By Tom Frary
Delivering Saxon Warrior (Jpn) with a breakthrough first black-type winner at Deauville on Saturday, Victoria Road (Ire) took the Listed Criterium du Fonds Europeen de l'Elevage at a mile to also crown a memorable afternoon for Aidan O'Brien who had enjoyed a clean sweep of the 2-year-old contests at The Curragh. Always prominent under Ioritz Mendizabal, the 4-1 shot who had broken his maiden at the fifth attempt 10 days previously over seven furlongs at Gowran Park worked his way to the front inside the last 100 metres and mastered Blue Rose Cen (Ire) (Churchill {Ire}) by a short neck. Carrying the Westerberg silks, the bay had to survive an inquiry having swerved across the path of the third Dear My Friend (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) in the dying moments but was safely clear at the time.
Campaigned mainly over six furlongs and also fourth in the valuable Irish EBF Ballyhane S. at Naas at the start of the month, the hardy performer Victoria Road is also the first black-type scorer from five runners and foals out of racing age out of the G3 Abernant S. and G3 Sandown Sprint S. winner Tickled Pink (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). The second dam is the triple group-winning sprinter Cassandra Go (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}), whose daughter is the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Halfway To Heaven (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}). She produced Galileo's Magical (Ire) and Rhododendron (Ire), while her half-sister Theann (GB) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}) was responsible for the GI First Lady S. and GI Rodeo Drive S. winner Photo Call (Ire) also by Galileo. Tickled Pink's colt foal is by Ghaiyyath (Ire).
Saturday, Deauville, France
CRITERIUM DU FONDS EUROPEEN DE L'ELEVAGE-Listed, €130,000, Deauville, 8-20, 2yo, 8fT, 1:42.58, gd.
1–VICTORIA ROAD (IRE), 126, c, 2, Saxon Warrior (Jpn)
1st Dam: Tickled Pink (Ire) (MGSW-Eng, $117,768), by Invincible Spirit (Ire)
2nd Dam: Cassandra Go (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire)
3rd Dam: Rahaam, by Secreto
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. (115,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT). O-Westerberg, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Trevor Stewart (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ioritz Mendizabal. €65,000. Lifetime Record: 6-2-2-0, €104,350. *1st stakes winner for sire (by Deep Impact {Jpn}).
2–Blue Rose Cen (Ire), 122, f, 2, Churchill (Ire)–Queen Blossom (Ire), by Jeremy. 1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-Yeguada Centurion SLU (IRE); T-Christopher Head. €26,000.
3–Dear My Friend (GB), 126, c, 2, Pivotal (GB)–Dusty Red (GB), by Teofilo (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE. (35,000gns RNA Wlg '20 TATFOA; £40,000 Ylg '21 GOFFUK). O-Middleham Park Racing XXV; B-Bartlett, Beever & Cheveley Park Stud (GB); T-Charlie & Mark Johnston. €19,500.
Margins: SNK, 1HF, 1HF. Odds: 4.10, 2.90, 2.60.
Also Ran: Duc De Morny (GB), Love Too (Fr), Strako (Fr), Ghrainne (GB), Everwin (Fr), Bozzo (Fr). Scratched: Ifach (Ire). Video, sponsored by TVG.
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