By Tom Frary
Making it another Irish Champions Day winner that was easy to find on paper, the third pattern-race winner for Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore came in the G3 Paddy Power S. registered as the Kilternan S. courtesy of Adelaide River (Ire) (Australia {GB}). Always comfortable in a clear lead, the 11-8 favourite by virtue of the class edge he held having been runner-up in the G1 Irish Derby and G1 Grand Prix de Paris turned the screw from the top of the straight and may have been idling late as Al Aasy (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) cut the deficit to half a length.
O'Brien had a surprising admission about the colt who had pushed Auguste Rodin (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) so hard in the Curragh Classic. “We always thought he was kind of like Duke Of Marmalade, as he's after competing in big ones and getting very close in them but he's such a big horse that he's definitely going to have to be a way better horse next year,” he said. “He's after having a few tough races in second so it was nice for him to come here and Ryan was able to dictate his own pace on him. He said he did quicken very well, but just got a bit lonely in the last half a furlong.”
Adelaide River has run a number of fine races in defeat this season & the Irish Derby runner-up proves too strong in the G3 @paddypower Stakes!
A treble on the day for Aidan O'Brien & Ryan Moore #ItAllComesDownToThis pic.twitter.com/dpawowgHpi
— Leopardstown RC (@LeopardstownRC) September 9, 2023
Pedigree Notes
Adelaide River, who had also been third in the G1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud and second in the G2 Beresford S. as a 2-year-old, is the first foal out of Could It Be Love (War Front) who was second in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and a clutch of lesser black-type contests. A half-sister to the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and GI Champagne S.-winning champion and leading sire Uncle Mo, her unraced 2-year-old filly Everlasting (Ire) is by Kingman (GB), while she also has a yearling by the same sire due to sell on Monday at the Keeneland September Sale. She was bred to Gun Runner for 2024.
Saturday, Leopardstown, Ireland
PADDY POWER S. (KILTERNAN S.)-G3, €100,000, Leopardstown, 9-9, 3yo/up, 12fT, 2:31.05, gd.
1–ADELAIDE RIVER (IRE), 127, c, 3, by Australia (GB)
1st Dam: Could It Be Love (G1SP-Ire & GSP-Eng, $163,827), by War Front
2nd Dam: Playa Maya, by Arch
3rd Dam: Dixie Slippers, by Dixieland Band
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor, D Smith & Westerberg; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €60,000. Lifetime Record: MG1SP-Fr, G1SP-Ire & GSP-Eng, 9-2-5-1, $584,982. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Al Aasy (Ire), 138, g, 6, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Kitcara (GB), by Shamardal. (300,000gns Ylg '18 TATOCT). O-Shadwell Estate Company Ltd; B-Sunderland Holding Inc (IRE); T-William Haggas. €20,000.
3–Layfayette (Ire), 138, g, 6, French Navy (GB)–Scala Romana (Ire), by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire). (€4,000 Ylg '18 TIRSEP; €54,000 2yo '19 TATGOR). O-Mrs Patricia Hunt; B-Matthew Duffy (IRE); T-Noel Meade. €10,000.
Margins: HF, HF, HF. Odds: 1.38, 2.25, 25.00.
Also Ran: White Birch (GB), Valiant King (GB), Mashhoor (GB), Young Ireland (Ire).
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