By Sean Cronin
Coolmore and Westerberg's G2 Ribblesdale S. heroine Warm Heart (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}–Sea Siren {Aus}, by Fastnet Rock {Aus}) was unable to land a telling blow when fifth behind stablemate Savethelastdance (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in last month's G1 Irish Oaks and stepped out of the shadows to claim a career high in a thrilling renewal of Thursday's G1 Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks, becoming the 99th Group 1 winner for her sire.
The 9-1 chance, who had earlier outbobbed Irish Oaks runner-up and 'TDN Rising Star' Bluestocking (GB) (Camelot {GB}) in Newbury's May 20 Listed Fillies' Trial, settled into a comfortable rhythm racing four lengths off the searching tempo pounded out by Savethelastdance on the front end and inched closer once into the long home straight. Making her presence felt when looming large on the bridle approaching the quarter-mile marker, she seized a narrow advantage with 1 1/2 furlongs remaining as Free Wind (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) threatened out wide and was resolute under a James Doyle drive in the closing stages to outpoint that rival by a head in a thrilling ding-dong tussle. Savethelastdance stayed on gamely once headed and finished 2 1/4 lengths adrift in third, providing her sire with yet another Group 1 trifecta.
“She's a very good filly who won very well in Ascot and then she just got back in a slowly-run race [at the Curragh] and it was hard to make up ground,” said Aidan O'Brien after claiming a seventh success in the contest. “She loves fast ground, she's a very slick filly and I think she's probably made for the [GI Breeders' Cup] Filly & Mare Turf. She's a nice size to her, she's strong and has tactical speed as well. She could go straight there [to Santa Anita] or she could run on Irish Champions Weekend or Arc weekend, but she likes nice ground and maybe we shouldn't overface her. The lads do keep horses in training as 4-year-olds, including fillies, so I'd say they'll definitely think about it at the end of the year. She's progressing from run to run.”
Reflecting on the performance of Savethelastdance, the trainer added, “Ryan [Moore] wanted an even pace for his filly as she stays well. We were worried about the [faster] ground for her today. When the ground gets slow it helps her as it makes it tougher for the others, but she still ran a great race. She always runs her race, but she's better on soft ground. Whereas most horses struggle, she improves. She definitely could be an Arc filly as, on softish ground, she grows another leg. She has the choice of the St Leger or the Arc. If she ran in the St Leger the Arc comes up two weeks after that, so it's a little bit tight and she'd probably have to do one or the other. We'll probably give her an easy time now and see. We always felt she could be a filly for the Arc, especially if the ground got soft.”
It was a case of so near yet so far for rider Frankie Dettori after he was narrowly denied a Group 1 double at the meeting on his season-long lap of honour. “She's run a super race, but I couldn't get out when I wanted to. I had to wait an extra half-furlong and that meant James [Doyle] had all the momentum. I got to him, but I just wish I'd been able to get my filly rolling beforehand. That nine-pound [weight-for-age] pull just took its toll in the end. I think the pocket I got stuck in cost me.”
Ground conditions were a direct factor in Bluestocking's defeat, according to trainer Ralph Beckett. “She's just not quite as effective on that quicker ground as she is on slower ground and that's all it is,” he said. “She's run her race, she's run well and she's run through the line, but she's just not quite as good on quicker ground. Come the autumn, I'd like to think there will be a few nice targets for her.”
Galileo: In Numbers
With the victory of Warm Heart, the late Coolmore supremo Galileo sired his 99th individual Group 1 winner worldwide. A total of 44 of his top-level winners are fillies, with Warm Heart the 41st British Group 1 winner for her sire. He is also represented by 40 Irish winners of top-tier races, as well as 26 in France and 15 in America. His most decorated British runner is undoubtedly his undefeated champion son Frankel (GB), who garnered 10 Group 1 laurels.
From a distance perspective, Warm Heart joins 30 other top-level winners to have won between 11 furlongs and 12 furlongs, the most of any distance category for Galileo. However, he did sire Clemmie (Ire) to take the Cheveley Park S. over six furlongs. An additional 22 have prevailed at distances beyond one-and-a-half miles.
Warm Heart is also the second Group 1 winner out of a Fastnet Rock mare, joining Hong Kong Gold Cup and dual Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup hero Russian Emperor (Ire).
The majority of Galileo's Group 1 winners have done their best work as 3-year-olds (67), with 23 juvenile Group 1 winners to his credit and 38 have triumphed at the highest level at four.
Pedigree Notes
Warm Heart is the fifth of seven foals and one of four scorers produced by G1 Manikato S., G1 Doomben 10,000 and G1 BTC Cup heroine Sea Siren (Aus) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), herself kin to the pattern-race winners Oratorio (Aus) (Stravinsky) and Lady Dehere (NZ) (Dehere). The February-foaled bay, whose third dam is G1 Karrakatta Plate heroine Hold That Smile (Aus) (Haulpak {Aus}), is a full-sister to G3 Derrinstown Stud Fillies S. runner-up Celestial Object (Ire) and the winning 2-year-old colt Bremen (Ire). She is also kin to a yearling colt by Camelot (GB). Sea Siren has returned to Australia and just foaled a colt by Coolmore's Home Affairs (Aus) (I Am Invincible {Aus}).
Doesn't it WARM the HEART…
What a battle to the line in the Yorkshire Oaks… #EborFestival
— World Horse Racing (@WHR) August 24, 2023
Thursday, York, Britain
PERTEMPS NETWORK YORKSHIRE OAKS-G1, £500,000, York, 8-24, 3yo/up, f, 11f 188yT, 2:25.86, g/f.
1–WARM HEART (IRE), 126, f, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Sea Siren (Aus) (MG1SW-Aus, SW & MGSP-Ire, $1,743,772), by Fastnet Rock (Aus)
2nd Dam: Express A Smile (Aus), by Success Express
3rd Dam: Hold That Smile (Aus), by Haulpak (Aus)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor, D Smith & Westerberg; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-James Doyle. £283,550. Lifetime Record: 7-4-1-0, $603,423. *Full to Celestial Object (Ire), GSP-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Free Wind (Ire), 135, m, 5, Galileo (Ire)–Alive Alive Oh (GB), by Duke Of Marmalade (Ire). 1ST GROUP 1 BLACK TYPE. (325,000gns Ylg '19 TATOCT). O-George Strawbridge; B-Mrs Sue Ann Foley (IRE); T-John & Thady Gosden. £107,500.
3–Savethelastdance (Ire), 126, f, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Daddys Lil Darling, by Scat Daddy. O-Mrs J Magnier, M Tabor, D Smith & Westerberg; B-Daddys Lil Darling Syndicate (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. £53,800.
Margins: HD, 2 1/4, 1. Odds: 9.00, 5.00, 3.33.
Also Ran: Bluestocking (GB), Sea Silk Road (Ire), Stay Alert (GB), Novakai (GB), Poptronic (GB), Al Husn (Ire), Rosscarbery (Ger).
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