharia (GB), by Wolfhound. (18,000gns Ylg '15 TAOCT). O-Saeed Manana; B-Jeremy Green & Sons (GB); T-Jason Tate. €13,000.
3–Elusive Beauty (Ire), 126, f, 2, Elusive Pimpernel–Lost Icon (Ire), by Intikhab. (€27,000 Ylg '15 GOFSPT). O-David K Kelly; B-Peter McCutcheon (IRE); T-Ken Condon. €6,500.
Margins: NK, 3/4, HF. Odds: 3.00, 3.50, 12.00.
Also Ran: Ellery Lane (Ire), Magical Fire (Ire), Spy Ring (Ire), Miss Cogent (Ire). Scratched: Hyzenthlay (Ire), Lady Beware (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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