Returning from a break after her impressive success in the G3 Blue Wind S. over 10 furlongs at Naas May 11, Zhukova shook off the cobwebs to master US Army Ranger in readiness for a potentially profitable autumn campaign. Like the stable's last two winners of this race Free Eagle (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) and Fascinating Rock (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), the bay who holds a special place in Dermot Weld's affections looks set to go to the top with Ascot's Champions Day the next port of call. Formidable in the spring when comprehensively beating Success Days (Ire) (Jeremy) and Found (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Listed Alleged S. over 10 furlongs at The Curragh Apr. 3, she gave a stone in weight and a 7 1/2-length beating to Ballydoyle's Pretty Perfect (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Blue Wind and that was put into perspective when the runner-up almost captured the G2 Park Hill S. this week. Second early tracking the Ballydoyle pacemaker Tree of Knowledge (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}) with Pat Smullen keeping it simple, she took over passing the quarter pole and stayed on strongly as the Epsom Derby runner-up made late inroads. “She's very good and with average luck I expect her to be a group one filly before the year is out,” trainer Dermot Weld commented. “She's a gorgeous big mare at 16'2 and is one my late mother and I bred, so we've always liked her and she will be even better as a five-year-old. I was quite confident of her and the G1 Fillies and Mares on British Champions Weekend [at Ascot Oct. 15] has always been my target for her. I think she'll stay in training next year, as she is only beginning to fill into her big frame and I enjoy training horses that go on, like Famous Name who went on until he was seven.”
As Weld explained in his post-race interview, Zhukova was one of his late mother Maguerite's projects produced by her G1 Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Nightime. Her extended family features the GIII Selima S. winner Tycoon's Drama (Ire) (Last Tycoon {Ire}), dam of the listed-winning and G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte third Desert Drama (Ire) (Green Desert) who in turn produced the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas runner-up and G1 Lockinge S. third Endless Drama (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}).
Saturday, Leopardstown, Ireland
KPMG ENTERPRISE S.-G3, €100,000, LEO, 9-10, 3yo/up, 12fT, 2:37.33, gd.
1–ZHUKOVA (IRE), 135, f, 4, by Fastnet Rock (Aus)
1st Dam: Nightime (Ire) (G1SW-Ire, $299,507), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Caumshinaun (Ire), by Indian Ridge (Ire)
3rd Dam: Ridge Pool (Ire), by Bluebird
(540,000gns RNA Ylg '13 TAOCT). O-Mrs C C Regalado-Gonzalez; B-Mrs C L Weld (IRE); T-Dermot Weld; J-Pat Smullen. €59,000. Lifetime Record: 7-5-0-0, $204,871. *1/2 to Sleeping Beauty (Ire) (Oasis Dream {GB}), SP-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–US Army Ranger (Ire), 129, c, 3, Galileo (Ire)–Moonstone (GB), by Dalakhani (Ire). O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Orpendale, Chelston & Wynatt (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €20,000.
3–Bondi Beach (Ire), 138, c, 4, Galileo (Ire)–One Moment In Time (Ire), by Danehill. O-Lloyd J Williams, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-One Moment In Time Syndicate (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €10,000.
[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]Margins: HF, 2, 3/4. Odds: 2.50, 0.70, 7.00.
Also Ran: Tree of Knowledge (Ire), Stellar Mass (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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