Lacking that extra touch of star quality to win at the top level but consistently unbeatable at a slightly lower one, Famous Name was one of the main trailblazers for the same connections over six seasons and was just a head away from Classic glory in the G1 Prix du Jockey Club. His sister Big Break looked for a while as if she had the raw material to achieve what he failed to after winning the G3 Killavullan S. in 2012, but her best placing in the highest grade was a fourth in the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas so the baton is now passed to Discipline to try for that elusive distinction. That still looks a long way off based on this evidence, as the Juddmonte homebred was only workmanlike in justifying odds-on favouritism, but Dermot Weld is a master at coaxing this type of performer to their peak with time and patience and she is held in high regard at Rosewell House. Impressive when scoring by 7 1/2 lengths on the kind of testing ground on which Famous Name excelled on debut over seven furlongs at Gowran Park Apr. 9, the bay was second to the much-greater experienced Bocca Baciata (Ire) (Big Bad Bob {Ire}) in the Listed Victor McCalmont Memorial S. over an extended nine-furlong trip back there 15 days later. Provided with an ideal lead by Ballydoyle's leading hope Earring to the quarter pole, Discipline only started to take control a furlong later and needed to be pushed out by Pat Smullen to secure a first black-type success. “We always thought a lot of her and we got away with the ground today, as she always wants an ease,” her jockey explained. “I like the way she toughed it out in the end. That's her trip, but she needs to learn to relax a little bit more. Ability got her through, but a truer-run race will suit her. It's a progressive family that gets better as they get older.”
CORAL.IE E.B.F. NAAS OAKS TRIAL-Listed, €55,000, NAA, 6-22, 3yo, f, 10fT, 2:14.30, g/y.
1–#DISCIPLINE (GB), 126, f, 3, by Dansili (GB)
1st Dam: Fame At Last, by Quest for Fame (GB)
2nd Dam: Ranales, by Majestic Light
3rd Dam: Katsura, by Northern Dancer
O-Khalid Abdullah; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-Dermot Weld; J-Pat Smullen. €32,450. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $58,031. *Full to Famous Name (GB), Hwt. Older Horse-Ire at 6 1/2-9 1/2f, MGSW & MG1SP-Ire, MG1SP-Fr, G1SP-Ger & GSP-Eng, $2,122,826; and to Big Break (GB), MGSW-Ire, $154,506.
2–Earring, 126, f, 3, Dansili (GB)–Together (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). O-Derrick Smith & Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor. €10,450.
[bullet ad=”us-bred-ky-bred”]3–How High The Moon (Ire), 126, f, 3, Fastnet Rock (Aus)–-Quarter Moon (Ire), by Sadler's Wells. O-Mrs Richard Henry & Mrs John Magnier. €4,950.
Margins: HF, 3/4, HF. Odds: 0.90, 5.00, 9.00.
Also Ran: Red Stars (Ire), Planchart, Santa Monica (GB), Siamsaiocht (Ire), Just Joan (Ire), Californiadreaming (Ire), Like a Star (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
