TWO Curragh classic winners and a Royal Ascot heroine head the entries for the Moyglare Jewels Blandford Stakes, one of three Group 2 races at next month’s Longines Irish Champions Weekend.
Strong entries for the main supporting races to the six Group 1 events at Leopardstown on Saturday, September 12th and at the Curragh on Sunday, September 13th, were released this afternoon and include 20 British-trained horses.
Topping the 53 entries for the Moyglare Jewels Blandford Stakes at the Curragh are Ger Lyons’ Juddmonte Irish Oaks winner Even So and the Aidan O'Brien-trained Peaceful, successful in the Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas.
Alpine Star who went so close to adding to her victory in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot when runner-up in the Prix De Diane Longines, with Peaceful in third place, at Chantilly heads a seven-strong entry for Jessica Harrington which includes Cayenne Pepper, runner-up to Even So in the Irish Oaks and Albigna.
Lyons has also entered Lemista who took the Group 2 Kilboy Estate Stakes at the Curragh last month and his recent Killarney maiden winner Thunder Kiss while Aidan O'Brien has put 15 horses in the race, among them his Oaks runner-up Ennistymon, Magic Wand and Fleeting.
Last year’s winner Tarnawa impressed on her first run of the season when accounting for Cayenne Pepper to win the Group 3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Give Thanks Stakes at Cork on Saturday and is among Dermot Weld’s entry of seven. Weld has won five of the last six renewals of the Moyglare Jewels Blandford Stakes.
British entries
There are seven British-trained entries in the race including the dual Meydan Group 2 winner Magic Lily for Charlie Appleby and Mark Johnston’s Rose Of Kildare, a three-time winner at Group 3 level.
Siskin entered
Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas winners Romanised and Siskin lead the way in the Group 2 Clipper Logistics Boomerang Mile at Leopardstown on Saturday, September 12th.
Romanised, the Irish Guineas winner in 2018 and successful in the Group 1 Jacques le Marois at Deauville last year, made a thoroughly impressive return to action when successful in the Group 2 Paddy Power Minstrel Stakes at the Curragh last month and has been entered by Ken Condon while Ger Lyons’s Siskin went on to finish third in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood since his Curragh win in June.
The Kevin Prendergast-trained Madhmoon is also among the 46 entries as are Aidan O'Brien’s Lope Y Fernandez, Lancaster House and Wichita, Jessica Harrington’s Ancient Spirit and the Paddy Twomey-trained Sonaiyla.
O'Meara's winner
The Group 1 winner Lord Glitters, trained by David O’Meara, is one of 12 British-trained entries for the race. Dark Vision, Duke Of Hazzard, Ostilio and Zakouski are all Group 2 winners and are also included in the potential raiding party.
Aidan O'Brien’s Battleground, successful at Royal Ascot and more recently at Goodwood, is among an exciting entry of 61 horses for Leopardstown’s Group 2 KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes. O’Brien dominates with 21 hopefuls but there is no shortage of opposition to the Ballydoyle battalion.
His sons Joseph and Donnacha are well represented and their early entries include the course winners Federal and Fernando Vichi. Sunday’s impressive Curragh winner Thunder Moon is also among Joseph’s entries.
Jessica Harrington has entered her nine-length Leopardstown maiden winner Cadillac and the Navan scorer Los Andes, Dermot Weld could call upon Galway Festival winner Blue For You and Ger Lyons has entered his Leopardstown winners Masen and Ides Of August. The Newmarket maiden winner Dhahabi could yet run for Charlie Appleby.
Pat Keogh, chief executive of the Curragh, commented: “The Moyglare Jewels Blandford Stakes has consistently attracted some of the very best fillies and mares in training and this year will be no exception. We are very grateful to Eva Maria Bucher Haefner and her team at Moyglare Stud for their continued support of this race which will be one of the highlights of a superb weekend of racing next month.”
Tim Husbands, CEO of Leopardstown Racecourse, said: “Once again, the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes and the Clipper Logistics Boomerang Mile have attracted strong entries, the calibre of horses that have ran in both these races in the past is of a very high standard and this year is no different.
"I would like to express our sincere gratitude to our sponsors KPMG and Clipper Logistics who are continuing to support these leading races despite the current challenging times. We look forward to what will be an exceptional Longines Irish Champions Weekend.”
Click here for the entries for the Moyglare "Jewels" Blandford Stakes