By Tom Frary
Confirming the serious nature of the G1 2,000 Guineas form, Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum's Newmarket runner-up Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}–Rosaline {Ire}, by New Approach {Ire}) went one better to lead a Richard Hannon one-two in Saturday's G1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas at The Curragh. Held up in mid-division by Sean Levey with the pace steady, the 10-11 favourite began his delivery two out as the stable's Haatem (Ire) (Phoenix Of Spain {Ire}) took control and his wilting run proved perfectly-timed.
Getting the yard's bragging rights only in the final yards, last year's G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere hero asserted for a head success, with Ballydoyle's TDN Rising Star River Tiber (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) running big on his 3-year-old bow 1 1/4 lengths further away.
“Rosallion was a bit keen early and Haatem is such a brave horse, he's run such a lovely race and I've never known a horse to have as many supporters as he has,” Hannon said. “He probably didn't deserve to get beat, but his day will come.”
On the afternoon that the 2,000 Guineas form had already been boosted by the G2 Sandy Lane S. win of the winner's relative Inisherin (GB) (Shamardal), Rosallion and Haatem underlined the strength of this year's renewal in no uncertain terms.
The winner had already proven himself at this level when showing the same acceleration at ParisLongchamp on Arc day and will be Royal Ascot-bound now according to his trainer.
“He took a bit of time to pick them up. He's such a hyped horse and he's not going to please everybody,” Hannon added. “He proved he got the trip today and that was the pleasing thing. We'll go to the [G1] St James's Palace S. and try our best to beat the horse that beat us last time. It will be hard.”
Levey gave the lowdown on the way the race unfolded. “I thought Haatem would be hard beat today and he has dragged me to the line, so my horse has had to work hard to get by him. My lad can get a bit generous if you put him in a position where he has to be competitive, so the only thing I could do was take him out of it.”
Of Haatem, Hannon said, “I love the second horse, he's such a smashing horse and it's a pleasure to have him. I think he'll get further and will discuss it with the Sheikh and the team and see where we go, but there are a lot of lovely days in him.”
Aidan O'Brien might be thinking of doing a “Mozart” with River Tiber. “I would probably have preferred if it was a more end-to-end gallop, we'd have learned about the mile better,” he said. “We still don't know if he really gets a mile or not. We have a choice to make now in Ascot, do we go back to six, do we go seven or do we go St James's Palace. Ryan wants to go to the Jersey because he wants Henry [Longfellow] for the St James's Palace, he's trying to divide them all!”
“He probably has loads of speed, which we knew he had. He never ran beyond six before and it was hard to ride him any more forward. He did what we thought, he was better than Unquestionable. Unquestionable will improve plenty because he got tired, which we thought he would as well. It's going to be interesting if they all meet in the St James's Palace, it's whether he goes to that or the Jersey.”
Pedigree Notes
Providing his second-season sire sensation with a first Classic, Rosallion is out of the unraced Rosaline (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) who is a full-sister to the G2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein winner Ostilio (GB). Their dam is the listed-placed Reem Three (GB) (Mark Of Esteem {Ire}), a remarkable producer for the owner-breeder with six black-type winners headed by last year's G1 Queen Anne S. hero Triple Time (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) and the G1 Prix Jean Romanet winner Ajman Princess (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) whose aforementioned son Inisherin by Blue Point's sire Shamardal captured the day's G2 Sandy Lane S.
Also responsible for Shamardal's G3 Bengough S. winner Cape Byron (GB), Reem Three is a half to the G2 Celebration Mile and G3 Sovereign S. winner Afsare (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}). Rosaline's 2-year-old colt by Make Believe (GB) is named Lord Capulet (Ire).
Classic glory!
Rosallion swoops from stablemate Haatem to land the @Tattersalls1766 Irish 2,000 Guineas in a dream result for @rhannonracing pic.twitter.com/TN3iJDd8FE
— The Curragh Racecourse (@curraghrace) May 25, 2024
Saturday, Curragh, Ireland
TATTERSALLS IRISH 2000 GUINEAS-G1, €500,000, Curragh, 5-25, 3yo, c/f, 8fT, 1:39.20, gd.
1–ROSALLION (IRE), 128, c, 3, by Blue Point (Ire)
1st Dam: Rosaline (Ire), by New Approach (Ire)
2nd Dam: Reem Three (GB), by Mark Of Esteem (Ire)
3rd Dam: Jumaireyah (GB), by Fairy King
O/B-Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum (IRE); T-Richard Hannon; J-Sean Levey. €290,000. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Fr, SW & G1SP-Eng, 6-4-1-1, $751,037. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Haatem (Ire), 128, c, 3, Phoenix Of Spain (Ire)–Hard Walnut (Ire), by Cape Cross (Ire). (€28,000 RNA Wlg '21 GOFNO1; 27,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Sheikh Abdullah Almalek Alsabah; B-Hyde Park Stud (IRE); T-Richard Hannon. €100,000.
3–River Tiber (Ire), 128, c, 3, Wootton Bassett (GB)–Transcendence (Ire), by Arcano (Ire). TDN Rising Star. (480,000gns Ylg '22 TATOCT). O-Tabor, Smith, Magnier, Westerberg & Brant; B-Pier House Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €50,000.
Margins: HD, 1 1/4, 4 3/4. Odds: 0.91, 6.00, 3.00.
Also Ran: Unquestionable (Fr), Take Me To Church (Ire), Atlantic Coast (Ire), Mountain Bear (Ire), Bright Stripes (Ire).
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