By Tom Frary
Aidan O'Brien is always on edge when Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}–Polished Gem {Ire}, by Danehill) is at the races, but the mighty stayer proved yet again that there is no real cause for concern with a typically straightforward success in Sunday's G1 Irish St Leger at The Curragh. Back in peak form as he had been when first capturing this in 2022, the Moyglare homebred and colour-bearer was the 2-5 favourite to erase the memory of his runner-up placing 12 months ago when not fully recharged following his major injury.
Cruising in second throughout for Ryan Moore, the 6-year-old veteran of two G1 Gold Cups, two G1 Goodwood Cups and a G1 Prix du Cadran was sent on two out and was soon beyond recall to register his brace in this prestige event. Vauban (Fr) (Galiway {GB}) was 2 1/4 lengths away in second, with the surprisingly non-threatening Giavellotto (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) 3/4 of a length further behind in third. The success also constituted one of the last great tributes to his late sire, who was completing a notable St Leger weekend double having had the one-two in Saturday's G1 St Leger at Doncaster with Jan Brueghel (Ire) and Illinois (Ire).
Intriguingly, on a weekend when several threads were weaved into the enthralling tapestry of the 2024 G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, O'Brien revealed that connections are pondering a belated tilt at the ParisLongchamp monument. “We knew that, at any time, he could run in an Arc, but it's important to mind him and do the right thing for him and let him tell us how he is and where he wants to go at that time of the year,” he said, before hinting that it is more than 50-50 that the chestnut forms part of the star cast in three weeks' time. “There is only one Arc and he has a serious engine,” he added. “He looks very fresh there. He just doesn't get tired, he keeps going.”
Kyprios posted sectionals in the 2022 Gold Cup that would place him front and centre in an Arc, particularly one as open as this year's, but that was him in his prime and it remains to be seen whether he can ramp it up enough to eclipse the likes of Ardross (Ire), Westerner (GB) and his own stable's Order Of St George (Ire) who went close in it. Whatever the decision, the fact that he was all business-as-usual in this potentially tricky test is worth celebrating in its own right.
For O'Brien, every task completed by the yard's latest stayer A-lister is to be savoured after his joint infection which took him so close to the brink. “He's so special and we can see what he did there today,” the master of Ballydoyle said after greeting his seventh Irish Leger winner which takes him closer to the shared record of nine of his contemporary Dermot Weld and the late Dr Vincent O'Brien. “Every year he seems to be improving–Ryan said he won so easy and that even looks to be his best again.”
“It's a special place and a special race and these kind of horses are once in a lifetime,” he added. “In the Ascot Gold Cup very few horses are able to get that far, but this horse has serious class as well. He's so genuine to get through what he did and still be the way he is and stay the way he does and relax the way he does. He's one in a million.”
Ryan Moore was in no doubt as to where the winner stands in the category from his personal point of view. “He's just an unbelievable horse–the best stayer I've ridden,” he declared. “He knows plenty about what he's doing, he just takes a while to engage but he didn't really even open up today. He's got a lot of class and a lot of speed.”
Eva Maria Bucher-Haefner was on hand to watch the performance at first hand and enjoy a fourth renewal in the famous Moyglare silks and a second dual winner following Kyprios's full-sister Search For A Song (Ire). “It's the first time I've been here that he's won. I was here last year and he was second,” she said. “What beautiful work they've done with him, because he was quite sick. I'd say yes to him racing on next year, I would love to see him again.”
Pedigree Notes
Kyprios has one of those unique pedigrees and as the last foal out of the illustrious Polished Gem he has provided a fitting culmination of a life's work. As well as this remarkable performer and his aforementioned dual Irish Leger-winning full-sibling Search For A Song, she has produced six other black-type runners including High Chaparral's G1 Prince of Wales's Stakes-winning sire Free Eagle (Ire), the multiple group scorer Custom Cut (Ire) (Notnowcato {GB}) and the G2 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes winner Sapphire (Ire) (Medicean {GB}). Polished Gem is a full-sister to the GI Matriarch Stakes winner Dress To Thrill (Ire) and daughter of the G1 Irish 1,000 Guineas heroine Trusted Partner (Affirmed), who is also the third dam of the G1 Vincent O'Brien National Stakes hero Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and the G1 Criterium International winner Vert De Grece (Ire) (Verglas {Ire}).
𝙏𝙃𝙀 best stayer in training 💪
𝑲𝒚𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒔 takes out the €600,000 Comer Group International Irish St. Leger for a second time. ⬛️⬜️🟥@coolmorestud | @Ballydoyle | @curraghrace pic.twitter.com/33ShkicpuT
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) September 15, 2024
Sunday, Curragh, Ireland
COMER GROUP INTERNATIONAL IRISH ST LEGER-G1, €600,000, Curragh, 9-15, 3yo/up, 14fT, 2:59.04, gd.
1–KYPRIOS (IRE), 137, h, 6, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Polished Gem (Ire) (2x Broodmare Of The Year-Ire), by Danehill
2nd Dam: Trusted Partner, by Affirmed
3rd Dam: Talking Picture, by Speak John
O-Moyglare/Magnier/Tabor/Smith/Westerberg; B-Moyglare Stud Farm Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €348,000. Lifetime Record: MG1SW-Eng & G1SW-Fr, 17-13-2-0, $2,759,937. *Full to Search For A Song (Ire), MG1SW-Ire, SW & GSP-Eng, G1SP-Fr, $1,086,486; 1/2 to Custom Cut (Ire) (Notnowcato {GB}), MGSW-Eng, MGSW-Ire, $951,925; 1/2 to Free Eagle (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), G1SW-Eng, GSW & G1SP-Ire, $926,416; Full to Falcon Eight (Ire), GSW-Ire, SW-Eng, $394,361; 1/2 to Sapphire (Ire) (Medicean {GB}), GSW-Eng, MGSW & G1SP-Ire, $518,947; 1/2 to Valac (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), GSW-Aus, $448,653; Full to Amma Grace (Ire), SW & GSP-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Vauban (Fr), 137, g, 6, Galiway (GB)–Waldfest (GB), by Hurricane Run (Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O-Mrs S Ricci; B-Philippe Decouz & SCEA du Bas Bugey (FR); T-Willie Mullins. €120,000.
3–Giavellotto (Ire), 137, h, 5, Mastercraftsman (Ire)–Gerika (Fr), by Galileo (Ire). O-Scuderia La Tesa Ltd & Vaibhav Shah; B-Societa Agricola La Tesa SRL (IRE); T-Marco Botti. €60,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 3/4, 3/4. Odds: 0.40, 8.00, 3.00.
Also Ran: The Euphrates (GB), Nastaria (GB), Waldadler (Ger). Scratched: Al Qareem (Ire), Crypto Force (GB).
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
