Pleascach eyes Irish Derby after taking Curragh's 1000 Guineas

Pleascach eyes Irish Derby after taking Curragh's 1000

Guineas

Sent to Sunday's Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-G1) just 11 days after

winning the Blue Wind S. (Ire-G3) over a quarter-mile further at Naas, Pleascach

(Teofilo) justified the boldness of her breeder, owner and trainer Jim Bolger to

provide Coolcullen with another Curragh classic.

With a perfect pace scenario tracking a pair of her stable's lesser lights,

the 11-2 second favorite was in front from the quarter-pole and saw off the 5-4

crowd's choice, Found (Galileo), to prevail by a half-length. There was a brief

period of anxiety for Bolger, as the winner had to survive an inquiry into

possible interference to the runner-up in the finale.

"She spotted something and shifted left in the last 75 yards, but I wasn't

worried as the runner-up was a long way away from me," rider Kevin Manning

commented. "The pacemakers did a great job and I was able to do my own thing

with no one bothering me. It was a fast-run race at Naas and she had them all

stone- cold dead at the two pole there on ground she didn't like. I felt she

would come on for that and doesn't lack pace, as she's a very versatile filly.

She's won that well and I'd have no question about a mile and a half."

Fourth on a testing debut in the six-furlong Grangecon S. (Ire-G3) here last

June, Pleascach built on the obvious promise of that effort four days later when

readily besting the listed performer Simply a Star (Giant's Causeway) over an

extra furlong at Leopardstown. Splitting Bocca Baciata (Big Bad Bob) and the

subsequent Cheshire Oaks winner Diamondsandrubies (Fastnet Rock) when second in

the 10-furlong Salsabil S. at Navan April 18, the homebred stayed at that trip

for the Blue Wind and annihilated the smart Zannda (Azamour), who had previously

been a close second in Newmarket's Pretty Polly S.

While most would have pointed at the middle-distance classics after that Oaks

(Eng-G1) prep, Bolger has always thought outside the box and diverted her here

with the Irish forecast mainly dry for once. Although the ground came right for

Pleascach, the draw of 15 was unfavorable, and it a short took time for Manning

to organize her from that wide posting. Soon perfectly positioned in third, she

was provided with a genuine tempo set by the predetermined stable rabbit

Mainicin (Teofilo) and even enjoyed the unexpected additional help of fellow

barnmate Steip Amach (Vocalised) just ahead.

Left in front and there to be shot at from the quarter-pole, she saw off the

smooth-traveling Bocca Baciata first before having to battle harder as Ryan

Moore delivered Found inside the final furlong. Despite veering into that

rival's space late on, there was every chance for the hot favorite to claw her

back if she was able.

"It's very satisfying and a great day," Bolger said after the announcement

came from the officials that the result would stand. "It's hard to win any big

race in Ireland, but to win a classic with one of our own is the stuff that you

dream about and it doesn't happen very often. The ground was a big factor here

and the good ground was a requirement, even though she coped well when it was on

the soft side at Naas. We had a half-length to spare at the line and even with

drifting left, I don't think the runner-up had any chance of beating her."

Bolger is now eyeing an audacious tilt at the Irish Derby (Ire-G1) back at

this venue June 27.

"She's very likely to go straight there and then to the Irish Oaks ([Ire-G1]

July 18) after that," he said. "I've never run a filly in the Derby before, but

it has been won by a few fillies and she's probably the best one over a mile and

a half that I've had. She's better than most I've had.

"Entering her in the (Irish) Derby wasn't so much what I thought about her,

it was really what I thought about the colts, with all due respect to our

neighbors. We think she's very good -- she's right on that level with the colts.

She's explosive, just like her name."

Aidan O'Brien said of Found, "She got beaten, but ran a good race and it was

a big step up on the last day. It's now a case of whether she goes up to an Oaks

trip, but the lads will decide on that over the next few days. Jim's filly is

very good and she just got away from us and was gone."

Pleascach becomes the sixth Group 1 winner for the Bolger homebred Teofilo.

Bolger purchased Pleascach's dam, Toirneach (Toirneach), for $110,000 at

Keeneland September in 2006 through BBA Ireland and trained her to pair of wins.

Toirneach's third dam produced the dam of Spain (Thunder Gulch), and Toirneach

is therefore similarly bred to that dual Grade 1 winner. Pleascach is

Toirneach's third foal, and she has a two-year-old colt by Bolger sire Vocalised

named Brontide.

Also at the Curragh, O'Brien's hotpot Giovanni Canaletto (Galileo) was

overturned by the filly Curvy (Galileo) in the Gallinule S. (Ire-G3), likely

putting him out of the mix for Epsom.

Bred to be a classic contender, Curvy kept smart company at two but three

maiden starts yielded no better than a debut fourth placing, and it was not

until the fitting of cheekpieces on her sophomore bow that the half-sister to

Power began to transform. Having won a brace of 10-furlong handicaps at Navan

April 18 and May 17, the dark bay from the stable of the One Thousand Guineas

(Eng-G1) heroine Legatissimo (Danehill Dancer) moved forward again to upstage

the colts in this Derby (Eng-G1) trial.

Settled in second early tracking Prince Gagarin (Dubawi), she managed to

battle ahead of that rival passing the furlong pole as Ballydoyle's Epsom hope

Giovanni Canaletto was being wound up down the outer. As he bore down on her

nearing the line, Curvy pulled out extra to ward off his challenge and lead home

a Coolmore one-two that was not entirely expected beforehand.

"She was always a nice filly last year, but was big and weak and has been

progressive this season," trainer David Wachman said. "I always thought she

would be capable of this level and she is very straightforward, but pulls

herself up in front. She could go for the Ribblesdale S. ([Eng-G2] at Royal

Ascot June 18) and likes this ground."

O'Brien was not championing the Derby claims of Giovanni Canaletto

afterwards.

"It looked like Epsom might come a bit quick for him and maybe the best thing

might be to go to Royal Ascot or come back here for the Irish Derby, but there

is a lot to be decided."

In addition to her half-brother, Curvy has another Guineas winner in her

immediate family. Her dam is a half-sister to the dam of Two Thousand Guineas

(Eng-G1) scorer Footstepsinthesand and Phoenix S. (Ire-G1) winner Pedro the

Great.

Two years on from his defeat of Camelot in the Tattersalls Gold Cup (Ire-G1),

Al Kazeem (Dubawi) came full circle Sunday with a typically tenacious fourth

top-level success and first since returning from a failed spell at stud.

Runner-up to Cirrus des Aigles (Even Top) in the 10-furlong Prix Ganay

(Fr-G1) at Longchamp last time May 3, the seven-year-old started just minutes

after his Ganay conqueror had flopped uncharacteristically in the Prix d'Ispahan

(Fr-G1), but he proved that consistency is its own reward by upstaging a trio of

much younger rivals.

Settled in third by James Doyle early as Postponed (Dubawi) led, the bay was

asked to join the action as the ultimately disappointing The Grey Gatsby (Mastercraftsman)

tackled the longtime leader inside the last quarter-mile. As that 11-10 favorite

began to lose momentum, Al Kazeem muscled his way between the pair with a

furlong remaining and battled gamely as the closer, Fascinating Rock (Fastnet

Rock), launched his challenge out wide.

For Doyle, the win had a rare emotional depth coming on the horse that

provided his first in this category in 2013, and on whom he had captured the

Prince of Wales's S. (Eng-G1) and Eclipse (Eng-G1) in the same year before

upstaging him aboard Noble Mission in the Champion S. (Eng-G1) in October.

"He's done everything for me and standing here two years ago, it was a new

thing for me so I can't speak highly enough of the horse," he commented. "The

ground today was perfect. He doesn't need any jar in it and I just felt it was a

bit holding in France the other day and he got a bit stuck. He showed his class

and traveled so well and when I got a gap I knew he'd take a bit of beating. He

has even perhaps quickened up a bit these days -- at the three (pole) I was

cantering all over them."

Trainer Roger Charlton added, "He's amazing, looks amazing, is brave and all

you need in a good racehorse. I'm lucky to have one as good as that and to have

him back from stud. I'd say it's my proudest moment. As long as he's enjoying

himself, he'll keep going and one day I'm sure he'll go back to stud. It's a

great credit to his constitution that he never runs a bad race. He's never

looked at another filly and just gets on with his work.

"He'll probably go next for either the Hardwicke S. ([Eng-G2] June 20) or the

Prince of Wales's S. ([Eng-G1] June 17)  and as he's won a Group 1 here,

he'll probably go for the Prince of Wales's. A horse like him is good for

racing. Jumpers are around for a long time and having him has to be good for

racing."

Fascinating Rock's conditioner Dermot Weld said, "He ran the race of his life

and I'm very proud of him. If we'd got a drop of rain last night, I think he'd

have won as he just changed his legs once or twice in the last furlong and it's

cost him the race. He's a Group 1 horse and has always been so consistent."

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