By Tom Frary
There were several high-class formlines intertwined in Saturday's G1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park S., but it was York's G2 Lowther S. which stood tallest as Evie Stockwell's TDN Rising Star Fairyland (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) again denied The Mackem Bullet (Ire) (Society Rock {Ire}) as she had in that Aug. 23 contest. Bringing up a quickfire pattern-race double for Aidan and Donnacha O'Brien on the day, the 6-1 shot tracked the pace closely in third racing with her usual straightforward manner before being committed on the front end approaching the furlong pole. Pressed hard up the rising ground by Katsumi Yoshida's recent acquisition The Mackem Bullet, there was a neck between the pair this time as opposed to the pixel that separated them in the Lowther, with a half length back to Ballydoyle's other TDN Rising Star So Perfect (Scat Daddy) in third. The G1 Prix Morny heroine Pretty Pollyanna (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) was backed into 6-4 favouritism, but was keen under Silvestre de Sousa's early restraint and looked in need of further than this six-furlong trip as she stayed on into fourth, a further length away. “She's a very good filly–a proper six-furlong filly,” Donnacha said of the winner. “She broke smart and was a little bit keen for the first furlong or furlong and a half but then settled and I probably got there too soon. She toughed it out once she got a bit of pressure. She could get a mile, but it's hard to say as she has plenty of pace.”
Fairyland beat the subsequent listed-placed and States-bound Mintd (Ire) (Olympic Glory {Ire}) decisively on debut over this trip at Naas May 7 before leading home her stable's colts Van Beethoven (Scat Daddy) and Land Force (Ire) (No Nay Never) in the Listed Marble Hill S. at The Curragh 19 days later. Sent to Royal Ascot for the June 22 G3 Albany S., the bay beat everything on the far side but had to give best overall to Main Edition (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and La Pelosa (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) as Angel's Hideaway (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Pretty Pollyanna ended up in arrears. With the stable reportedly wracked by a virus, she was kept back until York's Ebor meeting which marked the beginning of the yard's comeback and despite needing the re-entry was still able to gain as slender an advantage over The Mackem Bullet as is possible in the Lowther.
With the first two racing well away from her at the Royal meeting, it could be argued that she came into this prestigious test with a 100 per-cent record whenever she had encountered close-up rivalry and as soon as she was placed on the front foot by Donnacha with Pretty Pollyanna on the backfoot after the first two furlongs the early portents were strong for her. With the G3 Prix de Cabourg winner Comedy (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) kept honest by the Sept. 16 G1 Moyglare S. runner-up Lady Kaya (Ire) (Dandy Man {Ire}) up ahead, Fairyland had the perfect tow into the race and first run on The Mackem Bullet as the smooth-travelling So Perfect joined in out wide. When it came to another tussle, it was Evie Stockwell's investment who proved just strongest to provide her owner with a second renewal in the last three years. “She's come forward from York and she's a lovely filly,” the Ballydoyle handler commented. “She was affected as badly as most in our yard by the problems earlier in the season but we are delighted with her now, she's a lovely big filly. We always thought that she would stay and get a mile, but she's got loads of speed. She relaxes very well and has got a lovely mind, which is key. We probably won't run her again, she's had a tough enough time.”
The Mackem Bullet's trainer Brian Ellison is unaccustomed to being involved in these type of affairs, but he now has a genuinely high-class filly to take the yard to some unexpected destinations. “I'm delighted and the form's worked out well,” he said. “We were beaten by a good filly, but Oisin said she was crying out for a mile and she'll probably go to the Breeders' Cup for the mile race on grass now. I'll see what the new owners want to do, but that's on the cards. She has improved with every run and looking at the size of her, she could be a Guineas filly.” Pretty Pollyanna's trainer Michael Bell said of the favourite, “There is nothing conclusive to say, but Silvestre took her back and in hindsight that may have been the wrong decision with the way she jumped. Possibly, he should have let her use her stride but we'll lick our wounds and reload. I'll talk to Bill and Tim [Gredley], but for me she's definitely going to get a mile so we'll have to sit down and have a talk. The filly is fine and she's got an entry in the [Oct. 12 G1] Fillies' Mile. It wouldn't worry me going a mile.”
Fairyland, who made the top 20 in a ground-breaking renewal of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, is a half-sister to the talented Now or Never (Ire) (Bushranger {Ire}) who captured the G3 Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial and was third in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and runner-up in the G2 Futurity S. for the Michael O'Callaghan stable. Later retitled Now or Later after being sent to race in Australia, she added the G2 Rose of Kingston S. to her tally. They are out of Queenofthefairies (GB) (Pivotal {GB}), an unraced daughter of the G2 Flying Childers S. and G3 King George S. winner Land of Dreams (GB) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}) who produced the dual European champion and fives-times group 1-winning sire Dream Ahead (Diktat {GB}) and the useful listed scorer Into the Dark (GB) (Rainbow Quest). The third dam is the G3 Molecomb S. winner Sahara Star (GB) (Green Desert), whose descendants include the G3 Princess Margaret S. winner Princess Noor (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}), also runner-up in this race, and this year's G3 Amethyst S. scorer Zihba (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}). Queenofthefairies also has an as-yet unnamed yearling filly by Muhaarar (GB).
Saturday, Newmarket, Britain
JUDDMONTE CHEVELEY PARK S.-G1, £308,160, Newmarket, 9-29, 2yo, f, 6fT, 1:10.13, g/f.
1–FAIRYLAND (IRE), 126, f, 2, by Kodiac (GB)
1st Dam: Queenofthefairies (GB), by Pivotal (GB)
2nd Dam: Land of Dreams (GB), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB)
3rd Dam: Sahara Star (GB), by Green Desert
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (925,000gns Ylg '17 TATOCT). O-Mrs Evie Stockwell, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Tally-Ho Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Donnacha O'Brien. £174,758. Lifetime Record: SW-Ire, 5-4-0-1, $460,537. *1/2 to Now Or Never (Ire) (Bushranger {Ire}), GSW & G1SP-Ire, GSW-Aus, $283,187. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–The Mackem Bullet (Ire), 126, f, 2, Society Rock (Ire)–Elkmait (GB), by Trade Fair (GB). (£9,000 Ylg '17 GOUKSI). O-Katsumi Yoshida; B-Tally-Ho Stud (IRE); T-Brian Ellison. £66,254.
3–So Perfect, 126, f, 2, Scat Daddy–Hopeoverexperience, by Songandaprayer. ($400,000 Ylg '17 KEESEP). O-Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Machmer Hall (KY); T-Aidan O'Brien. £33,158.[bullet ad=”machmerhall-bredbybornraised”][bullet ad=”selectsales-shell”][bullet ad=”irt-shell”][bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred-keen-grad”]Margins: NK, HF, 1. Odds: 6.00, 25.00, 6.00.
Also Ran: Pretty Pollyanna (GB), Gossamer Wings, Lady Kaya (Ire), Queen of Bermuda (Ire), Angel's Hideaway (Ire), Comedy (Ire), Signora Cabello (Ire), No Way Jose (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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