By Tom Frary
It proved an emotional afternoon for Dermot Weld on Sunday as the legendary veteran of the Irish training ranks basked in the glory of winning the Curragh's G1 Moyglare Stud S. for the first time since 1987 with the brilliant 'TDN Rising Star' Tahiyra (Ire) (Siyouni {Fr}). So closely linked with the sponsors for so long, the master of Rosewell House was winning their signature race with an Aga Khan homebred who had looked so special on her winning debut at Galway July 26.
Always travelling supremely well behind the leaders under Chris Hayes, the 100-30 second favourite was unleashed to pick up Ballydoyle's G2 Debutante S. and G3 Albany S. scorer Meditate (Ire) (No Nay Never) inside the final furlong and draw away for an emphatic 2 1/4-length success in this “Win And You're In” for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Keeneland in November. There was a yawning 4 1/2-length gap back to the sponsors' Eternal Silence (War Front) in third to underline the sheer quality of the performance of the winner, a half-sister to no less than the stable's luminary Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal).
This was the 50th running of the race, so it was fitting that it was a representative of The Aga Khan who marked the occasion in the operation's 100th year. Well-respected as a result of her 5 1/2-length debut defeat of Ballydoyle's useful Dower House (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the homebred was nevertheless in deep taking on Meditate and others who had already shown a high level of form in group company. By the time they passed halfway, it was impossible to take the eyes off Chris Hayes as he sat with a serious amount of horse underneath him as Ryan Moore looked to turn the screw. While her main rival cut free of the pack approaching the furlong pole, her dominance was only ever going to be short-lived and when freed from restraint Tahiyra was on top of her 150 yards from the line and soon gone.
“She's always shown plenty at home, but she's a filly that you could send down with a lead horse rated 45 and she'll stay behind them or you could send down with a good one rated 80 or 90 and she'll stay behind that,” Hayes said. “She's a pleasure to do anything with and she even had a buck and a squeal going down–she had a go at me and went to drop the shoulder to get rid of me, but she is a little sweetheart and a funny character. The good ones normally are. She moved well on the ground and at the moment she's better than her sister because she's won her maiden at two and she's a Group 1 winner.”
Weld added, “It was an excellent renewal of the race. I was afraid it might just come a little soon in her career and I've always said what a beautiful filly she would be next spring. That's it for this year. There is tremendous stamina in the pedigree, brilliance and speed. We'll review it early next spring, but obviously one of the Classic trials possibly and then one of the Guineas, Irish, English or French, but that's a long way down the line.”
Princess Zahra Aga Khan was on hand to witness the exhilarating performance and commented, “For all of us on the breeding team to see this family produce another fantastic filly is a really great thing. To watch her do that, sort of all by herself, is just brilliant. Dermot had given him some very clear instructions, which Chris followed very well. It's been 100 years this year since my great grandfather bought the first foundation mares at Newmarket.”
Pedigree Notes
Tahiyra, who becomes the seventh Group 1 winner for her sire, is the third foal out of the Listed Oyster S. and Listed Martin Malony S. scorer Tarana (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) who was also third in the G3 Curragh Cup. Her aforementioned Tarnawa was her first foal and ended her career as a triple winner at this level including the Breeders' Cup Turf. The second dam Tarakala (Ire) (Dr Fong) took the Listed Galtres S. and was third in the G3 Noblesse S., while this is also the family of the G1 Prix Royal-Oak hero Tiraaz (Lear Fan) and the G1 Phoenix S. heroine Damson (Ire) (Entrepreneur {GB}). Tarana's yearling colt is by Frankel (GB), while she also has a filly foal by Lope De Vega (Ire).
Sunday, The Curragh, Ireland
MOYGLARE STUD S.-G1, €400,000, The Curragh, 9-11, 2yo, f, 7fT, 1:29.16, sf.
1–TAHIYRA (IRE), 128, f, 2, by Siyouni (Fr)
1st Dam: Tarana (Ire) (MSW & GSP-Ire, $141,525),
by Cape Cross (Ire)
2nd Dam: Tarakala (Ire), by Dr Fong
3rd Dam: Tarakana, by Shahrastani
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN, 1ST GROUP 1 WIN.
'TDN Rising Star'. O-H H Aga Khan; B-His Highness The Aga
Khan's Studs SC (IRE); T-Dermot Weld; J-Chris Hayes.
€240,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $254,573. *1/2 to
Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal), GISW-US, MG1SW-Fr, MGSW &
G1SP-Ire, $4,508,464. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Meditate (Ire), 128, f, 2, No Nay Never–Pembina (Ire), by
Dalakhani (Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (€360,000 Ylg '21
ARAUG). O-M Tabor/D Smith/Mrs J Magnier/Westerberg;
B-Lynch-Bages & Rhinestone Bloodstock (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien.
€80,000.
3–Eternal Silence, 128, f, 2, War Front–Princess Highway, by
Street Cry (Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. O/B-Moyglare Stud
Farm, Ltd (KY); T-Jessica Harrington. €40,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 4HF, 2. Odds: 3.30, Evens, 50.00.
Also Ran: Never Ending Story (Ire), La Dolce Vita (Ire), Papilio (Ire), Gan Teorainn (Ire), Thornbrook (Ire), Amazing Show (GB), Shelton (Ire), Lakota Sioux (Ire). Scratched: Sydneyarms Chelsea (Ire).
Tahiyra shows a serious turn of foot when asked to quicken only a furlong from home! Winner of the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes for @AgaKhanStuds pic.twitter.com/zhPVVZV0Fo
— TDN (@theTDN) September 11, 2022
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