By Sean Cronin
Cliffs of Moher (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) was afflicted by stage fright when a staying-on fifth in his Oct. 15 Cork debut and gained a 'TDN Rising Star' tag when blistering to an impressive 5 1/2-length maiden success going seven furlongs at Leopardstown two weeks later, hitting the wire .72 seconds quicker than subsequent G2 Sandown Mile victor Sovereign Debt (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) did in the same card's Listed Knockaire S. for older horses. Hammered into favouritism for this eagerly awaited sophomore return, a well-regarded Epsom Derby Trial, he justified odds-on support with an ultimately comfortable first black-type triumph in his first try at this trip. The bay was trapped wide initially, breaking from an outer gate, and found a smooth slot stalking the pace in second after passing the judge first time. Coming under pressure as leader Max Zorin (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) held firm on the front end inside the last half mile, he was driven along to challenge approaching the final eighth and, warming to his task late on, ran on strongly to safely hold the running-on Bay of Poets (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) for a career high. “He came out a bit slow and raced sleepy the whole way, but he was always just having a look,” explained rider Ryan Moore. “It's loose ground and not ideal for him, it's his first run and he was a little bit rusty, but we're very happy with him.” Coolmore's Paul Smith added, “Aidan [O'Brien] told us he was just ready to start and that he'd come on a lot for the run. Ryan [Moore] thought that too and he's very happy with him. He'll have learnt a lot coming here, he was learning his trade as he was going along and he'll improve a lot.” Teddy Grimthorpe was satisfied with the performance of Mirage Dancer (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who caught the eye with a late flourish to finish fourth, and said, “He didn't quite get the run of the race. He was tucked in behind horses and every time he tried to get somewhere he couldn't. He's a long-striding horse, who needs to stretch, and he just didn't get that opportunity. When he did get a bit of space, he galloped on and galloped out really well. It was a good learning curve for him.”
HOMESERVE DEE S.-Listed, £75,000, CHE, 5-12, 3yo, c/g, 10f 70yT, 2:10.85, gd.
1–#CLIFFS OF MOHER (IRE), 126, c, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Wave (Ire), by Dansili (GB)
2nd Dam: Queen Cleopatra (Ire), by Kingmambo
3rd Dam: Sequoyah (Ire), by Sadler's Wells
O-Susan Magnier; B-Wave Syndicate (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £42,533. Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $66,158.
2–Bay of Poets (Ire), 126, c, 3, Lope de Vega (Ire)–Bristol Bay (Ire), by Montjeu (Ire). (€190,000 Wlg '14 GOFNOV; 400,000gns Ylg '15 TATOCT). O-Godolphin; B-Ammerland Verwaltung GmbH & Co KG (IRE); T-Charlie Appleby. £16,125.
3–Max Zorin (Ire), 126, g, 3, Cape Cross (Ire)–My (GB), by King's Best. (€21,000 Wlg '14 GOFNOV; 37,000gns RNA Ylg '15 TAOCT). O-Chelsea Thoroughbreds – Pegasus; B-Tinnakill, M Sadlier & A Byrne (IRE); T-Andrew Balding. £8,070.
Margins: 1HF, 3/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 0.80, 5.00, 25.00.
Also Ran: Mirage Dancer (GB), Al Hamdany (Ire), Star of Rory (Ire), Fujaira Bridge (Ire), Majeste (GB). Scratched: Apex King (Ire).
Cliffs of Moher is the sole racing representative and first stakes scorer out of a winning daughter of GSW G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and G1 Prix de Diane third Queen Cleopatra (Ire) (Kingmambo), herself a full-sister to MG1SW sire Henrythenavigator. His third dam is G1 Moyglare Stud S. victress Sequoyah (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), who is a full-sister to G1 Fillies' Mile-winning highweight Listen (Ire) (Sadler's Wells), who in turn is the dam of GSW G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup third Touching Speed (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). Cliffs of Moher is full to a 2-year-old filly, named A Long Time Ago (Ire), and a yearling colt. Click for the Racing Post result. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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