By Tom Frary
The 2-year-old fillies have been a step or two ahead of the colts all season and further evidence that we are dealing either with a substandard crop of colts or above-average crop of fillies was seen at Leopardstown on Saturday when the battle-hardened Exactly (Ire) (Frankel {GB}–Heartache {GB}, by Kyllachy {GB}) dominated the G3 Killavullan Stakes. Sent off the 11-10 favourite for the seven-furlong contest, Ballydoyle's G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and G1 Prix Marcel Boussac third was sent straight to the front by Wayne Lordan and powered clear in the straight for a 6 1/2-length success from stablemate and Goffs Million runner-up Antelope Canyon (Ire) (No Nay Never).
Ballydoyle representative Chris Armstrong said, “She's a queen of a filly, she turns up for every dance and she's been consistent all year. She obviously ran a fantastic race in the Boussac last time. Wayne gave her a lovely ride, kept it simple, she quickened and class told in the end. You'd love to have them all like her, she's so straightforward and tough and gets it done. She mightn't be finished for the year.”
“If she came out of it well we could look at the mile race in France next weekend for her. It depends how she comes out of it but it is an option. We'll see where the rest of the team fit in after the weekend. She's fierce well and even looking at her going around the ring she still has her coat and she's holding her condition well. Mentally she's loving it and you'd love to have a stable full of ones like her.”
Pedigree Notes
Exactly is the second foal out of the G2 Queen Mary Stakes and G2 Flying Childers Stakes winner Heartache (GB) (Kyllachy {GB}), whose first was this stable's Listed Ruby Stakes winner Salt Lake City (Ire) by Frankel's sire Galileo (Ire). Heartache is the leading performer for the Listed Lansdown Fillies' Stakes winner Place In My Heart (GB) (Compton Place {GB}), a half-sister to the G3 Tetrarch Stakes scorer Leitrim House (GB) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}) who also produced the G3 Cornwallis Stakes-placed Unbreak My Heart (GB) (Showcasing {GB}). Also connected to the G2 Sapphire Stakes and G3 Flying Five winner Stepper Point (GB) by Heartache's sire Kyllachy, Heartache's yearling and foal are full-sisters to Exactly.
Saturday, Leopardstown, Ireland
KILLAVULLAN STAKES-G3, €57,500, Leopardstown, 10-19, 2yo, 7f 23yT, 1:34.08, sf.
1–EXACTLY (IRE), 128, f, 2, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Heartache (GB) (MGSW-Eng, GSP-Fr,
$155,367), by Kyllachy (GB)
2nd Dam: Place In My Heart (GB), by Compton Place (GB)
3rd Dam: Lonely Heart (GB), by Midyan
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Derrick Smith, Mrs
John Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan
O'Brien; J-Wayne Lordan. €30,000. Lifetime Record: G1SP-Ire
& Fr, 7-2-2-2, $167,389. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple
Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Antelope Canyon (Ire), 131, c, 2, No Nay Never–Wannabe
Loved (GB), by Pivotal (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP
BLACK TYPE. (€150,000 Ylg '23 GOFOR). O-Derrick Smith, Mrs
John Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Lynch Bages Ltd & Lindy
Farms (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €10,000.
3–Rudi's Apple (Ire), 131, c, 2, No Nay Never–Matorio (Fr), by
Oratorio (Ire). (50,000gns Ylg '23 TATOCT; £140,000 RNA 2yo
'24 GOUKB). O-H O S Syndicate; B-Frank Antonacci & David
Reid (IRE); T-Joseph O'Brien. €5,000.
Margins: 6HF, 1HF, HF. Odds: 1.10, 2.75, 16.00.
Also Ran: Comanche Brave (Ire), One Smack Mac (Ire). Scratched: Celtic Motif (Ire), Last Encore (Ire).
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