Moyglare Stud Stakes (Group 1)

SOME lofty reputations were dented in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes as Ronan Whelan seized his big-race opportunity for Ballydoyle with both hands to plunder the spoils on Precise.

A Cork maiden winner before landing the Group 3 Prestige Fillies’ Stakes at Goodwood (the very race in which jockey Wayne Lordan picked up a whip ban that ruled him out of this weekend), Aidan O’Brien’s rapidly-improving filly outstayed her rivals and found generously for pressure under a well-timed ride.

All the talk before this €400,000 event revolved around her stablemate, Debutante Stakes scorer Composing (strong in the market as even-money favourite), and Karl Burke’s unbeaten Royal Ascot/Prix Morny heroine Venetian Sun (slightly easier to back at 5/2 after concerns over slow ground). That top-of-the-market focus was fully understandable on form.

However, the Whisperview Trading-bred daughter of Starspangledbanner wasn’t in the mood to read the script expected by many, albeit she had some support in the market at 11/2 (from as big as 14/1 in the morning and 7/1 in the ring).

Composing, thought to be facing a headwind in front under Christophe Soumillon, touched 4/6 in-running when trying to seize the race but her effort petered out to see her finish only fourth. Meanwhile, Venetian Sun wasn’t given the freedom of the Curragh surrounds and raced in the middle of the bunch, flanked by the winner on her outer. It didn’t look to be the losing of the race, though, as her turn of foot didn’t seem as potent regardless.

That meant it was a pair of Ballydoyle second and third strings who fought out the finish, with Beautify (ridden by Dylan Browne McMonagle) failing by three-quarters of a length on her first try at seven furlongs after an 11-week break since beating Lady Iman in the Group 2 Airlie Stud Stakes. There was a further length and three quarters back to Venetian Sun in third, another head in front of Composing.

O’Brien, making it a record-extending 11th win in the Moyglare, said: “Precise is an improving filly. She had a lovely run the last day, came forward a lot. She’s a home-bred filly. There’s a strong headwind but Ronan had her in a lovely position and gave her a lovely ride.

Tactics edge

“It was probably tough out there making the running. Obviously they all couldn’t make it. Composing won while making the running her last couple of times and we didn’t want to change it too much. Dylan was there beside him nursing Beautify along and Ronan ended up with the perfect position, controlling the race where he was - but she quickened up very well.

“The winner is growing and maturing all the time. The Fillies’ Mile might look like an obvious option for her, we’ll see.”

Whelan, who only began to really develop an association with the Co Tipperary operation after winning on a chance ride aboard Grateful in the Group 3 Stanerra Stakes last year, savoured this return to Group 1-winning honours for the first time since A Case Of You’s 2022 Al Quoz Sprint success at Meydan.

This has been a fruitful race for the 32-year-old, having notched his first of four career Group 1s here back in 2018 aboard Patrick Prendergast’s Skitter Scatter.

“I know it’s a cliché but it’s not what you know, it’s who you know!” quipped Whelan.

“It’s great to be associated with this team. Any time you get the leg over, you know you always have a chance. I feel for Wayne Lordan. He probably should be here talking to you, but I’m very grateful for the opportunities. Wayne told me all about her, Ryan [Moore, currently injured] rang me this morning and couldn’t have filled me in any more. They’re just a great team to be associated with and everyone is out to help each other.”

On how the race unfolded, he added: “We didn’t jump as well as I’d have probably liked. She was a little bit sluggish but, being honest, the beauty about riding a second or third string is you can just let it happen a little bit more.

“I was happy the two boys were going to take me as far as I needed. Roger Quinlan rides her every day and he said to me that ideally, you wouldn’t be hitting the front too soon on her. So the way it played out, it couldn’t have worked out any better.”

Burke indicated that Venetian Sun won’t run again this season after her first defeat. Having generally been an 8/1 chance for next year’s 1000 Guineas prior to this, she was pushed out to between 12/1 and 16/1 after the Moyglare. Precise is now favourite, between 8/1 and 10/1 (from 33/1), for the Newmarket classic, while Beautify is 12/1 (from 14/1) and Composing is out to 20/1 (from 10/1).

“We’re obviously disappointed she didn’t win and she’s lost her unbeaten record but we learned a few things today and she definitely stayed the seven furlongs well,” Burke said.

“Clifford felt it’s the first time she had to race as tight as that, the winner was keeping us in from two furlongs out. They pulled out and got first run, while we took a little time to get going, which I was slightly surprised about. She is a sleepy horse in behind, that’s how she travels at home. We were beaten fair and square on the day.

“We’ll get her home and give her a nice rest now. We’ll make a decision then as to whether she goes for a trial or straight to the Guineas. Her pedigree suggests she’ll get better with age and I thought she looked great today.”