By Tom Frary
Runner-up on debut over this track and trip eight days previously, Liquid Amber bounced out of that introduction with gusto to cause an upset by brushing aside the Listed Coolmore Ivawood S. winner Ballet Shoes. Settled in mid-division early by Billy Lee tracking Ballydoyle's hot favourite, the chestnut pounced on that rival at the furlong pole and surged clear for an authoritative success to enhance her owner-breeder's annus mirabilis. This was a huge step forward in a short space of time for the winner, who had trailed Punked (Ire) (So You Think {NZ}), who had finished behind Ballet Shoes previously, last Saturday but trainer Willie McCreery was not surprised. “I really didn't want to do it, but she bounced out of it and they re-opened this race and I saw there were only 12 entries,” he explained. “I was just hoping for a bit of black-type and it just shows you she came on a ton for her race the last day.”
McCreery understandably has high hopes for Liquid Amber and added, “She's a filly going forward and she's very well bred. I'm lucky to get her. She might not run again this year and we'll stick her into the Guineas for next year. She's going the right way and she's a lovely, big, scopey filly. I loved the way she stayed it out. We'll stick to the mile for the minute. That's what we'll aim at first and then work from there.”
Another high-profile European winner for Kitten's Joy, Liquid Amber is out of the former Gerard Butler-trained Pachattack, who improved with experience and won the 2011 GIII Arlington Matron S. before placing in the GI Personal Ensign S., GI Spinster S. and GI Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic. Purchased by the Niarchos Family's Flaxman Holdings for $1.2million at the Fasig-Tipton November Mixed Sale, she was sent to Graham Motion and added the following year's GIII Hillard Lyons Doubledogare S. to her tally. Her first foal was Dilmun (War Front), who won a Dundalk maiden for the Joseph O'Brien stable and was fifth in last month's Listed Cairn Rouge S. Pachattack is a half-sister to three black-type performers, most notably the Hidden Light S. winner Mina (Mineshaft), while the third dam Afjan was runner-up in the G1 Fillies' Mile S. and was third in the G1 1000 Guineas. She is a half-sister to three stakes winners headed by the Listed Godolphin S. scorer and G1 St Leger runner-up Minds Music (Silver Hawk) from the family of the leading sire Clever Trick. Pachattack's yearling filly is again by War Front, while her filly foal is by American Pharoah.
Sunday, Curragh, Ireland
FLAME OF TARA IRISH EBF S.-G3, €80,000, CUR, 8-27, 2yo, f, 8fT, 1:39.17, gd.
1–LIQUID AMBER, 126, f, 2, by Kitten's Joy
1st Dam: Pachattack (MGSW & MGISP-US, MSW & MGSP-Eng, SW-Can, $788,018), by Pulpit
2nd Dam: El Laoob, by Red Ransom
3rd Dam: Ajfan, by Woodman
*1st stakes win. O-Niarchos Family; B-Flaxman Holdings Ltd (KY); T-Willie McCreery; J-Billy Lee. €47,200. Lifetime Record: 2-1-1-0, $60,221. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”lanes-end-oaktree”][bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred”][bullet ad=”kbif-g2g3″]2–Ballet Shoes (Ire), 126, f, 2, Galileo (Ire)–Emerald Ring (Ire), by Johannesburg. O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Emerald Ring Syndicate (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €16,000.
3–Sometimesadiamond (Ire), 126, f, 2, Vocalised">Vocalised–Something Graceful (GB), by Galileo (Ire). O-Mrs June Judd & Mrs J S Bolger; B/T-Jim Bolger (IRE). €8,000.
Margins: 5, 2, 2. Odds: 10.00, 0.25, 14.00.
Also Ran: Bye Bye Baby (Ire), Beach Wedding (Ire), Black Sails (GB), Quite Subunctious (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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