By Tom Frary
Already a dual winner prior to Saturday's G3 GAIN Marble Hill S. at The Curragh, Ballydoyle's Blackbeard (Ire) (No Nay Never) was the picture of professionalism as he made all under Ryan Moore to assume the mantle of generation leader. Already hardened by the experience of battle in this track's May 2 Listed First Flier S., the 5-2 second favourite set out to dictate on this first foray over six furlongs and relished the extra distance as he shook off the even-money market-leader Tough Talk (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) to stretch to a 3 1/2-length success.
Blackbeard (NO NAY NEVER) remains unbeaten with an impressive success in the Gr.3 @GAINEquine Marble Hill Stakes @curraghrace for @Ballydoyle & the Coolmore partners. Bred by Newstead Breeding#CoolmoreSires #HomeOfChampions
— Coolmore (@coolmorestud) May 21, 2022
“We weren't exactly sure that he would get six, but Ryan thought the last day that he would and obviously he got it very well,” Aidan O'Brien said. “He relaxed very well and quickened very well, that's what you'd really love about him. No Nay Never is usually an influence for speed, which is good, but some of them don't get beyond sprinting distances. Looking at this horse, there is every chance that he could. We thought he'd be either a Norfolk or Coventry horse and he can go either way I think, but you'd have to say he's a Coventry type. We ran him today to see and you couldn't say he didn't pass that test.”
Blackbeard, who also scored at Dundalk Apr. 8, is the first foal out of Muirin (Ire) (Born To Sea {Ire}), who was fourth in the 2017 G1 Moyglare Stud S. on only her second start. She is a daughter of the Curragh specialist Girouette (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}), who captured the G3 Phoenix Sprint S. and Listed Sweet Mimosa S. and was runner-up in the G3 Renaissance S. and third in the G3 Athasi S. here. From the family of the G3 Zetland S. and G3 John Porter S. scorer Max Vega (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) and the G2 Curragh Cup-placed Camphor (Ire) (Camelot {GB}), Muirin's yearling is a full-sister to Blackbeard.
Saturday, The Curragh, Ireland
GAIN MARBLE HILL S.-G3, €60,000, Curragh, 5-21, 2yo, 6fT, 1:14.72, g/y.
1–BLACKBEARD (IRE), 131, c, 2, by No Nay Never
1st Dam: Muirin (Ire), by Born To Sea (Ire)
2nd Dam: Girouette (Ire), by Pivotal (GB)
3rd Dam: Vassiana (Fr), by Anabaa
1ST GROUP WIN. (270,000gns Wlg '20 TATFOA). O-D Smith,Mrs J Magnier,M Tabor,Westerberg; B-Newstead Breeding (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €36,000. Lifetime Record: 3-3-0-0, $72,549. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Tough Talk (Ire), 131, c, 2, Kingman (GB)–Terrific (Ire), by Galileo (Ire).
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. O/B-Moyglare Stud Farm (IRE); T-Ger Lyons. €12,000.
3–Mehmar (Ire), 131, c, 2, Mehmas (Ire)–She's Different (Ire), by Epaulette (Aus).
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (42,000gns Ylg '21 TATOCT; £200,000 2yo '22 GOFTY). O/T-Michael O'Callaghan; B-Tony Killoran (IRE). €6,000.
Margins: 3HF, 2 1/4, 3/4. Odds: 2.50, Evens, 5.00.
Also Ran: Ocean Vision (Ire), Deneuve (Ire). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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