By Tom Frary
Bouncing out of a defeat in Leopardstown's G2 Champions Juvenile S. earlier this month, Vimal Khosla's Deepone (GB) (Study Of Man {Ire}–Avyanna {Ire}, by Galileo {Ire}) put that behind him by dominating Saturday's G2 Alan Smurfit Memorial Beresford S. at The Curragh. Only fourth behind Diego Velazquez (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) on Irish Champions Day, the Paddy Twomey-trained 3-1 joint-second favourite soon had control on the front end under Billy Lee and never looked like being reeled in as he secured a 1 3/4-length defeat of Chief Little Rock (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). He was a short head in front of fellow Ballydoyle runner Grosvenor Square (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in third as Aidan O'Brien went two years without adding to his tally of 21 winners.
The win was the first at black-type level for Deep Impact's first-crop sire Study Of Man and Twomey revealed that Deepone may attempt to emulate him by winning next year's G1 Prix du Jockey Club. “I see him as a French Derby type–I think he's a mile-and-a-quarter or mile-and-a-half horse next year,” he said of the winner, who was his sire's first at Leopardstown in May and who had also beaten the useful Nor Time Nor Tide (Ire) (Ten Sovereigns {Ire}) at Killarney in July and been second in the Listed Coolmore Stud Churchill S. at Tipperary in August. “Things didn't go right last time and we had the highest-rated horse and decided to ride him like that and it worked out. He's a strong traveller and he finds plenty. Hopefully for Vimal he's a Derby horse for next year and that'll be it for this year now.”
Deepone is not for catching in the Group 2 Alan Smurfit Memorial Beresford Stakes, dominating throughout on the front end and galloping out strongly to land the feature event for the @wjlee24786 and @paddytwomey combination 🏆 pic.twitter.com/ESVMrKfkJM
— The Curragh Racecourse (@curraghrace) September 23, 2023
Pedigree Notes
Deepone is the second group winner for the unraced Avyanna after the Chilean group 3 scorer Avya D'Or (Carpe Diem), while the second dam is the G1 Yorkshire Oaks and G1 Prix Vermeille heroine My Emma (GB) (Marju {Ire}). She was responsible for three black-type performers including the listed winner Moments Of Joy (GB) (Darshaan {GB}), in turn the dam of the dual G3 Sagaro S. scorer and G1 Gold Cup runner-up Mizzou (Ire) also by Galileo and the second dam of last year's G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. hero Al Riffa (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}).
My Emma is kin to the G1 St Leger and G1 Gold Cup hero Classic Cliche (Ire) (Salse), while this is also the family of the G1 Takarazuka Kinen hero Satono Crown (Jpn) and the G1 Cheveley Park S. heroine Lightning Pearl (Ire) both by My Emma's sire Marju. Avyanna's yearling colt by Bated Breath (GB) is due to sell at the Tatts Book 2 Sale, while she also has a colt foal by Expert Eye (GB).
Saturday, The Curragh, Ireland
ALAN SMURFIT MEMORIAL BERESFORD S.-G2, €120,000, Curragh, 9-23, 2yo, 8fT, 1:41.42, y/s.
1–DEEPONE (GB), 131, c, 2, by Study Of Man (Ire)
1st Dam: Avyanna (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: My Emma (GB), by Marju (Ire)
3rd Dam: Pato (GB), by High Top (Ire)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. (31,000gns Wlg '21 TADEWE; 62,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Vimal Khosla; B-Andreas Bezzola (GB); T-Paddy Twomey; J-Billy Lee. €72,000. Lifetime Record: 5-3-1-0, $119,199. *1/2 to Avya D'Or (Carpe Diem), GSW-Chi. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Chief Little Rock (Ire), 131, c, 2, Galileo (Ire)–Amicus (Aus), by Fastnet Rock (Aus).
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €24,000.
3–Grosvenor Square (Ire), 131, c, 2, Galileo (Ire)–Wadyhatta (GB), by Cape Cross (Ire).
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-M Tabor/D Smith/Mrs.J Magnier/Westerberg; B-Lynch Bages LTD (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €12,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, SHD, 1HF. Odds: 3.00, 5.50, 4.00.
Also Ran: Navy Seal (Ire), Stromberg (GB), Ozark Daze (GB).
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
