Galileo's Grosvenor Square Powers To Eyrefield Triumph

Aidan O'Brien representative Grosvenor Square (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}–Wadyhatta {GB}, by Cape Cross {Ire}), who possesses a similar profile to G3 Killavullan S. victor Atlantic Coast (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}), followed up a Galway debut victory with a third in last month's G2 Beresford S. and justified odds-on favouritism with a daylight win in Saturday's G3 Eyrefield S. at Leopardstown.

The crowd's 10-11 pick tanked forward from the stalls and settled into a smooth rhythm on the front end through halfway. Comfortably clear straightening for home, he held an unassailable lead approaching the final furlong and stayed on powerfully in the closing stages to easily outpoint stablemate Cambridge (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) by 4 1/4 lengths. Zaphod (Ire) (Zarak {Fr}) kept on well to finish 3/4-of-a-length adrift in third.

“He's a lovely horse and won very well with Killian [Hennessy] first time out in Galway and then ran a good race in the Beresford,” commented Ballydoyle's Chris Armstrong. “He's a horse with a very good attitude and he handles an ease in the ground, but will go on better ground. He'll come back here next year and start off in one of the trials and is a typical Derby type. He's one to look forward to over the winter when he comes on physically and mentally. The second horse [Cambridge] is still a work-in-progress. He went to Salisbury, which brought him on, and he was still a bit ring rusty here. They are two nice horses, but you would love the winner.”

Pedigree Notes
Grosvenor Square becomes the 249th pattern-race winner for his stellar sire and is a half-brother to the G1 Irish Derby hero Santiago (Ire) as well as being kin to the G1 Yorkshire Oaks and G1 Prix Vermeille placegetter La Joconde (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and a yearling colt. His second dam Wadyhatta (GB) (Cape Cross {Ire}) is a dual-winning daughter of Listed Prix Yacowlef third Thamarat (GB) (Anabaa), whose descendants include G3 Prix Perth victor and G1 Sussex S. and G1 Queen Elizabeth II S. runner-up Facteur Cheval (Ire) (Ribchester {Ire}). Thamarat is a half-sister to three black-type performers, most notably G1 Prix Jacques le Marois and G1 Prix Jean Prat-winning sire Tamayuz (Nayef). Grosvenor Square's G3 Prix de Flore-winning fourth dam Allez Les Trois (Riverman), kin to G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe-winning blue hen Urban Sea (Miswaki), produced G1 Prix du Jockey Club victor Anabaa Blue (GB) (Anabaa).

Eyrefield Stakes (G3)
1.810 m – 52.500 EUR – for 2yo
Leopardstown

Grosvenor Square (IRE)
(2C Galileo- Wadyhatta, by Cape Cross)
J : Seamie Heffernan
T : A.P. O'Brien
O : M Tabor & D Smith & Mrs J Magnier & Westerberg
B :Lynch Bages Ltdpic.twitter.com/TCw0m3bnQh

— (@WorldRacing1) October 21, 2023

Saturday, Leopardstown, Ireland
EYREFIELD S.-G3, €52,500, Leopardstown, 10-21, 2yo, 9fT, 2:07.50, hy.
1–GROSVENOR SQUARE (IRE), 131, c, 2, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Wadyhatta (GB), by Cape Cross (Ire)
2nd Dam: Thamarat (GB), by Anabaa
3rd Dam: Al Ishq (Fr), by Nureyev
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O-M Tabor, D Smith, Mrs J Magnier & Westerberg; B-Lynch Bages Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Seamus Heffernan. €31,500. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-1, $55,020. *1/2 to Santiago (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}), G1SW-Ire, GSW & G1SP-Eng, $714,737; and La Joconde (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), G1SP-Eng & Fr, SP-Ire, $207,941. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Cambridge (Ire), 131, c, 2, Dubawi (Ire)–Amerique (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O-Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor, D Smith & P M Brant; B-White Birch Farm SC (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €10,500.
3–Zaphod (Ire), 131, g, 2, Zarak (Fr)–Pocket of Stars (Ire), by Sea The Stars (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€56,000 Wlg '21 GOFNO1; 70,000gns RNA Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Dr Marcella Burns; B-Sunderland Holding Inc (IRE); T-John O'Donoghue. €5,250.
Margins: 4 1/4, 3/4, 5. Odds: 0.91, 6.50, 3.50.
Also Ran: Naval Force (Ire), Gibbs Island (GB), Spanish Flame (Ire). Scratched: Look At The Stars (GB), Ezeliya (Fr).