Awtaad Takes The Irish 2000 Guineas

AW-STRUCK
Staying at home while the Newmarket Guineas was played out, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Awtaad (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}) stepped forward to claim leading mile honours with a clear-cut success in the G1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas at The Curragh on Saturday. Delivered here with prescience by his veteran trainer Kevin Prendergast after his success in the seven-furlong Listed Tetrarch S. at this venue May 2, the dark bay waited behind the leading quartet early and travelled ominously to the lead at the two-furlong marker with jockey Chris Hayes sitting still. Animated soon after, the 9-2 shot carved out an instant advantage and was always holding 2000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold (GB) (Paco Boy {Ire}) on the run to the line, where he held a 2 1/2-length margin over that 5-4 favourite. “This horse has been flying and we've always held him in high regard,” Hayes said. “I had no option but to go when I did–he travelled with such pace. He's the best horse I've ridden and he just excites you so much. He's the closest thing you'll find to driving a car inside a race. He's a gent of a horse, he switched off lovely and it means the world to me to be able to ride a Classic winner for the boss. Hopefully it's Royal Ascot now.”

Saturday, The Curragh, Ireland
TATTERSALLS IRISH 2,000 GUINEAS-G1, €300,000, CUR, 5-21, 3yo, 8fT, 1:45.26, yl.
1–@&AWTAAD (IRE), 126, c, 3, by Cape Cross (Ire)
1st Dam: Asheerah (GB) (SP-Ire), by Shamardal
2nd Dam: Adaala, by Sahm
3rd Dam: Alshoowg, by Riverman
O-Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum; B-Shadwell Estate Company Limited (IRE); T-Kevin Prendergast; J-Chris Hayes. €171,000. Lifetime Record: 5-4-0-1, $260,304. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Galileo Gold (GB), 126, c, 3, Paco Boy (Ire)–Galicuix (GB), by Galileo (Ire). (7,500gns RNA Wlg '13 TATFOA; €33,000 Ylg '14 TISEP). O-Al Shaqab Racing; B-Mr Brian O'Rourke (GB); T-Hugo Palmer. €57,000.
3–Blue de Vega (Ger), 126, c, 3, Lope de Vega (Ire)–Burning Heights (Ger), by Montjeu (Ire). (€32,000 Ylg '14 BBAGS; €75,000 2yo '15 GBMBR). O-Qatar Racing Limited & HH Sheikh Khalifa Abdulla K H Al Thani & HH Sheikh Suhaim; T-M O'Callaghan. €27,000.
Margins: 2HF, 4 1/4, 1 3/4. Odds: 4.50, 1.25, 7.00.
Also Ran: Bravery (Ire), Shogun (Ire), Air Vice Marshal, Air Force Blue, Sanus Per Aquam (Ire).
Awtaad was introduced over seven furlongs here in October and ran a satisfactory race to be third to the subsequent Listed Leopardstown 2000 Guineas Trial winner Black Sea (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) before improving to open his account over the same trip at Leopardstown a fortnight later from Bravery (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). Kept to handicap company for his 3-year-old debut, the homebred was the five-length winner again over seven at this course Mar. 20 before upstaging Blue de Vega (Ger) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) in the Tetrarch. Coasting through the first half of the race as Air Vice Marshal (War Front) led from Sanus Per Aquam (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), he was going clear best under Chris Hayes on the outer as the latter backtracked and Galileo Gold was trying to sneak up the rail under Frankie Dettori. Gaining two lengths on that rival with a decisive burst, Awtaad may have been idling as the Newmarket Classic winner tried hard to peg him back with the remainder spaced well apart. Kevin Prendergast, whose only success in this Classic had come with Northern Treasure 40 years before and who was saddling the first Irish winner not to be trained at Ballydoyle since 1986, said, “He was very backward as a two-year-old and I'd say he's as good a horse as I've had. We have a dry place at home and he worked well there, but he had won on soft so we accepted it. I think he's a very good horse, but how far he will go I don't know. He was forced to go a bit early today as Frankie was in a bit of bother on the inside, so he kicked and hoped for the best. I don't know where he will go next. The boss man makes the decision and we go along with it. He's in the [June 4 G1 Epsom] Derby and the [G1] Irish Derby [at The Curragh June 25], so we'll see what he wants to do. There is a good bit of stamina in the family, so who knows?” The staying power that Prendergast is referring to is evident under the dam, who was runner-up in the Listed Salsabil S. over 10 furlongs and is a half to another middle-distance black-type performer in Aaraas (GB) (Haafhd {GB}). The fourth dam is Ghashtah (Nijinsky), who is a full-sibling of the G2 Gallinule S. winner and sire Seattle Dancer and also a half to the 1977 US Triple Crown hero and multiple champion sire Seattle Slew and the G1 2000 Guineas hero and prolific sire Lomond. Asheerah is also the dam of an as-yet unraced 2-year-old filly by Lawman (Fr) named Aneen (Ire) and a yearling filly by Tamayuz (GB). Connections of Galileo Gold were refusing to be downcast afterwards and a tilt at Royal Ascot's G1 St James's Palace S. June 14 remains on the agenda. “I think it was frustrating that he was trapped in a pocket on the rail in that ground,” Harry Herbert, racing manager for owners Al Shaqab Racing, commented. “The winner was away and travelling well. Frankie rode a very brave race trying to get through that gap. Galileo Gold has run a wonderful race on that ground and Frankie just said it was getting very soft, near heavy. He's a different horse on better ground, so we'll head to Ascot, all being well, for the St James's Palace. Take nothing away from the winner, who has won really well and handled the ground particularly well. He's obviously very smart. As far as we are concerned, we would have preferred better, faster ground. Hopefully he'll get that at Ascot.” Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.