By Tom Frary
While the warmth and light was bestowed on Keeneland on Friday, the cool and dark backdrop of Dundalk played host to a red-hot prospect as Beginnings (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) stormed to TDN Rising Star status. Ballydoyle's daughter of their celebrated 1000 Guineas and Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Winter (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) had stepped forward markedly from her debut when fourth behind the subsequent Listed Star Appeal S. winner and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf protagonist Spirit Gal (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) over near six furlongs at Naas Sept. 15 and traded as the 8-11 favourite for the first division of the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden.
Sent straight to the front by Seamie Heffernan, the imposing bay always looked comfortable and when asked to open up for the last couple of the seven furlongs responded impressively to put six lengths between her and the well-regarded Ger Lyons-trained Sweetest Rose (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), with another two lengths back to Zurana (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) in third. “She has a classy pedigree and she felt very classy,” Heffernan said of the first TDN Rising Star for her sire who recorded a time a mammoth two seconds faster than the second division doing it all on her own. “She's big, clear-winded, has pace and she galloped out through the winning post. She was very impressive. Without doubt she'll be, at least, a stakes filly.”
Easy as you like for Beginnings who makes most for a straightforward success in the Irish Stallion Farms @IrishEBF_ Fillies' Maiden under the guidance of Seamie Heffernan for trainer Aidan O'Brien 🥇 pic.twitter.com/itEFUzRYax
— Dundalk Stadium (@DundalkStadium) November 4, 2022
Pedigree Notes
Beginnings is the second foal out of Winter, who also broke her maiden over this course and distance in August 2016 when in the care of David Wachman before her career took off and who also garnered the G1 Coronation S. and G1 Nassau S. after her Guineas double. Her dam, the Wokingham H. winner Laddies Poker Two (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) also produced Lovelier (Ire) by Galileo who captured the Listed Cairn Rouge S. and was second in the G2 Kilboy Estate S. Winter's next two foals are both by Justify, with last year yielding a colt and 2022 a filly.
3rd-Dundalk, €15,000, Mdn, 11-4, 2yo, f, 7fT, 1:25.40, st.
BEGINNINGS, f, 2, by Lord Kanaloa (Jpn)
1st Dam: Winter (Ire) (MG1SW-Eng, G1SW-Ire, $1,424,358), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Laddies Poker Two (Ire), by Choisir (Aus)
3rd Dam: Break Of Day, by Favorite Trick
Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $9,414. O-M Tabor/D Smith/Mrs J Magnier/Westerberg; B-Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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