Fastnet Rock’s Turret Rocks Grinds Out May Hill Win

Turret Rocks was the comfortable winner of a one-mile maiden at Gowran Park in her June 30 unveiling and hit the board dropped to seven furlongs in the G3 Silver Flash S. at Leopardstown July 23 before running fourth over the same trip in the Aug. 22 G2 Debutante S. at The Curragh last time. Back up to one mile here, the latest graduate of Bolger’s storied academy raced in the vanguard from the outset of this distaffers’ test. She came under incremental pressure from halfway and harmonised with jockey Kevin Manning’s final-quarter drive to deny the pacesetting Marenko inside the last 150 yards for a first black-type score. “This filly stays well and is pretty good,” insisted Bolger. “The mile will have helped bring out a bit more improvement after the Curragh race over seven [furlongs]. She ran well there that day and the really good pace and step up to a mile would have helped her even more [here]. Ideally she would like to go further to a mile-and-a-half so she is a filly for next year over that distance. She gets most of the stamina from the dam’s side and comes from a good family, which includes Goldikova, so it is a staying pedigree. This is just the start of things to come for her. I had two fillies entered in the race, one for fast ground and one for soft ground, and the top-of-the-ground horse won it. I don’t know where we will go next with her. I was thinking about going to Paris [for the Oct. 4 G1 Prix Marcel Boussac] before this race, but I don’t know about that after this. I have a good bunch of 2-year-old fillies so I have a lot to choose from.” Giving his debriefing of the race, jockey Kevin Manning remarked, “I was rowing away at her three-and-a-half, four furlongs down, but you know that when you pick her up and change hands she is going to keep lengthening and go to the line. I think that she is really a 3-year-old and you will see the best of her when she steps up in trip next year. I would be very surprised if she didn’t get a mile-and-a-half. She had her ears pricked at the line and wasn’t doing a great deal.” Richard Hannon, successful earlier on the card with Gutaifan, was satisfied with the showing of runner-up Marenko and said, “She got a nice lead in front, stayed the trip fine and we’re pleased with her. She ran well and, when the leader got to her, ran on again. She’s in the [Oct. 9 G1] Fillies’ Mile [at Newmarket] so we may head there, but she’s a big filly and next year we’ll see the best of her.”

Friday, Doncaster, Britain
1STSECURITYSOLUTIONS.CO.UK MAY HILL S.-G2, £70,000, DON, 9-11, 2yo, f, 8fT, 1:36.82, gd.
1–#@TURRET ROCKS (IRE), 126, f, 2, by Fastnet Rock (Aus)
1st Dam: Beyond Compare (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)
2nd Dam: Gold Bust (GB), by Nashwan
3rd Dam: Riviere d’Or, by Lyphard
O-Mrs J. S. Bolger; B/T-Jim Bolger (IRE); J-Kevin James Manning. £39,697. Lifetime Record: GSP-Ire, 4-2-0-1, $83,161. *1/2 to Beyond Thankful (Ire) (Whipper), SW-Aus & GSP-Ire, $355,582. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Marenko (GB), 126, f, 2, Exceed and Excel (Aus)–Safina (GB), by Pivotal (GB). O/B-Cheveley Park Stud (GB); T-Richard Hannon. £15,050.
3–Opal Tiara (Ire), 126, f, 2, Thousand Words (GB)–Zarafa (GB), by Fraam (GB). (£1,800 RNA Ylg ‘14 BRIDEC). O-Qatar Racing & The Sweet Partnership; B-MCB Ltd & Mrs G. Hedley (IRE); T-Michael R. Channon. £7,532.
Margins: 3/4, 1HF, 3/4. Odds: 3.50, 10.00, 14.00.
Also Ran: Light Up Our World (Ire), Gypsy Eyes (Ire), Midnight Crossing (Ire), Raaqy (Ire), Pure Diamond (GB). Click for the Racing Post result, the brisnet.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.