By Tom Frary
Securing the outright record of Royal Ascot winners, Ryan Moore was at his determined best to win a war of attrition on Ballydoyle's Port Fairy (Ire) (Australia {GB}–Fabulae {Ire}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}) in the G2 Ribblesdale Stakes. Not seen since finishing runner-up in the Listed Cheshire Oaks last month, the product of the Whisperview breeding operation was the pick of Moore of the stable pair and was prominently-placed from the outset.
Temporarily swamped two out by the smooth-travelling Lava Stream (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}), the 12-1 shot stayed in the fight against the rail and despite being a neck down soon after battled gamely to wrest the advantage from her inside the final furlong. As if driven by her rider's quest for an 82nd Royal Ascot winner, the chestnut dug deep to prevail by a neck and take Moore past Dettori for the first time. There was a 1 3/4-length margin back to the 9-4 favourite Kalpana (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}) in third.
“In Chester she was a bit green and a baby and we just thought Epsom was going to come too quick for her, so we gave her a bit of time,” Aidan O'Brien said of his fifth Ribblesdale winner. “Ryan said maybe try a visor on her at home before coming here, so we put it on her and her work really stepped up.
“She looks like she'd be a lovely Irish Oaks filly now, as she stays well. Anna [O'Brien] bred the horse and has done everything with her. Ryan was brilliant on her–he didn't panic even when the second went by. It was class.”
David O'Meara said of Lava Stream, “She travelled so nice. Danny [Tudhope] thought that maybe she idled a touch. He might have preferred to have had the winner in his sights rather than arriving there as soon as he did, but we were surprised at how well she travelled. She is a very exciting filly.”
Oisin Murphy said of Kalpana, “She ran a career-best and got the mile and a half well. It was a good, even tempo–a proper stamina test.”
Pedigree Notes
Port Fairy, whose Dundalk maiden win in April had won over Ryan Moore, is the second foal and first runner out of the dam Fabulae, who is a half to Australia's G2 Champions Juvenile S. runner-up Alder (Ire) and the G3 Derrinstown Stud 1,000 Guineas Trial runner-up Radiantly (GB) (Aussie Rules). The third dam is the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup heroine Shiva (Jpn) (Hector Protector), whose listed-winning daughter That Which Is Not (Elusive Quality) produced the G3 Ballysax S. scorer and G1 Irish Derby runner-up Piz Badile (Ire) (Ulysses {Ire}).
Also related to the Oaks heroine Light Shift (Kingmambo), dam of Ulysses himself whose career peaks came in the G1 Juddmonte International and G1 Eclipse S., the G2 Gimcrack S. and G2 Champagne S.-winning sire Threat (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}), the G1 Prix Ganay-winning sire Cloth Of Stars (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) and the multiple Grade I winner Main Sequence (Aldebaran), her filly foal is another Australia.
Thursday, Royal Ascot, Britain
RIBBLESDALE STAKES-G2, £273,000, Ascot, 6-20, 3yo, f, 11f 211yT, 2:29.04, g/f.
1–PORT FAIRY (IRE), 128, f, 3, by Australia (GB)
1st Dam: Fabulae (Ire), by Fastnet Rock (Aus)
2nd Dam: Eccentricity, by Kingmambo
3rd Dam: Shiva (Jpn), by Hector Protector
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. O-M Tabor/D
Smith/Mrs J Magnier/Westerberg; B-Whisperview Trading Ltd
(IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £154,818. Lifetime
Record: 4-2-1-0, $244,638. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Lava Stream (Ire), 128, f, 3, Too Darn Hot (GB)–Stream Song
(GB), by Mastercraftsman (Ire). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE.
O/B-Elwick Stud (IRE); T-David O'Meara. £58,695.
3–Kalpana (GB), 128, f, 3, Study Of Man (Ire)–Zero Gravity (GB),
by Dansili (GB). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Juddmonte;
B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-Andrew Balding. £29,375.
Margins: NK, 1 3/4, HF. Odds: 12.00, 20.00, 2.25.
Also Ran: You Got To Me (GB), Je Zous (Ire), Danielle (GB), Queens Fort (GB), Higher Leaves (Ire), Rubies Are Red (Ire), Siyola (Ire), Sheema's Rose (Fr), Diamond Rain (GB). Scratched: Forest Fairy (Ire).
12/1 shot #8 Port Fairy finishes with plenty to prove best in the Group 2 Ribbersdale for jockey Ryan Moore (82 #RoyalAscot wins) and trainer Aidan O'Brien.
pic.twitter.com/44QgpXrBuL— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) June 20, 2024
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