By Tom Frary
Roly Poly has played an integral part in Ballydoyle's season of seasons and her third group 1 win here was also a 23rd for Aidan O'Brien in 2017, making the stable's world-record bid for victories at the highest level a mere formality. Earning TDN Rising Star status as early as last April when successful on debut over five furlongs at Naas, the bay earned her first black-type wins in the G3 Grangecon Stud S. at The Curragh and G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. on the July Course here. Runner-up in the G2 Lowther S. at York and the G1 Cheveley Park S. here, she was ninth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and seventh on her return when below-par in the seven-furlong G3 Nell Gwyn S. again at this track Apr. 19. Sixth in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches at Deauville May 13, she started to claw back her juvenile form when second to stablemate Winter (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in both the May 28 G1 Irish 1000 Guineas returning to The Curragh and in the June 23 G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot. G1 Tattersalls Falmouth S.
at Newmarket.
With Ryan Moore in positive mood, Roly Poly took the G1 Falmouth S. by the scruff of the neck on the July Course here July 14 and that brought about a deserved breakthrough in this category before she added a second in the G1 Prix Rothschild at Deauville 16 days later. Only sixth in the G1 Matron S. at Leopardstown Sept. 9, she was again asked to go forward from the break before accepting a lead from Dawn of Hope (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}). Staying prominent, she took back control with a furlong remaining and stayed on strongly up the rising ground to deny the market-leader Persuasive a first group 1 win. “This is a big team effort and Ryan gave her a class ride,” her trainer said. “She's a great filly–tactical and tough and is incredibly-bred. She's incredibly tough and genuine and she and Rhododendron could be trained for the Fillies & Mares at the Breeders' Cup.”
Persuasive and Nathra's trainer John Gosden said of the placed fillies, “They both ran superbly well. The winner on this ground was too good for us. With a bit more juice in the ground, both of our fillies would have troubled the winner. They have run second and third and I could not be more thrilled with them. They have run true and honest right to the end of the season. I think that will probably be it for both of them and the breeding sheds beckon.”
Roly Poly's success comes just a week after her full-brother U S Navy Flag captured the G1 Middle Park S. for her relentlessly successful stable. They add to an already-remarkable broodmare record for Misty For Me, who was a top performer herself and won the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas before beating Midday (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) by six lengths in the 2011 G1 Pretty Polly S. Her first foal was the GIII Autumn Miss S. winner Cover Song (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), while she has a yearling filly and a colt foal by War Front to come. The second dam Butterfly Cove produced Ballydoyle (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who rewarded the braveness of connections by winning the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and finishing runner-up in the G1 1000 Guineas. This is the family of the G1 Phoenix S. and G1 Prix Morny-winning sire Fasliyev who helped get the Aidan O'Brien ball rolling in his early days at Ballydoyle, with his dam Mr. P's Princess a half-sister to the multiple top-level scorers Desert Wine and Menifee.
Saturday, Newmarket, Britain
KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN SUN CHARIOT S.-G1, £250,000, NEW, 10-7, 3yo/up, f, 8fT, 1:34.88, gd.
1–ROLY POLY, 126, f, 3, 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. £141,775. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Fr, GSW & G1SP-Ire, 16-6-4-0, $939,537. *Full to U S Navy Flag, G1SW-Eng & GSW-Ire, $263,736; and 1/2 to Cover Song (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), GSW-US, $122,227. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”irt-shell”][bullet ad=”kbif-g1″][bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred-keen-grad”]2–Persuasive (Ire), 129, f, 4, 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. £53,750.
3–Nathra (Ire), 129, f, 4, Iffraaj (GB)–Rada (Ire), by Danehill. (270,000gns Ylg '14 TAOCT). O-Abdullah Saeed Al Naboodah; B-Pier House Stud (IRE); T-John Gosden. £26,900.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1 1/4, HD. Odds: 4.00, 2.25, 20.00.
Also Ran: Usherette (Ire), Dawn of Hope (Ire), Qemah (Ire), Muffri'ha (Ire), Alluringly, Aljazzi (GB), Siyoushake (Ire), Tomyris (GB), Spangled (GB), Arabian Hope. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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