Sunday Curragh review including Native Trail, Discoveries and Romantic Proposal
By Sporting Life
17:57 · SUN September 12, 2021
A review of the action from the Curragh on Sunday including top-class wins for Romantic Proposal, Native Trail and Discoveries.
Native remains a National treasure
Native Trail rocketed to 2000 Guineas favouritism as he maintained his unbeaten record with a brilliant victory in the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes, giving trainer Charlie Appleby a third win in the Curragh showpiece.
Previously successful in the Group One contest with Quorto (2019) and the brilliant Pinatubo (2020), the Moulton Paddocks handler – on the mark 24 hours earlier with Hurricane Lane in the St Leger at Doncaster – sent another high-class juvenile across the Irish Sea in search of top-level honours.
A son of Oasis Dream, the Superlative Stakes winner faced a far from straightforward task, with the Aidan O’Brien-trained Point Lonsdale the 8/13 favourite to make it five from five, and Hugo Palmer’s Ebro River bidding to follow up success in last month’s Phoenix Stakes.
William Buick had to nudge Native Trail (7/2) into contention with a couple of furlongs to run – but he really found top gear late on.
Point Lonsdale did his best to make a race of it, but Appleby’s ace was three and a half lengths clear of the odds-on shot at the line, with Ebro River close up in third.
Paddy Power and Betfair make Native Trail their 5/1 favourite (from 10/1) for next year’s Guineas, with Sky Bet going 4/1.
Appleby said: “This is a route we’ve taken with Pinatubo and Quorto before him – and it was always our plan immediately after the Superlative to come here with this horse.
“People ask ‘why don’t you look at the Champagne Stakes’ (at Doncaster), but I didn’t feel carrying a penalty there on softer conditions was potentially going to suit him.
“I think this is a great race and an indicator to the Dewhurst. It’s a Group One and a great weekend to be involved in.
“To have another winner of the National Stakes is very satisfying.”
He added: “He’s an interesting horse to be around. I took him to Newmarket a couple of weeks ago and if you’d asked me there if we’d have been winning a National Stakes, I might have been sat on the fence slightly.
“Full credit to the team at home. We definitely felt the horse had come forward for that gallop and we changed a bit of equipment on him today.
“William said he’s still so green and it felt like he was going down to the start on a maiden.
“He gave him a shove early doors to get up the revs, but I knew with two furlongs to go the one thing this horse was going to do was gallop out strong.
“I’d say we’ll go straight to the Dewhurst. I don’t know if he’s quite got the head for a Breeders’ Cup yet.”
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Romantic ending to Flying Five
Romantic Proposal, trained by Eddie Lynam, defied odds of 16/1 to win the Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes.
In a one-two for Ireland, the filly came with a late run under Chris Hayes to beat Ado McGuinness' A Case Of You who went off at 33/1.
Winter Power set a furious pace for much of the way, but her challenge ultimately ended pretty tamely.
Dragon Symbol and Glass Slippers both looked dangerous racing inside the final furlong, but Romantic Proposal finished best to score by half a length, with last year's winner Glass Slippers third and well-backed 5/2 favourite Dragon Symbol fourth.
Lynam said: “She’d been progressing and has just kept on improving.
“Amy, my daughter, bought her as foal. I always believed that the way the filly was improving, she was capable of running a big race.
“I thought it would go to England, to be honest, but she did everything great.
“I think it’s six years since I’ve had a Group One winner. It’s nice to have another one.
“I’ve only 30 horses, so we’re smaller now – but the team work very hard, and we’re still passionate about it.
“Days like today are great.”
Sky Bet reacted by making Romantic Proposal 12/1 from 40/1 for the Champion Sprint Stakes at Ascot next month.
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Discoveries follows in family hoofprints
Discoveries provided Jessica Harrington and Shane Foley with yet another Irish Champions Weekend success in the Moyglare Stud Stakes.
Harrington and Foley teamed up for a treble at Leopardstown on Saturday, highlighted by the Group One victory of No Speak Alexander in the Matron Stakes.
Discoveries was sent off at 17/2 to emulate her, having finished third behind the reopposing Agartha in the Debutante Stakes over the course and distance just three weeks ago.
Agartha looked likely to follow up after seeing off a number of challengers, but she was unable to resist the late surge of Discoveries, with three-quarters of a length separating them at the line.
Harrington said: “To win two Group Ones this weekend is just something else.
“She’s a lovely filly. She’s completely different to her full-sister Alpha Centauri, who was a big grey. This filly has done a lot of growing and has a lovely temperament – she’s not as feisty as Alpha.
“Her half-sister Alpine Star was different again. How can I be so lucky to have three fillies out of the same mare that have all won Group Ones?
“This filly was green first time she ran and then she won her maiden. We hoped she’d win the Alpha Centauri Debutante, but the ground came up soft that day and she goes on top of the ground.”
Foley said: “I don’t want this weekend to end, it’s been phenomenal.
“I thought I’d get close to Declan (McDonogh, on Agartha) today as I was riding her a bit different on a bit of better ground. The plan was to sit closer to them and she was well drawn in stall eight as she likes a bit of room.
“She is a very, very good filly, there was no hiding place today and I knew she had stepped forward from the Debutante. She was quite green still and had never gone that fast in her life.”
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Coco nails Love on the line
La Petite Coco just got up in a head-bobbing finish to beat Love by the narrowest of margins in the Moyglare "Jewels" Blanford Stakes.
Paddy Twomey's three-year-old filly came into the Group Two event on the back of wins at Killarney and Cork and she, along with the rest of the field, looked to be playing for second when Ryan Moore stole a march on Love approaching the two-furlong marker.
Love stuck on gamely by the far rail but La Petite Coco bridged the gap inside the final half-furlong and with Billy Lee all out on the daughter of Ruler Of The World, the 16/5 chance just claimed the win by a short-head.
There were three lengths back to the third horse, 7/2 shot Thunder Nights.
Paddy Power and Betfair reacted by cutting the winner to 9/2 from 12/1 for the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot next month.
Twomey said: "We hoped coming here that she might do something like that, the worries were the quicker ground and dropping in trip. I had a plan mapped out in my head and this was it. I hadn't thought Love would turn up by I didn't want to change plans.
"I said I think she's good and good enough to take Love on. I thought she was beaten passing the line.
"Since the day she walked in the gates she's been good, although she doesn't show a lot at home.
“The plan has been to go to Ascot (on Champions Day) for the fillies’ and mares’ race and I think a mile and a half is really her thing, not a mile and a quarter."
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Bold performance from Big Gossey
Big Gossey won the Irish Stallion Farms EBF "Bold Lad" Sprint Handicap for trainer Charles O'Brien and jockey Michael Hussey.
Breaking from stall five, the 33/1 outsider gradually worked his way over to the centre, before ending up nearer the stands' side, and found plenty for pressure to hold on by three-quarters of a length from runner-up Arnhem (18/1) who was never far from the early pace and challenged right down by the rail.
Hightimeyouwon (7/1) and Gulliver (18/1) were third and fourth respectively, with Master Matt back in fifth at 20/1.
Winning jockey Hussey said: "That was sweet, he picked up well as I was in front a bit too early but he's toughed it out.
"He has plenty of speed, it was just a bit of a battle with the stalls as the last twice he's been rearing up, thankfully today he was perfect. He's done everything right.
"It's great to have a big winner, Charles has done a great job with him and I'm friends with the owner so it's a brilliant day."
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King X J justified significant market support with victory in the Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sale Stakes.
Michael O’Callaghan’s juvenile was only seventh on his racecourse introduction at the Curragh three weeks ago, but was a well-backed 11/4 chance for this 300,000 euro contest.
British raider Cashew was in front for much of the race, but King X J powered home under Leigh Roche to win going away.
Roche said: “The only concern coming up here was the trip. He’s a seven-furlong/mile horse, but he has a bit of class – I’d say he’s going to be very good.
“He improved plenty from his first run and the nicer ground today helped him.”
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