By Sean Cronin
Jessica Harrington trainee No Speak Alexander (Ire) (Shalaa {Ire}) came back off a break to finish 10th behind the reopposing G1 1000 Guineas heroine Mother Earth (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) in last month's G1 Prix Rothschild at Deauville and stepped forward to shock a stellar field in Saturday's G1 Coolmore America 'Justify' Matron S. at Leopardstown. She had previously backed up a solid five-race juvenile campaign to snag The Curragh's May 3 Athasi S. on seasonal return and hit the board back there in the May 23 G1 Irish 1000 Guineas in her penultimate start. The 25-1 outsider was positioned along the rail in a forward third after the initial exchanges of the one-mile test. Scrubbed along at the top of the straight, she was ridden to the fore entering the final furlong and kept on in resolute fashion to hold the persistent threat of Pearls Galore (Fr) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) by a neck for a career high. Coolmore's G1 1000 Guineas and G1 Prix Rothschild heroine Mother Earth endured a nightmare passage in the straight and was allowed to coast home in the closing stages to finish 1 1/4 lengths back in third.
“I was worried because I could see a bit of interference, but we ended up keeping the race and, to me, that's the main thing,” commented Jessica Harrington. “After the Irish [1000] Guineas, we wanted to go the Group 1 route and we thought we'd go to [Royal] Ascot [for the G1 Coronation S.], but that didn't happen. We then thought we'd go for the [G1] Falmouth S. [at Newmarket] and that didn't happen. We took her to France, but she got very badly interfered with a furlong down and that was a no race for her. We ended up coming here and, thank goodness, we got the result. She's now a Group 1 winner, which is absolutely fantastic. She's a beautifully bred filly, it's lovely for all the O'Callaghans and she'll be a big asset to their stud. Her best form is with a bit of cut, but it's beautiful ground out there with a lovely covering of grass. It's totally fair ground for anyone and, if she can win on it, any horse can win on it.”
No Speak Alexander, who becomes the first top-level winner for her second-crop sire (by Invincible Spirit), is the first foal out of Listed Prix La Fleche victrix Rapacity Alexander (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}), herself a full-sister to G1 Hong Kong Sprint victor Peniaphobia (Ire). The April-foaled bay is a half to the twice-placed 2-year-old filly Making Music (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}). No Speak Alexander's fourth dam Quiet Harbour (Ire) (Mill Reef) is the dam of Listed Prix Right Royal victrix and stakes producer Cutting Reef (Ire) (Kris {GB}), the stakes-winning Jazz Ballet (Ire) (Jaazeiro) and G3 Premio Ambrosiano placegetter Guest Harbour (Ire) (Be My Guest). Guest Harbour, herself the dam of G1 Gran Premio di Milano hero Benvenue (Ire) (Iffraaj {GB}), is kin to five stakes winners headed by G1 Coronation Cup hero Quiet Fling (Nijinsky), whose full-sister De Stael produced four black-type winners headed by MGISW GI Matriarch S. heroine Wandesta (GB) (Nashwan).
Saturday, Leopardstown, Ireland
COOLMORE AMERICA 'JUSTIFY' MATRON S.-G1, €300,000, Leopardstown, 9-11, 3yo/up, f/m, 8fT, 1:41.98, gd.
1–NO SPEAK ALEXANDER (IRE), 128, f, 3, by Shalaa (Ire)
1st Dam: Rapacity Alexander (Ire) (SW-Fr), by Dandy Man (Ire)
2nd Dam: Umlani (Ire), by Great Commotion
3rd Dam: Travel Magic (Ire), by Henbit
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (€190,000 RNA Ylg '19 GOFOR). O-Charles O'Callaghan, Noel O'Callaghan & Paul O'Callaghan; B-Mount Armstrong Stud (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington; J-Shane Foley. €180,000. Lifetime Record: 9-3-1-1, $346,893. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Pearls Galore (Fr), 133, f, 4, Invincible Spirit (Ire)–Pearl Banks (GB), by Pivotal (GB). O/B-SCEA Haras de Saint Pair (FR); T-Paddy Twomey. €60,000.
3–Mother Earth (Ire), 128, f, 3, Zoffany (Ire)–Many Colours (GB), by Green Desert. (€150,000 Ylg '19 GOFOR). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Grenane House Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €30,000.
Margins: NK, 1 1/4, HD. Odds: 25.00, 7.00, 1.20.
Also Ran: Empress Josephine (Ire), Epona Plays (Ire), Champers Elysees (Ire), Acanella (GB), Belle Image (Ire), Pretty Gorgeous (Fr), Dreamloper (Ire), Shale (Ire), Flirting Bridge (Ire), Friendly (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
