Restored at Ballydoyle since disappointing for the second time in as many visits to France when eighth as the favourite for the G1 Prix Rothschild at Deauville July 31, Alice Springs returned in peak condition to annihilate her opposition and add this prize to her similarly impressive G1 Falmouth S. victory at Newmarket July 8. Smart at two without clinching any headlines, her best performances came when third in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. at The Curragh in mid-September and second in Keeneland's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf the following month. On the latter occasion, she lacked the luck factor that is so vital at this level and that was again the case as she filled the same position when denied a clear run under these hold-up tactics behind Qemah in the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot June 17. Before that, she had finished third once again in the G1 1000 Guineas at Newmarket May 1 and flopped when seventh in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches at Deauville two weeks later. After the Falmouth breakthrough, she again bombed in the Rothschild but put that firmly behind her with this authoritative success which pitched Ryan Moore back into the limelight for the first time since his injury-enforced lay-off.
Anchored in last early as he rider exhibited all of his customary cool, the bay had dead aim on the free-running favourite Qemah just ahead with the pace proving strong as Creggs Pipes (Ire) (Rip Van Winkle {Ire}) took no prisoners. With Qemah failing to pick up after her early exertions towards the inner, Alice Springs was being wound up out wide as Persuasive clinched the lead approaching the furlong pole. Swooping on the British raider with 150 yards remaining, she quickly settled the issue and surged away for an emphatic success, the only one of its kind for Ballydoyle on a day that promised much more for the operation. “She's a good filly with a lot of speed and it was messy ground the last time she ran,” Aidan O'Brien said. “She went and it was shifty, patchy ground in Deauville. Ryan knew she wasn't going to be involved, so he just minded her. She loved this ground and ran a stormer and nice ground is very important to her. If she didn't go to Ascot [for the Oct. 15 G1 Queen Elizabeth II S.], she could go back to America for the Breeders' Cup Mile. She's hardy and she could do both, but it depends on what the ground is like at Ascot.” Jean-Claude Rouget said of Qemah, “She should have stayed completely behind, as she didn't relax in the middle of the pack and even though I'm not sure she would have won ridden differently, she would have been a good second.”
Out of the highweight sprinter Aleagueoftheirown, Alice Springs has far exceeded the achievements of her full-siblings, the G3 Tyros S. third Kingston Jamaica (Ire) and G2 Ribblesdale S. and G2 Park Hill S. third Criteria (Ire). The G2 Nassau S. and G3 Musidora S.-winning third dam Optimistic Lass produced the G1 Coronation S.-winning dual highweight Golden Opinion (Slew o' Gold), who was also runner-up in the G1 July Cup and third in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. Among her descendants are the fellow French 1000 Guineas-placed Rahiyah (Rahy), later the dam of the GSP Decathlete (Medaglia d'Oro), the G2 Gimcrack S. winner and G1 National S. runner-up Shaweel (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and GI Garden City S. heroine Samitar (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}). Alice Springs has a yearling full-sister and foal full-brother to follow.
Saturday, Leopardstown, Ireland
COOLMORE FASTNET ROCK MATRON S.-G1, €350,000, LEO, 9-10, 3yo/up, f, 8fT, 1:42.08, yl.
1–ALICE SPRINGS (IRE), 126, f, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Aleagueoftheirown (Ire) (Hwt. Older Mare-Ire at 5-6.5f, SP-Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
2nd Dam: Golden Coral, by Slew o' Gold
3rd Dam: Optimistic Lass, by Mr. Prospector
(550,000gns Ylg '14 TATOCT). O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Lynch-Bages & Longfield Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €206,500. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Eng & GISP-US, 14-4-2-4, $1,028,640. *Full to Criteria (Ire), MGSP-Eng; and Kingston Jamaica (Ire), GSP-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]2–Persuasive (Ire), 126, f, 3, Dark Angel (Ire)–Choose Me (Ire), by Choisir (Aus). (€180,000 Ylg '14 GOFORB). O-Cheveley Park Stud; B-J F Tuthill (IRE); T-John Gosden. €70,000.
3–Qemah (Ire), 126, f, 3, Danehill Dancer (Ire)–Kartica (GB), by Rainbow Quest. (€200,000 Ylg '14 ARAUG). O-Al Shaqab Racing; B-Ecurie Cadran Bissons SAS (IRE); T-Jean-Claude Rouget. €35,000.
Margins: 3 1/4, 1 1/4, HF. Odds: 5.00, 2.50, 1.35.
Also Ran: Now Or Never (Ire), Hawksmoor (Ire), Jet Setting (Ire), Creggs Pipes (Ire), Devonshire (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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