2006
DYLAN Thomas thrust himself to the very highest reaches of European racing with a performance of genuine class and courage when taking the Baileys Irish Champion Stakes.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained colt faced a daunting task against the exceptional mares Ouija Board and Alexander Goldrun, but he struck a notable blow for the classic generation under Kieren Fallon. The brilliant Irish Derby winner came into the €1 million Group 1 contest looking to erase the memory of a below-par run in the Juddmonte International.
Dylan Thomas was sent off the 13/8 favourite to see off his four rivals, and was content to look on from second as stablemate cut out a steady pace. Shortly after turning in, Fallon sent his mount on, but no sooner had he done so than Ouija Board moved upsides, and then went a neck clear.
The latter gave her all in her bid for a seventh Group 1 success, but Dylan Thomas proved an irresistible force and regained the initiative close home for a neck success. The brave Alexander Goldrun was a further two and a half lengths back in third.
Aidan O’Brien was winning the race for the fourth time. He said: “What can I say? He’s a horse with a big heart, and a lot of class.”
[In 2007 Dylan Thomas added a second triumph in the Leopardstown feature, as well as winning the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Prix Ganay and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
At stud he has sired the Group 1 flat winners Blazing Speed, Dylan Mouth, Final Score, Ladies First, Nightflower, Nymphea, Penn Rose, Pether’s Moon and Tannery. He is broodmare sire of classic hero and three-time Group 1 winner Persian King, leading 2021 juvenile Agartha, last year’s UAE 1000 Guineas winner Dubai Love, this year’s Group 3 winner Exoboom, the 2021 Ebor Handicap winner Sonnyboyliston, and Group 2 Queen’s Vase winner Dashing Willoughby]
Evie leaves her rivals Red-faced
2006
TWELVE months on from seeing Motivator edged out in the Irish Champion Stakes, Michael Bell sent out his first Leopardstown winner as the remarkable Red Evie notched up her seventh straight victory when winning the Coolmore Fusaichi Pegasus Matron Stakes.
Successful in a Yarmouth maiden back in April, the daughter of Intikhab has gotten better with every race, and made a seamless transition from Group 3 class to the highest level, in a race dominated by a powerful English challenge that filled the first four places.
Red Evie (6/1), whose rating of 108 left her with something to find against several of her compatriots, was settled towards the rear by Jamie Spencer in a race run at a steady pace.
At the furlong pole victory looked assured, but the Terry Neill-owned filly had to survive a late scare as the Lockinge heroine Peeress stormed home on the outside to get within a short head.
“She is an amazing filly and just doesn’t know how to get beat,” observed Bell. “She has kept improving this year and is a joy to train. She has now won in every month of the season apart from July.”
[Red Evie landed a second Group 1 success at four, winning the Lockinge Stakes, and she was runner-up in the Matron Stakes. She failed to sell for a million guineas at the Tattersalls December Sale, but was subsequently acquired by Coolmore.
She is now one of the best broodmares in the world, being the dam of seven winners from her first eight foals, four of them group winners, The best of her progeny is the exceptional Found, winner of the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Prix Marcel Boussac and Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf, Her first foal is Group 2 winner and Group 1-placed Battleground.
Red Evie’s Group 3 winning daughter Best In The World is the dam, with her first foal, of the triple Group 1 and dual classic winner Snowfall]
So defeats Snow in terrific duel
2011
HE duly justified his position as the red-hot favourite, but So You Think had to draw upon not only his unquestionable class but significant reserves of courage and determination to fend off a peak-form Snow Fairy in the Red Mills Irish Champion Stakes.
Following an already successful European campaign which saw him defeat Workforce in the Eclipse Stakes on his most recent start, the iconic Australian champion was returned at 1/4 under Seamus Heffernan.
Snow Fairy, who had carried all before her in Europe and the Far East last season, was produced in the form of her life by Ed Dunlop, and she played a pivotal role in a thrilling spectacle.
So You Think looked on from second for much of the race, as the Irish 2000 Guineas winner Roderic O’Connor cut out the running. Shortly after turning in, the favourite cruised to the front but Snow Fairy had his every move covered. After travelling strongly up to this point, So You Think had to dig deep to repel the dual Oaks winner.
To his credit, So You Think refused to yield and rallied to Heffernan’s call. The pair were six lengths clear of Famous Name, who in turn finished four lengths ahead of Dunboyne Express. “He’s just a great horse and I’m delighted with him,” said O’Brien, who was winning the race for the seventh time. He added: “He’s an incredible horse, a unique thoroughbred, and it’s a privilege to train him.”
[Australia’s champion three-year-old, So You Think won five Group 1 races down under. In Europe he won another five, including the Tattersalls Gold Cup twice, the Prince of Wales’s Stakes and the Eclipse Stakes.
At stud he is sire of the Group 1 winners D’Argento, Inference, La Diosa, Nakeeta Jane, Quick Thinker (2020), Sopressa and Think It Over (2021)]
Emulous impresses and is a first for Weld
2011
EMULOUS made her first try at the highest level a winning one, and gave Dermot Weld his first Group 1 triumph at Leopardstown, as she disposed of a quality field in style in the Coolmore Fusaichi Pegasus Matron Stakes.
The Khalid Abdullah-owned filly was pitted against the multiple Group 1 scorer Misty For Me and the dual 1000 Guineas runner-up Together, but she made short work of those rivals to continue her impressive progress through the ranks. The four-year-old is quickly developing into one of the top fillies in Europe.
A smooth winner of two Group 3 contests coming into this event, Emulous was given a very patient ride by Pat Smullen, who was more than happy to bide his time at the rear of the field for much of this mile contest.
“She had won three Group 3s before today, and I was very happy that she was up to competing at this level,” reported Weld, who was sending out his first Group 1 winner for the owner. “Races at this level are hard to win, especially prestigious ones like this, but she’s been getting better with every run this year, and I was hoping that she would take a lot of beating.”
[Emulous has yet to make her mark as a broodmare, two of her first four foals being minor winners. She has a yearling filly by Camelot and a colt foal by Showcasing]