By Tom Frary
In the kind of fascinating group 1 encounter that the preceding Criterium de Saint-Cloud definitely was not, Ballydoyle and Wootton Bassett (GB) were the main stories again at the culmination of Sunday's Criterium International. Ryan Moore had picked last Saturday's impressive Leopardstown maiden-winning TDN Rising Star Twain (Ire) over the stable's Arqana Series Criterium d'Automne winner Mount Kilimanjaro (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and his judgement proved spot-on once more as the son of Wading (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}) emerged with the Rosegreen bragging rights to stamp himself as a genuine Classic candidate for 2025.
As expected, the unbeaten 3-5 favourite Maranoa Charlie (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) set off in isolation as he had previously when winning the course-and-distance G3 Prix Thomas Bryon but it was soon evident that he was tanking in the hands of Aurelien Lemaitre and merely setting it up for the closers. With the leader's goose cooked two out, it was left to the Irish colts to come to the fore and the 53-10 shot Twain had more gears than his stablemate from 300 metres out.
At the line, Twain held a 1 1/4-length margin over Mount Kilimanjaro, with the Joseph O'Brien-trained Goffs Million scorer Apples And Bananas (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) 4 1/2 lengths away in third and a tired Maranoa Charlie a further five lengths back in fourth. “He must be very good horse and must have a lot of pace, as he broke from the stalls fast and could have gone forward but we wanted to take our time with him,” Moore said of the descendant of Urban Sea (Miswaki), linking him to some of the Turf's recent greats.
“He was a bit inexperienced and green around the turn, but quickened up very well, got to the front a long way from home and then shut down on me and was very green in the last furlong and a half. I never really got into him and he's obviously a very talented horse to do that a week after breaking his maiden. He's a beautiful-looking horse by a sire who is doing unbelievable things with his 2-year-olds.”
Aidan O'Brien added, “This probably wasn't fair to him, as he only ran a few days ago so he's obviously a very good horse. We always rated him highly and thought we were running him too early at Leopardstown, but we decided to run him with this in mind just in case he was as good as we thought he was and there was only one group 1 left this season. Ryan had to teach him and give him a chance there and he thinks he ended up getting there too soon.”
“He's a very good mover who points his toe and has a low action, so he'd have to be better on better ground and he obviously has a big engine,” he said. “He is a big baby, as he was ducking at the cones on the way down to the start. We think he's very special. He's a legitimate Guineas horse.”
Two from two! Twain remains unbeaten in the Group 1 Criterium International for Ryan Moore and Aidan O'Brien… pic.twitter.com/hC4MblB8hL
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) October 27, 2024
Pedigree Notes
The dam Wading was one of Moore's earlier winning rides for Aidan O'Brien and it is notable how blown away he was by her impressive G2 Rockfel Stakes win which unfortunately proved to be her last. She is now responsible for seven winners including the fellow Rockfel scorer Just Wonderful (Dansili {GB}), who also took the G3 Flame of Tara Stakes and was third in the G1 Matron Stakes and second in the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational, and the G3 Mercury Stakes-placed Lost Treasure (Ire) (War Front).
The second dam is the G3 Blue Wind Stakes-placed dam Cherry Hinton (GB) (Green Desert), one of the aforementioned legend Urban Sea's quartet of fillies who did more than her fair share for the family by producing Wading's G1 Irish Oaks heroine Bracelet (Ire) and the GI Belmont Oaks heroine Athena (Ire) and G3 Snow Fairy Stakes winner Goddess both by Montjeu's son Camelot (GB). Athena has since produced the G3 Ballylinch Stud 1,000 Guineas Trial Stakes and G3 Silver Flash Stakes winner and G1 Prix de Diane runner-up Never Ending Story (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}).
Urban Sea's remarkable story does not need re-telling here, but the fact that Twain has Galileo (Ire) and Sea The Stars (Ire) and a third Derby hero in Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) in his pedigree will excite talk of the Blue Riband despite the speed he has shown on his two starts and the fact that he is by Wootton Bassett. Sea The Stars had the pace to win a 2,000 Guineas and Masar was third in the Newmarket Classic, so it could be that Ballydoyle have saved the best of their 2-year-old colts until last. Wading's colt foal is by Frankel (GB).
Sunday, Saint-Cloud, France
CRITERIUM INTERNATIONAL-G1, €250,000, Saint-Cloud, 10-27, 2yo, c/f, 8fT, 1:46.31, hy.
1–TWAIN (IRE), 126, c, 2, by Wootton Bassett (GB)
1st Dam: Wading (Ire) (GSW-Eng), by Montjeu (Ire)
2nd Dam: Cherry Hinton (GB), by Green Desert
3rd Dam: Urban Sea, by Miswaki
TDN Rising Star. 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN; 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Mrs John Magnier; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €142,850. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, €153,470. *1/2 to Just Wonderful (Dansili {GB}), GSW & G1SP-Ire, GSW-Eng, GISP-US, $462,744; and Lost Treasure (Ire) (War Front), GSP-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: B. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Mount Kilimanjaro (Fr), 126, c, 2, Siyouni (Fr)–Decorating, by Galileo (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (€420,000 Ylg '23 ARQOCT). O-Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Glen Hill Farm LLC (FR); T-Aidan O'Brien. €57,150.
3–Apples And Bananas (Ire), 126, c, 2, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Simannka (Ire), by Mastercraftsman (Ire). 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (€130,000 Ylg '23 GOFOR). O-MacLennan, Shanahan & Magnier; B-Phoenix Thoroughbred Ltd (IRE); T-Joseph O'Brien. €28,575.
Margins: 1 1/4, 4HF, 5. Odds: 5.30, 4.70, 10.00.
Also Ran: Maranoa Charlie (Fr), Spirit Of Summer (GB), Matauri Bay (Ire).
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