By Tom Frary
Highlighting a stellar training performance by Paddy Twomey, Team Valor's G2 Blandford S. winner La Petite Coco (Ire) (Ruler Of The World {Ire}–La Petite Virginia {Ger}, by Konigstiger {Ger}) led home My Astra (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) and stablemate Rosscarbery (Ger) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) on her seasonal debut in Sunday's G1 Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly S. at The Curragh. Let go at 9-1 with the punters' confidence shaky, the bay tracked the clear leading pair early with Billy Lee showing the same unerring sense of timing he had in the Listed Dash here a day earlier. In front with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining, she pulled out extra to deny the William Haggas-trained 11-4 favourite My Astra by half a length, with the progressive G3 Munster Oaks winner Rosscarbery 1 1/4 lengths away in third. In a later twist, the Cashel-based Twomey was denied a dream result as Rosscarbery was disqualified due to a discrepancy in the weighing-in procedure of jockey Wayne Lordan and the fourth-placed Thunder Kiss (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) was moved up. “She's a cool customer and takes everything in her stride,” Twomey said of the winner. “She's a joy to have and I'm lucky to have her. She's never put a foot wrong–she's tough and she's doing it herself.”
Trained on her first two starts by Andrew Kinirons, La Petite Coco's initial foray for this stable resulted in a 4 1/4-length defeat of the subsequent G1 Irish 1000 Guineas fourth Belle Image (Ire) (Kodi Bear {Ire}) over a mile at Killarney last May and her next stop happened to be her last defeat as she was second in the 10-furlong Listed Naas Oaks Trial the following month. After a return confidence-boosting win at Killarney in a conditions event over 11 furlongs in July, she registered a 5 1/2-length success in Cork's G3 Give Thanks S. in August before inching out Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Blandford here in September, where last year's Pretty Polly heroine Thundering Nights (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) was three lengths back in third. “The plan was to start mid-season and I didn't think it was outrageous giving her an Arc entry the other day,” Twomey added. “The Yorkshire Oaks, the [QICPO Champions] Fillies and Mares at Ascot and the Breeders' Cup are on her agenda, as a mile and a half is her optimum.”
Barry Irwin was keen to praise Twomey. “He's a fantastic trainer. When we bought the filly we sent her directly to Paddy, we had good hopes but we didn't know that she was this good,” he said. “Today I thought that if she really is as good as he thinks we could win it but I can't believe she hung in there, at the end she was running on fumes. She's a gutsy horse. I've backed off from racing in the United States, I'm not happy with it there. I think it will be getting better, but we've had some issues with guys taking an edge. I have a lot more faith in what's going on here and it's more fun. I've been coming here since 1971, raced a few horses and we've decided to send a few more over here. Our partners enjoy it, I've got 12 people here right now on a trip. We went to Paddy's yesterday and now we're going to England and France. I'm trying to promote to have more racing over here. I've just a few with Paddy but I'm sure we'll have more.”
William Haggas said of My Astra, who had booked her ticket with a 12-length success in Ayr's Listed Rothesay S. and proved to be one of the few who came from far back to get involved in a finish during the weekend, “She ran a great race and was probably beaten by a better one. She was a little bit wide, but I think she needs a bit of space. I didn't see her coming at Ayr and she bolted up, so I wanted to see her confirm that and she did. She wants sloshing soft and Danny [Tudhope] said this is a bit tacky. I think we'll drop Purplepay (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) back to a mile and try and find a group one race race for her, but it might be a bit difficult. She has penalties now she's won a group two.”
Rosscarbery's disqualification came as a result of Lordan weighing in five pounds light and it is believed that a malfunction of the scales was to blame. Twomey said, “The clerk of the scales told Wayne that he was five pounds too heavy, so he made him take down the saddle and take out the weights and then get back on the scales. He did that and the clerk of the scales then cleared him. He weighed him out with the correct weight and sent him out to the race. Then when he came back the clerk of the scales told him he was five pounds light. I brought the saddle from the weighing room to the filly and put it on. I was under pressure for time, as I had two runners and they took a lot of time messing around, putting in weight and taking out weight. The same saddle that went out came back in and I guess we will have to appeal it. It's a glitch with the clerk of the scales, it's an issue with the IHRB and I'd say my owner won't be impressed.”
Pedigree Notes:
La Petite Coco is the first runner from three live foals out of the unraced La Petite Virginia, who is a half-sister to the G1 Deutsches Derby hero Lavirco (Ger) (Konigsstuhl {Ger}) and his G2 Deutsches St Leger-winning full-brother Laveron (Ger) who was also third in the domestic Derby. La Petite Virginia is out of La Virginia (Ger) (Surumu {Ger}), who is also the second dam of the G3 Badener Stutenpreis winner and G1 Premio Lydia Tesio runner-up Lacy (Ger) (Authorized {Ire}) and the G3 Preis des Winterfavoriten winner Langtang (Ger) (Campanologist).
La Virginia's group 3-winning full-sister La Colorada (Ger) produced the triple group 1-winning champion and leading sire Lomitas (GB), with this being the dam line of Gestut Fahrhof's blue hen Love In (GB) whose descendants include another Deutsches Derby hero in Lagunas (GB), the leading sire Lord of England (Ger) and the G1 Prix de l'Opera heroine Lady Marian (Ger) (Nayef). La Petite Virginia also has the unraced 2-year-old filly La Petite Sissi (Ire) (Ivawood {Ire}).
Sunday, The Curragh, Ireland
ALWASMIYAH PRETTY POLLY-G1, €300,000, Curragh, 6-26, 3yo/up, f/m, 10fT, 2:13.86, yl.
1–LA PETITE COCO (IRE), 138, f, 4, by Ruler Of The World (Ire)
1st Dam: La Petite Virginia (Ger), by Konigstiger (Ger)
2nd Dam: La Virginia (Ger), by Surumu (Ger)
3rd Dam: La Dorada (Ire), by Kronzeuge (Fr)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Team Valor International LLC; B-Mr B Schone (IRE); T-Paddy Twomey; J-Billy Lee. €180,000. Lifetime Record: 8-5-1-0, $396,444. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–My Astra (Ire), 138, f, 4, Lope de Vega (Ire)–My Titania (Ire), by Sea the Stars (Ire).
1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Sunderland Holding Inc (IRE); T-William Haggas. €60,000.
3–Thunder Kiss (Ire), 138, m, 5, Night of Thunder (Ire)–Desert Snow (GB), by Teofilo (Ire).
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Newtown Anner Stud (IRE); T-Ger Lyons. €15,000.
Margins: HF, 1 1/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 9.00, 2.75, 20.00.
Also Ran: Concert Hall (Ire), Purplepay (Fr), Dreamloper (Ire), Lyrical Poetry (Ire), Tranquil Lady (Ire), *Rosscarbery (Ger). Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
*Rosscarbery finished third, but was disqualified and placed last.
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