By Tom Frary
The Curragh's G1 Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly S. takes centre stage on Sunday and it is a strong renewal, with the G1 Prix d'Ispahan and G2 Dahlia S. winner Dreamloper (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) tackling several others who have pretensions at attaining that level. This is the first time that the 5-year-old will tackle a mile and a quarter, but her emphatic display over nine furlongs and 55 yards in the G1 Prix d'Ispahan at ParisLongchamp on May 29 suggests it is time to try. Trainer Ed Walker is hoping the amount of rainfall is not significant. “I don't want it to get too soft, there's a bit of rain forecast so we'll just keep an eye on it,” he said earlier this week. “She's well and in good shape. This race was always the plan, then we thought we didn't want to travel with her again and we thought we might wait for the Falmouth instead, but then we just thought it made sense to go there. She's thriving, her last two runs have been career-bests.”
Coco Returns
Making her seasonal bow is Team Valor's G2 Blandford S. winner La Petite Coco (Ire) (Ruler of the World {Ire}), who alongside Robert Moran's June 8 G3 Munster Oaks winner Rosscarbery (Ger) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) forms a strong two-pronged assault by Paddy Twomey. “La Petite Coco is a lovely filly and the plan has been very much to campaign her with the second half of the season in mind,” the trainer explained. “She didn't miss a beat last year and we couldn't be happier with her.” William Haggas's golden period with black-type runners continued apace on Saturday and it may be significant that he saddles both Lael Stables' June 5 G2 Prix de Sandringham winner Purplepay (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) and Sunderland Holding's My Astra (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}). The latter took Ayr's Listed Rothesay S. by 12 lengths on soft ground May 18 and as a half-sister to My Prospero (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}) and My Oberon (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) has the pedigree to get to this level in the immediate future.
“Purplepay is a charming filly. It is obviously her first time at the trip, but Tom [Marquand] is quite keen that she tries it,” Haggas said. “My Astra is up in class and she has only won a listed race, but she is very well and we hope she will run well.” Ballydoyle's Irish 1000 Guineas third and Oaks fourth Concert Hall (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) adds rich texture to a fascinating contest.
Statuette To The Test
If the Pretty Polly is a tantalising main course, then the six-furlong G2 Airlie Stud S. is the ideal appetiser with Ballydoyle's 'TDN Rising Star' Statuette (Justify) looking to enhance her already-significant reputation. So impressive on her debut over an extended five at Navan May 28, the daughter of Immortal Verse (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) is taken on by Juddmonte's Zarinsk (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) whose defeat of Olivia Maralda (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), Never Ending Story (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Zoinnocent (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in a course-and-distance maiden May 22 is hot form. Also in the mix is another who has shown up well on debut over this track and trip in the May 20 Irish EBF Auction Series Maiden winner Papilio (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}). The Fozzy Stack trainee's form received a boost on Saturday when the runner-up Apache Outlaw (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) was third in the Railway.
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