By Tom Frary
Carrying a five-pound penalty for her G1 Cheveley Park S. win in 2019, Stonethorn Stud Farms Limited's Millisle (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) made light of that burden to return to the winner's enclosure in style in Wednesday's G3 Yeomanstown Stud Ballyogan S. at Naas. On the front foot from the outset under Shane Foley, the 9-4 second favourite who was no match for Art Power (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the course-and-distance G3 Lacken S. last time took control passing halfway and drew away to score by four lengths from Pronouncement (Declaration of War), with Lady Penelope (Ire) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) 2 1/2 lengths back in third.
Successful in the five-furlong Listed Curragh S. in August and runner-up in the G3 Dick Poole Fillies' S. over an extra furlong at Salisbury early the next month, the bay had arrived at Newmarket in late September a 16-1 shot but belied those odds to put Raffle Prize (Ire) (Slade Power {Ire}) in her place in the Cheveley Park. Taking in the G1 1000 Guineas back there on her seasonal bow June 7, she was seventh tackling a mile before reverting to this trip to be fifth in the G1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot 12 days later. Forced to race against the burgeoning sprinting star Art Power on level weights due to her group 1 penalty, she beat everything else senseless in the July 4 Lacken only to find herself on the receiving end of a 2 1/2-length defeat. That race was run in 1:13.10 on yielding-to-soft and she was possibly more at home on this drier ground aided by a lead to halfway by the 13-8 favourite Forever In Dreams (Ire) (Dream Ahead). Finishing off strongly at the line, she recorded a time of 1:10.85 in this contest and showed she retains all her ability.
“She's a very good filly and was beaten by a very good horse last time,” her rider commented. “In fairness to her, we were training her all Spring to see if she would get a mile and trying to settle and relax her and get her to switch off. The Guineas was a non-event, but she showed today that she is a comfortable high cruiser back to what she is best at. She travelled and did everything like a good sprinter should and put the race to bed quickly. She's not really a five-furlong filly and Jessie [Harrington] has said that there is a race in France for her. There are all the travel restrictions, but if she has to go she has to go.”
Harrington added, “She's back on track. She was very good there and Shane said she's only really learning to sprint now. She was probably a bit ring-rusty the last two times having been trained for a mile earlier on. She got rolling, enjoyed it and quickened up well. We'll probably go to the Curragh now for the Phoenix Sprint, another group 3 and then we could go to France for the [G1 Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville]. It's just hard enough to find races for her. There are very few fillies races, that's the trouble, and she's probably not hardened enough to take on the elder sprinters yet. I think she will be in time, as I think she's a proper sprinter. I'd love to look at a group 1 towards the end of the season. She seems to go on any ground, it doesn't seem to worry her at all. Her dam went back in foal this year to Starspangledbanner aged 23. She had been retired, but they brought her back in out of the field.”
Millisle's dam Green Castle (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}) has produced nine winners and four black-type performers headed by the Listed Braveheart S. winner Ithoughtitwasover (Ire) (Hurricane Run {Ire}). Another was the listed-placed Greenisland (Ire) (Fasliyev), who is herself the dam of the Listed Prix Valleee d'Auge scorer Shamshon (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) and the Listed Feilden S. third Boerhan (GB) (Sea The Stars {Ire}), while Glenmayne (Ire) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) was third in the 14-furlong Listed Stanerra S.
The second dam is the listed winner Green Lucia (Green Dancer), who was also placed in the G1 Yorkshire Oaks and G1 Irish Oaks and is a half-sister to the dual Derby-winning sire Old Vic (GB). Her descendants include the G3 Matron S. winner and stakes producer Tadwiga (GB) (Fairy King), while the family also features the G1 2000 Guineas hero and leading sire High Top (Ire) and the talented Irish pattern-race sprinters Downforce (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) and Moon Unit (Ire) (Intikhab).
Wednesday, Naas, Ireland
YEOMANSTOWN STUD BALLYOGAN S.-G3, €50,000, Naas, 7-22, 3yo/up, f, 6fT, 1:10.85, gd.
1–MILLISLE (IRE), 131, f, 3, by Starspangledbanner (Aus)#tot">Starspangledbanner (Aus)
1st Dam: Green Castle (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire)
2nd Dam: Green Lucia, by Green Dancer
3rd Dam: Cockade (GB), by Derring-Do (GB)
O/B-Stonethorn Stud Farms Ltd (IRE); T-Jessica Harrington; J-Shane Foley. €30,000. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Eng, 9-4-3-0, $304,903. *1/2 to Ithoughtitwasover (Ire) (Hurricane Run {Ire}), SW-Eng, $121,297; Greenisland (Ire) (Fasliyev), MSP-Eng & SP-Ger; and Glenmayne (Ire) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}), SP-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Pronouncement, 126, f, 3, Declaration of War–Terrific Tiffany, by Strong Hope. ($60,000 RNA Wlg '17 KEENOV; $115,000 Ylg '18 KEESEP). O-Anthony Paul Smurfit; B-William Humphries (KY); T-Johnny Murtagh. €10,000.
3–Lady Penelope (Ire), 126, f, 3, Night of Thunder (Ire)–Step Sequence (GB), by Nayef. (€27,000 RNA Wlg '17 GOFNOV; £32,000 Ylg '18 GOUKPR; €45,000 RNA 2yo '19 ARQMA). O-Phoenix Thoroughbred Ltd; B-Kiltown Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Joseph O'Brien. €5,000.
Margins: 4, 2HF, HD. Odds: 2.25, 8.50, 7.50.
Also Ran: Precious Moments (Ire), Unforgetable (Ire), Back To Brussels (Ire), Forever In Dreams (Ire), Laurel Wreath (GB), Sunday Sweet (Ire), Lynn Britt Cabin (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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