La Collina powers to Group 1 victory

LA COLLINA gave Kevin Prendergast a victory to cherish as she claimed the Group 1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes with a near last to first charge under Declan McDonogh, lowering the colours of the hitherto unbeaten Power.

A fourth winner of this race for the trainer, and his first since Bradawn Breever scored some 20 years ago when the race was run at Leopardstown, the Joerg Vasicek-owned La Collina (by Strategic Prince) belied her position as the second longest-priced runner in the field at 33/1.

La Collina followed a fine debut win at Limerick two months ago with an excellent second to Maybe in the Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown last month. That form had been given an emphatic endorsement by Maybe’s exploits in the Debutante Stakes half an hour earlier.

“The intention would be to now head for the Moyglare Stud Stakes here at the end of the month. I’m just especially pleased for my old pal Frank Barry. He bred this filly and has been a very good friend to me for many years,” said a delighted Prendergast.

[La Collina finished third in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and at the age of four added her only other success in the Group 1 Matron Stakes at Leopardstown. She is the dam of two winners from her first three foals]

Maybe more to come

MAYBE’S position as one of the most exciting two-year-olds of the season was cemented in style as she ran out a dominant winner of a quality edition of the Keeneland Debutante Stakes.

The Group 2 contest was perhaps the best two-year-old fillies’ event run this season, and Maybe looked to face a tough task as she attempted to take her record to a perfect four wins from as many starts.

Following her success in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot and in last month’s Silver Flash Stakes, the Galileo filly headed the market at 5/4. She was ridden once more by Joseph O’Brien. At the line she was an easy two and a half-length winner over Yellow Rosebud, with Lightning Pearl a head back in third.

“We’re delighted with her and she will come back here at the end of the month for the Moyglare,” commented Aidan O’Brien.

[Maybe gained her fifth and final win in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes, and at three was placed in the Group 1 Qipco 1000 Guineas. She is the dam of Group 1 Racing Post Trophy and Group 1 Qipco 2000 Guineas winner Saxon Warrior, and two stakes-placed winners, with her first three named foals]

Banimpire’s star is rising

BANIMPIRE’S outstanding three-year-old campaign showed no signs of slackening off as Jim Bolger’s star filly recorded her fifth pattern race triumph of the season in the Keeneland Royal Whip Stakes.

The daughter of Holy Roman Emperor was only just denied in last month’s Irish Oaks and, on her return to Group 2 level, was sent off the 4/5 favourite to account for her five rivals. Ridden by Kevin Manning, and in trademark style, she responded well to launch a strong challenge on the outside, which carried her into the lead with over a furlong to run.

This was Banimpire’s ninth run of the season and her sixth success of the campaign, which began when she was third to Lolly For Dolly in the Park Express Stakes on the opening day of the turf season in March.

[Placed in the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera afterwards, Banimpire sold to Oceanic Bloodstock for €2.3 million at Goffs, where she had been purchased as a yearling for €52,000. She is the dam of a single winner to date]

Dancing Rain reigns in Germany

TRAINED in Newmarket by William Haggas, and perfectly ridden by Kieran Fallon, Dancing Rain made all the running to win the Henkel Preis der Diana-German Oaks at Düsseldorf on Sunday, and thus become the first foreign winner of the race in the modern era.

She had already won the English equivalent at Epsom but been slightly disappointing when only fifth at the Curragh. The race was also a great result for Irish bloodstock as the first three home are Irish-bred, and are in fact all by Coolmore stallions. The winner is by Danehill Dancer.

Dancing Rain is from a well-established Sangster family, and is very closely related to the Aidan O’Brien-trained Maybe, a big race winner the same day at the Curragh. She was bought at Goffs for her owners, the Taylor brothers, lawyers from London, by Liam Norris who acts as their racing manager.

She cost €200,000, money well spent as Dancing Rain has already won twice that amount, quite apart from her value as a broodmare. The Taylor’s intention is to start a high-class breeding operation and they could hardly have begun better, as Dancing Rain is only their second purchase.

[Dancing Rain went on to add the Group 2 Qipco Fillies and Mares’ Stakes at Ascot and in 2013 she sold at Tattersalls for 4,000,000gns. Three of her first four foals are winners, two are stakes winners, and they are Group 2 winner and Group 1 placed Magic Lily, and the listed winner and Group 1 placed Jalmoud]

Cloud is out of the ordinary

FREDDY Head said before Moonlight Cloud took on the colts in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere last October that he felt she was something out of the ordinary, and how right he has been proved following the filly’s brilliant victory in last Sunday’s Prix Maurice de Gheest-Goldikova at Deauville.

Owned and bred by George Strawbridge, the daughter of Invincible Spirit stormed home four lengths clear of the Golden Jubilee Stakes winner Society Rock, with Marchand D’Or close up third and inches in front of Genki.

Moonlight Cloud was the first three-year-old filly to win the event since it was made a Group 1 in 1995. It was yet another important success for the 44-year-old Thierry Jarnet, but he really did not have much to do on board the winner.

[This was the first of six Group 1 wins for Moonlight Cloud, and the first of her three wins in the Prix Maurice de Gheest-Goldikova. She also won the Prix de la Foret, the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp and the Prix Jacques Le Marois. None of her runners to date have won or been placed]