By Tom Frary
Bouncing out of Royal Ascot, Ballydoyle's TDN Rising Star Matrika (Ire) (No Nay Never–Muravka {Ire}, by High Chaparral {Ire}) looked every bit a potential 1000 Guineas filly as she dominated Saturday's G2 Airlie Stud S. at The Curragh. With only eight days between this and her runner-up finish in the G3 Albany S., the half-sister to the G1 Prix Morny hero The Wow Signal (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) who had earned her Rising Star badge in a course-and-distance maiden had no room for error.
Fortunately, she also had Ryan Moore in the saddle and despite being behind the far-side group for much of the race the 2-5 favourite was never headed on the stand's side en route to a 1 3/4-length verdict over Gunzburg (Ire) (Sioux Nation), with 2 1/4 lengths back to Ashwiyaa (Ire) (Sioux Nation) in third. Moore, who was taking his Irish Derby Festival tally to five-from-five, said, “She had run a super race last week and is a typical No Nay Never two-year-old with lots of speed and talent. She had to do it the hard way, as they [the far-side runners] were probably ahead of me but she got into a nice rhythm. She was just waiting on them the last bit and got to the line comfortably, so hopefully there is more to come.”
🏇 There's no stopping Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore as Matrika lands the Group 2 Airlie Stud Stakes. An 8th win in the race (first run in 2005) for the trainer and a 6th for the jockey.
Moore has now won the past 6 races he has ridden in. 😯@airliestud | @curraghrace pic.twitter.com/aadeeP7ymu
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 1, 2023
Aidan O'Brien added, “She has a great constitution and we were very happy with her. The first day she ran we were surprised because she's very lazy at home, we didn't really know what to expect but she won. Then she went to Ascot and ran a lovely race, but was a little green and babyish. Obviously she learned plenty from it again. She came out of the race, lost no weight. She doesn't blow at all, it takes nothing out of her–she's very natural.”
“Obviously you'd hope that she might get seven, because she is very relaxed, but she is No Nay Never and they have a lot of natural speed and find it very easy to go very fast. We'll stay at six for a while and if we have to step up to seven we will. I don't want to be too easy on her, because she has a big backside on her and I don't want her to get too big. We'll have to keep her going to a point. You'd be hoping she's going to be a Cheveley Park filly.”
Pedigree Notes
Matrika is a full-sister to the dual group 3-winning Unicorn Lion (Ire), who was also runner-up in the G1 Takarazuka Kinen, and a half to the aforementioned The Wow Signal who also captured the G2 Coventry S. The third black-type winner for the unraced dam is the Listed Prix des Jouvenceaux et des Jouvencelles scorer and G2 Rockfel S.-placed Miss Infinity (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), who also produced the G3 Prix Thomas Bryon runner-up Make Me King (Fr) (Dark Angel {Ire}). Muravka is also the second dam of the smart 3-year-old filly Breege (GB) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), who was runner-up in the G3 Prestige S. and third in the G3 Princess Margaret S. last season and runner-up in last week's Sandringham H. at Royal Ascot.
The second dam is the dual listed-winning and G2 Prix de l'Opera-placed Tabdea (Topsider), a half-sister to the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches heroine Ta Rib (Mr. Prospector) responsible for the Listed Heritage S. and Listed Amethyst S. winner Tolpuddle (Ire) (College Chapel {GB}). Muravka's colt foal is by St Mark's Basilica (Fr).
Saturday, Curragh, Ireland
AIRLIE STUD S.-G2, €120,000, Curragh, 7-1, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:10.43, gd.
1–MATRIKA (IRE), 128, f, 2, by No Nay Never
1st Dam: Muravka (Ire), by High Chaparral (Ire)
2nd Dam: Tabdea, by Topsider
3rd Dam: Madame Secretary, by Secretariat
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor, D Smith & Westerberg; B-Barronstown Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €72,000. Lifetime Record: GSP-Eng, 3-2-1-0, $118,633. *Full to Unicorn Lion (Ire), MGSW & G1SP-Jpn, $2,021,198; and 1/2 to The Wow Signal (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}), G1SW-Fr & GSW-Eng, $387,481; and Miss Infinity (Ire) (Rock Of Gibraltar {Ire}), SW-Fr, GSP-Eng & Ger. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Gunzburg (Ire), 128, f, 2, Sioux Nation–Minnelli (GB), by Showcasing (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€15,000 RNA Ylg '22 TATIRY; £160,000 2yo '23 GOUKB). O-Alymer Stud; B-Mrs Grace Nagle (IRE); T-Paddy Twomey. €24,000.
3–Ashwiyaa (Ire), 128, f, 2, Sioux Nation–Cyrenaica (Ire), by Angliana. 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€12,500 Wlg '21 GOFNO1; £26,000 Ylg '22 GOFFUK). O-Mrs M D O'Callaghan; B-Alla Bobaker (IRE); T-Michael O'Callaghan. €12,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, 2 1/4, 1HF. Odds: 0.40, 11.00, 22.00.
Also Ran: Do It With Style (Ire), Grand Job, Miss Roberts (GB), Launch.
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