New G1 Winner For Fastnet Rock At The Curragh

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Fastnet Rock’s relentless drive towards 100 stakes winners continued with another notable Group One victory for the champion sire at The Curragh in Ireland on Sunday.

An historic win by the 2YO filly Intricately (Fastnet Rock x Inner Realm by Galileo) in the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes took Fastnet Rock’s global tally of Group One winners to 24 and his total number of black type winners to 97.

She also gave her young trainer Joseph O’Brien, son of the Ballydoyle master Aiden O’Brien, his first G1 winner since he retired from a riding career and his younger jockey brother Donnacha his first G1 win since he began his career in the saddle.

“This means the world to me,” the winning trainer said. “It’s Donnacha’s first Group One and my mum bred her.

“You probably get a bigger kick out of training winners than riding them, as a lot more work goes into it.”

It was a huge weekend for Fastnet Rock after Zhukova (Fastnet Rock x Nightime, by Galileo) took the G3 Enterprise Stakes at Leopardstown and Rivet (Fastnet Rock x Starship by Galileo) won the G2 Champagne Stakes at Doncaster for the Australian son of Danehill.

Intricately, like Zhukova and Fastnet Rock’s 2015 G1 Oaks winner Qualify, carries the colours of Chantal Regalado-Gonzalez. The significance of Intricately, Zhukova and Rivet al being the result of the Fastnet Rock/Galileo cross will not go unnoticed by breeders in both hemipsheres.

Aiden O’Brien took second place with his Galileo filly Hydrangea, denying him an eighth win in the race. Rhododendron, another Galileo filly, was third.

Intricately’s dam Inner Realm is a half-sister to Coolmore’s champion miler and noted Danehill sire Rock Of Gibraltar. The immediate family includes G3 winner Precious Gem (Sadler’s Wells) and the dual G1 placed Fiero (Deep Impact).

Her third dam Push A Button is a half sister to the G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains winner and leading sire Riverman.

The family is connected to Australia as Push A Button is the second dam of the G3 Hobart Cup winner Offenbach (Danehill) and multiple G1 placed filly Glowlamp (Encosta de Lago).

• AIDEN O’Brien and Galileo had their own G1 moment when the strapping colt Churchill (Galileo x Meow by Storm Cat) won the G1 National Stakes.

His win provided the great Galileo with his 60th G1 winner and fourth winner of this race after Teofilo, New Approach and Gleneagles.

Churchill’s had previously won Royal Ascot’s Listed Chesham Stakes, the G3 Tyros Stakes at Leopardstown and the G2 Futurity at The Curragh.

His dam Meow was second in the G2 Queen Mary at Royal Ascot and is a half sister to the G1 Nunthorpe Stakes winner Jwala (Oasis Dream).

• MELBOURNE Cup entry Wicklow Brave (Beat Hollow x Moraine by Rainbow Quest) made all the running to score a shock victory in the G1 Irish St Leger at the Curragh on Sunday, beating the odds on favourite Order Of St George.

The Willie Mullins-trained Wicklow Brave, who had previously won two stakes over hurdles, provided his sire Beat Hollow (Sadler’s Wells) with his third G1 winner.

• DUBAWI filly Shamreen (Dubawi x Shareen by Bahri) took out G2 Blandford Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday, providing his champion sire with his 114th stakes winner.

Dubawi also had a new G1 winner on Sunday when the 3YO filly Left Hand (Dubawi x Balladeuse by Singspiel) won the G1 Prix Vermeille at Chantilly on Sunday.

The Carlos Laffon-Parias-trained filly, who finished second to the unbeaten La Cressonniere in the G1 Prix de Diane in June, is the 24th G1 winner by Dubawi.

• ARDHOOMEY (Dark Angel x Moy Joy by Orpen) won the G2 Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday, providing his sire with his 31st stakes winner.

• THE 5YO entire Vadamos (Monsun x Celebre Vadala by Peintre Celebre) provided his late sire with his 21st G1 winner in the G1 Prix du Moulin at Chantilly.

• DEEP Impact’s Japanese Derby winner Makahiki won the G2 Prix Niel at Chantilly on Sunday at his first start in France.

Makahiki (Deep Impact x Wikiwiki by French Deputy) was having his key trial for the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Rail Link was the last horse to complete the double in 2006.

The G2 Prix Foy, the other Arc trial at Chantilly, was won by the last start G1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud winner Silverwave (Silver Frost x Miss Bio by River Mist) for trainer Pascal Bary.

Sagace was the last horse to win the Prix Foy and the Arc in the same season in 1984.