NEWS
O’Brien dominates with group
stakes sweep at Leopardstown
Posted: Saturday, September 04, 2010 3:36 PM
by Mike Curry
Cape Blanco’s dominant victory in the Tattersalls Millions Irish Champion Stakes (Ire-G1) provided the exclamation point to a banner Saturday at Leopardstown for Ballydoyle trainer Aidan O’Brien.
O’Brien won four of the eight races on the card and swept the three group stakes, including a Group 1 double with Cape Blanco and Lillie Langtry (Ire), winner of the Coolmore Fusaichi Pegasus Matron Stakes (Ire-G1) earlier on the card.
Cape Blanco proved his class in June with a win in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (Ire-G1) and entered the Irish Champion off a runner-up finish in Harbinger’s explosive 11-length romp in course record time in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Eng-G1) on July 24 at Ascot. He turned in a dominant performance in the Irish Champion Stakes, leading every step of the way for a facile 5 1/2-length score under Seamus Heffernan.
The chestnut Galileo (Ire) colt covered 1 1/4 miles in 2:03.89 on turf rated as good for his sixth win in eight starts for Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier, and Michael Tabor. Demi O’Byrne purchased him on behalf of his owners for $482,229 at the 2008 Goffs Millions September yearling sale.
"He's getting stronger all the time and there are plenty of options," O'Brien told Racing Post. "Although he won the Irish Derby, we always felt a strongly run mile-and-a-quarter race would suit him ideally."
O’Brien said he will look at the Emirates Airline Champion Stakes (Eng-G1) on October 16 at Newmarket, the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1) on October 3 at Longchamp, and the Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) on November 6 at Churchill Downs for Cape Blanco, who on Saturday earned an automatic starting spot in the Turf via the Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” series.
O’Brien recorded his record sixth win in the Irish Champion Stakes, passing legendary Ballydoyle master Vincent O’Brien, who won the race five times.
Cape Blanco opened the season with a dominant win in the Totesport.com Dante Stakes (Eng-G2) after an unbeaten campaign at two, and his only poor performance came on soft going in the Prix du Jockey Club (Fr-G1) (French Derby), in which he finished tenth of 22.
Murtagh rode Cape Blanco when he won the Irish Derby, but chased him home in the Irish Champion Stakes with stablemate and race favorite Rip Van Winkle (Ire), who edged multiple Group 1 winner Twice Over (GB) by a nose for second.
"[Cape Blanco is] a good horse,” Murtagh said. “He did everything right as a two-year-old and won the Dante and Irish Derby. Today, the way the race was ridden set it up for him. Seamie gave him a great ride and fair dues it was a top-class performance.”
Lillie Langtry (Ire) closed from last to first to win the Matron Stakes by a neck under Murtagh, covering one mile in 1:39.68 for her second win at the highest level.
The Danehill Dancer filly entered off a fifth-place finish in the Etihad Airways Falmouth Stakes (Eng-G1) on July 7 at Newmarket. Lillie Langtry turned the tables on Falmouth winner Music Show and runner-up Spacious, who finished third and second, respectively, in the Matron.
“Johnny gave her a masterful ride," O'Brien told Racing Post. "He let the race unfold in front of him and didn’t ask her to race until the last furlong and a half, the filly didn’t know she had a race.
"She’s always been very classy and determined. … Her next race will probably be something like the Prix de l’Opera [(Fr-G1) on October 3] in France.”
O’Brien also won the Kilternan Stakes (Ire-G3) with Await the Dawn, a three-year-old Giant’s Causeway colt, and kicked off the Leopardstown card with a victory by Juliet Capulet, by Holy Roman Emperor, in a maiden race for two-year-old fillies.
Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor
READER COMMENTS
|
|
|
Posted by: Bob, Richmond, VA on September 11, 2010 at 01:59 AM
KautoStar, I'm not hyping Twice Over. I'm hyping Cape Blanco. All year long this colt has lived in the shadow of how Workforce would crush him. Yet 2 times, Cape Blanco has outran Workforce. Then he goes to Leopardstown and beats, rather easily I might add, the top two finishers of the Juddmonte International. If there's any horse in the top 3 that's overhyped? It's Rip Van Winkle. The Juddmonte International is the only time he's not flopped after being over-hyped. He was going to come to Santa Anita and run Zenyatta off of her feet. Then, he finished so far back in the field that the lead pony almost caught him. LOL. At least Twice Over keeps finishing in the money. Even in races he's hasn't won. Since winning the 09' Champion Stakes. The Dubai World Cup has been his only bad effort. Rip, if memory serves, was 5th or 6th in the 2010 Queen Anne Stakes. Was about 11th in the Breeders Cup Classic. Was beaten by Canford Cliffs in this year's Sussex Stakes. So, IMO, when it comes to Twice Over and Rip Van Winkle. Rip's the overrated one.
Report Abuse 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted by: KautoStar, Cambridge, UK, NB on September 07, 2010 at 10:02 AM
Oh my God, are three of the posters below the same person? Because they all comment in the same way and with the same errors. Rip Van Winkle beat Twice Over by a measured half length, not a nose or head or anything like that. Twice Over is a dual Group 1 winner, who has never beaten anything like the quality of RVW at the top of his game. RVW will be seen to a better effect on a better surface, there was a fair bit of give in the ground on Saturday. Please guys, stop hyping TO. Just because he came third in the BCC to Zenyatta does not make him a wonder horse. Race him against any true Group 1 performer in form and he always loses.
Report Abuse
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted by: Bob, Richmond, VA on September 05, 2010 at 01:07 PM
Back on August 17th at York. Rip Van Winkle and Twice Over raced in the Juddmonte International Stakes against an all-star cast of multiple G1 winners. Rip Van Winkle just nosed out Twice Over for the win. Yesterday at Leopardstown, Ireland. Rip Van Winkle's stablemate. The 3yr.old Cape Blanco, totally destroyed Rip Van Winkle, Twice Over, Beethoven, Famous Name, and Sea Lord in the G1 Irish Champion Stakes. Single handedly trashing the Juddmonte International form. But Cape Blanco is not without merit himself. 8-6-1-0 lifetime. The 3yr.old Ballydoyle colt, has won as a 2yr.old the G3 Tyros Stakes and the G2 Futurity Stakes. And as a 3yr.old. Cape Blanco has won the G2 Dante Stakes, the G1 Irish Derby, ran 2nd in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, and now the G1 Irish Champion Stakes. Quite an impressive resume' by the son of Galileo. Cape Blanco's only out of money finish of his career came at Chantilly in France. When he ran a poor race, and was well beaten in the 2010 Prix Du Jockey Club(French Derby).
Report Abuse
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted by: Frank, New Orleans, LA on September 05, 2010 at 01:31 AM
Rip Van Winkle and Twice Over, back on August 17th, finished in a photo in the G1 Juddmonte International Stakes. With Rip Van Winkle winning. And Twice Over finishing 2nd. Today, Rip went to Leopardstown a heavy favorite. But someone forgot to tell 2010 Dante Stake winner, Irish Derby winner, and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes 2nd place finisher, Cape Blanco, that Rip was supposed to win the race. Cape Blanco bolted to the front as soon as the gates opened and never looked back. He ended up making Rip Van Winkle and Twice Over look like juvenile colts. One of the most impressive 10+ furlong wins in a major European G1 race, all done from the front end, that I've seen in 2010.
Report Abuse
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted by: John, Columbiaville, MI on September 04, 2010 at 09:55 PM
COOLMORE ONE WORLD ONE SOURCE. Thanks Eddy for the great tour you gave Pat and I in April
Report Abuse
|
|
|
|
|
|
