By Tom Frary
Saturday's G1 Cairn Community Games Pretty Polly Stakes served up a thriller, with Juddmonte's TDN Rising Star Bluestocking (GB) (Camelot {GB}–Emulous {GB}, by Dansili {GB}) running down Emily Upjohn (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) in the final yards for a deserved top-level breakthrough. With abundant rain falling on The Curragh throughout the day, the Ralph Beckett-trained 4-year-old who was herself cruelly denied late in last year's Irish Oaks held the upper hand in terms of ground preference and traded as the 11-10 favourite as a result.
Settled in mid-division early by Rossa Ryan, the homebred was left behind at the top of the straight as Kieran Shoemark set sail on the Gosdens' star en route to certain victory. Picking up as she had when the six-length winner of York's G2 Middleton Fillies' Stakes last month, Bluestocking gradually ate into her rival's sizeable advantage to pass Emily Upjohn in the last 50 yards for a half-length success, with 3 3/4 lengths back to Content (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in third.
“Rossa had an inkling that Emily Upjohn might go forward at some point and in a way it helped us, as it gave us something to aim at,” Beckett said. “Irish Oaks Day will live long in the memory for the wrong reasons, but it doesn't matter now. This justified the decision to stay in training and we learnt a good deal about her on Irish Oaks day last year–we know now to hold on to her a bit longer and today is perfect recompense.”
Bluestocking, who was sporting cheekpieces for the first time when second in the G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot in October and when romping at York last time, was without headgear here as she took herself to the next level. “She travelled so well at York, we felt she didn't need them anymore–she finds plenty under pressure–but whether we put them back on we'll see,” Beckett explained. “You'd think the [G1] Nassau is the right place to go and she clearly enjoys York, she's run well twice there, so the [G1] Yorkshire Oaks will probably be a good idea as well. She's versatile in terms of ground and I wouldn't be afraid to run her on really fast ground, so it's all in front of us. I don't think trip is that important, I just think conditions have to be right and they were today.”
Bluestocking, who is out of the operation's 2011 G1 Matron Stakes heroine Emulous, has thrived over 10 furlongs this term with the European racing manager Barry Mahon pointing out that it is a more realistic trip in terms of pedigree. “The dam had speed to win a group 1 over a mile and when we sat down at the end of the season we felt we probably stretched the filly a little bit with a mile and a half,” he explained. “I think she's a revelation this year back over 10 furlongs.”
Bluestocking overhauls Emily Upjohn near the line in a thrilling Group 1 Cairn Community Games Pretty Polly Stakes!
Many congratulations to @Rossaryan15, @RalphBeckett and @JuddmonteFarms pic.twitter.com/paxiiJXQOD
— The Curragh Racecourse (@curraghrace) June 29, 2024
Pedigree Notes
Bluestocking's aforementioned dam Emulous, who captured six black-type races over seven furlongs and a mile, is a full-sister to the stouter G3 Prix Gontaut-Biron winner First Sitting (GB) and the speedier Listed Criterium de Vitesse winner Daring Diva (GB). The latter is in turn the dam of the G2 Ridgewood Pearl Stakes winner Brooch (Empire Maker), whose son Mandaloun (Into Mischief) captured the Kentucky Derby and Haskell.
Daring Diva also produced the Listed Naas Oaks Trial winner and G2 Blandford S. runner-up Caponata (Selkirk) and is kin to the dam of Camelot's Alounak (Fr) who was second in the GI Canadian International. Emulous's useful 3-year-old gelding Qirat (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) was prominent in last week's Britannnia Handicap, while she also has the unraced 2-year-old gelding Dissident (GB) (Frankel {GB}), a yearling filly by Kingman (GB) and a filly foal again by Frankel.
Saturday, Curragh, Ireland
CAIRN PRETTY POLLY STAKES-G1, €300,000, Curragh, 6-29, 3yo/up, f, 10fT, 2:10.90, y/s.
1–BLUESTOCKING (GB), 138, f, 4, by Camelot (GB)
1st Dam: Emulous (GB) (G1SW-Ire, $528,533), by Dansili (GB)
2nd Dam: Aspiring Diva, by Distant View
3rd Dam: Queen Of Song, by His Majesty
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. TDN Rising Star. O-Juddmonte; B-Juddmonte Farms (East) Ltd (GB); T-Ralph Beckett; J-Rossa Ryan. €180,000. Lifetime Record: GSW & G1SP-Eng, 9-3-4-1, $652,072. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Emily Upjohn (GB), 138, m, 5, Sea The Stars (Ire)–Hidden Brief (GB), by Barathea (Ire). TDN Rising Star. (60,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Lloyd Webber, Tactful Finance, S Roden; B-Lordship Stud & Sunderland Holding Inc (GB); T-John & Thady Gosden. €60,000.
3–Content (Ire), 126, f, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Mecca's Angel (Ire), by Dark Angel (Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O-Westerberg, Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor, D Smith; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €30,000.
Margins: HF, 3 3/4, 2 3/4. Odds: 1.10, 3.00, 12.00.
Also Ran: Lumiere Rock (Ire), Stay Alert (GB), Tasmania (Ger), Maxux (Ire), Francophone (GB).
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