By Tom Frary
The Curragh played host to another TDN Rising Star on Sunday as Ballydoyle's newcomer Hudson River (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) made all to take the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden with the promise of much to come. Showing dash from the break to gain the lead and rail advantage under Seamie Heffernan, the first foal out of the dual G1 Nunthorpe S. heroine Mecca's Angel (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) who was the 3-1 joint-favourite was always doing enough in front and at the line had a comfortable 1 1/2-length margin to spare over Ace Aussie (Ire) (Australia {GB}), with the winner's stablemate Wembley (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) a nose away in third. “He's a lovely colt and was just ready to start,” Aidan O'Brien said. “He could go to the [Newmarket] July meeting. He'll probably end up a miler and it was a nice race to start him in.”
Mecca's Angel was a useful juvenile, but it was not until she matured that she truly developed into a leading light in the sprinting brigade. Building on wins in the G3 World Trophy and G3 Prix de Saint-Georges to deny Acapulco (Scat Daddy) in the 2015 G1 Nunthorpe S., she returned to the York the following season to bring up a famous brace. She is a full-sister to Shadwell's Markaz (Ire), who was successful in the G3 Criterion S. and G3 Chipchase S. and who had got off the mark with his first crop a week earlier. A granddaughter of another speedy individual in the G3 Prix d'Arenberg scorer and G3 Norfolk S. runner-up Desert Dawn (GB) (Belfort {Fr}), Mecca's Angel has produced two daughters of Galileo in 2019 and 2020.
2nd-Curragh, €16,500, Mdn, 6-28, 2yo, c/g, 7fT, 1:25.89, yl.
HUDSON RIVER (IRE), c, 2, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Mecca's Angel (Ire) (Hwt. Older Horse-Eur at 5-7f, 2x Hwt. Older Mare-Eur at 5-7f, MG1SW-Eng, GSW-Fr & Ire, $999,035), by Dark Angel (Ire)
2nd Dam: Folga (GB), by Atraf (GB)
3rd Dam: Desert Dawn (GB), by Belfort (Fr)
1ST-TIME STARTER. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $11,106. O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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