By Christina Bossinakis
LEXINGTON, KY — There are few partnerships that have been as productive or have been firing more live ammunition during the Breeders' Cup thus far than the Coolmore group, Aidan O'Brien and jockey Ryan Moore. Following a pair of championship victories Friday, the triumvirate came right back on Breeders' Cup Saturday to annex the GI Maker's Mark Filly & Mare Turf with the impeccably bred Tuesday (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who closed with a flourish to best dual Grade I winner In Italian (Dubawi {Ire}).
The victory is the first in the race for O'Brien, who now has 16 World Championship victories, and the second for Moore, who won the 2013 running aboard Dank (GB). With Saturday's victory, Moore has 12 Breeders' Cup wins.
It was clear that Coolmore meant business in this year's renewal of the 1 3/16th race, also offering up G1 Prix Saint Alary scorer Above The Curve (American Pharoah), trained by O'Brien's son Joseph, and the diminutive Toy (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), runner-up in this season's G1 Juddmonte Irish Oaks for the elder O'Brien. The most fancied of the trio at 4-1, Tuesday was being reunited with Moore, who had been aboard for her G1 Cazoo Oaks victory in June, but was absent for her two latest off-the-board finishes in Group 1 company in France earlier this fall. Taking much of the play at the windows at 5-2, however, was Nashwa (GB) (Frankel {GB}), victorious in both the G1 Prix de Diane at Chantilly and Goodwood's G1 Nassau S. and narrowly beaten in second most recently in the Oct. 2 G1 Prix de l'Opera.
Tuesday was shuffled back into seventh as In Italian assumed her customary place at the head of affairs through a sharp opening quarter in :22.82 before slowing things down a hair to a more sensible :46.38 half. With In Italian still moving comfortably up front, Tuesday began to pick up the tempo exiting that backstretch. With a pair of longshots briefly looming as the pacesetter turned for home, Tuesday cut into the leader's diminishing advantage, collared her in the final sixteenth and was a length clear at the wire. 'TDN Rising Star' Lady Speightspeare (Speightstown), who challenged In Italian at the head of the stretch, finished a half-length back of In Italian in third and two lengths in front of the favored Nashwa.
“The race was very straight forward,” said Moore. “Pace was strong and even. She was in a good rhythm. I was always confident and finished up very well. Aidan [O'Brien] had her in an unbelievable place today. The horse has been magnificent and has been most of year. She has bounced back.”
Following her Oaks victory, the daughter of dual Group 1 winning Lillie Langtry (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) was fourth in the G1 Irish Derby at the Curragh before getting a brief freshening. A length back of subsequent Arc heroine Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in G1 Yorkshire Oaks Aug. 18, Tuesday ran fourth in the G1 Prix Vermeille before finishing sixth in the Prix de l'Opera.
“It's incredible for everyone that's involved in the whole place,” said O'Brien. “She's a filly that won the [Epsom] Oaks when she was barely three and we were conscious of that, so we let her dally through the rest of the year. We had our eye on this race for her. She's an amazing filly from an unbelievable pedigree as well. Totally 100% homebred which makes this incredible and a privilege for us. Ryan [Moore] gave her a stunning ride.”
As for the beaten favorite, trainer John Gosden explained, “Obviously, we were a little slow way from the gate, and lost the benefit of our post position. We got a little bit too far back on what is a fast track with a tailwind. Then pinned down on the inside, couldn't get out. Finally got out and the race was over but she was running on very well there. It would be sharp enough for her, this distance. She's a grand filly and we'll be looking at next year with her.”
Pedigree Note:
Tuesday, a Coolmore homebred, offers a pedigree is as good as anything that can be found in racing. By pre-eminent international sire Galileo, the sophomore filly is a daughter of English Highweight Lillie Langtry, winner of the 2010 G1 Coronation S. and GI Matron S. Also campaigned by Coolmore, Lillie Langtry has proven prolific as a broodmare, having produced highweight middle distance mare and dual Group 1 winner Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), G1 Irish 1000 Guineas victress Empress Josephine (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Group 3 scorer Kissed By Angels (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Her last reported foal is a juvenile full sister to Tuesday named Delightful (Ire).
Saturday, Keeneland
MAKER'S MARK BREEDERS' CUP FILLY AND MARE TURF-GI, $1,840,000, Keeneland, 11-5, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 3/16mT, 1:51.88, fm.
1–TUESDAY (IRE), 120, f, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Lillie Langtry (Ire) (Hwt. 3yo Filly-Eng at 7-9 1/2f, G1SW-Eng & Ire, $1,361,940), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
2nd Dam: Hoity Toity (GB), by Darshaan (GB)
3rd Dam: Hiwaayati (GB), by Shadeed
O-Westerberg Limited, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael B. Tabor
and Derrick Smith; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan P. O'Brien;
J-Ryan L Moore. $1,040,000. Lifetime Record: G1SW-Eng, G1SP-Ire,
10-3-3-1, $1,828,827. *Full to Kissed By Angels (Ire), GSW-Ire; Empress
Josephine (Ire), G1SW-Ire, GISP-USA, $366,222; Minding (Ire),
Hwt. 2yo Filly-Eur & Ire, Hwt. 3yo-Eur, Eng & Ire at 7-9.5f, Hwt.
Older Mare-Eur & Ire at 9.5-11f, MG1SW-Eng & Ire,
$3,213,340. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for
the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com
catalogue-style pedigree.
2–In Italian (GB), 124, f, 4, by Dubawi (Ire)
1st Dam: Florentina (Aus) (GSW-Aus, $250,958), by Redoute's Choice (Aus)
2nd Dam: Celebria (Aus), by Peintre Celebre
3rd Dam: Twyla (Aus), by Danehill
(475,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Peter M.
Brant; B-Fairway Thoroughbreds (GB); T-Chad C. Brown.
$340,000.
3–Lady Speightspeare, 124, f, 4, by Speightstown
1st Dam: Lady Shakespeare (MGSW-USA, SW-Can,
$495,608), by Theatrical (Ire)
2nd Dam: Lady Shirl, by That's a Nice
3rd Dam: Canonization, by Native Heritage
'TDN Rising Star'. O/B-Charles E. Fipke (KY); T-Roger L. Attfield.
$180,000.
Margins: 1, HF, 2. Odds: 4.19, 2.96, 32.12.
Also Ran: Nashwa (GB), Moira, Mise En Scene (GB), Above the Curve, Virginia Joy (Ger), Toy (Ire), Family Way, Rougir (Fr), Going to Vegas.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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