By Tom Frary
Honest and genuine but regarded as below the top standard by many prior to Sunday, Urban Fox (GB) (Foxwedge {Aus}) chose the G1 Juddmonte Pretty Polly S. at The Curragh to come out into the limelight as she upset the G1 Epsom Oaks heroine Forever Together (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) with real authority. Tried at this level on two prior occasions, the one thing that was unexposed about her was her effectiveness at this 10-furlong trip and based on her effort here it must have long been what she has been crying out for. Trainer William Haggas has had only two races to work that out, having been sent the 4-year-old by Barnane Stud after she was bought by Wayne Kieswetter at the Tattersalls December Sale, but his wealth of experience told him to come here after her latest run when fourth in the G2 Duke of Cambridge S. over a mile at Royal Ascot 11 days previously. Always travelling strongly in third under Danny Tudhope, the 9-1 shot was moving much more sweetly than Ballydoyle's 4-6 favourite with a half mile to race and when committed at the top of the straight soon had her measure en route to a 3 1/4-length success.
William Haggas's wife Maureen is much more than just an assistant and she was on hand to welcome back the relative newcomer to their Somerville Lodge stable in Newmarket. “I couldn't be more pleased. She's a beautiful filly,” she commented. “William said he wanted to step her up in trip and she's really enjoyed it. She's a big filly and she'll give the owners a beautiful mare when she goes to stud. She's done really well. She'll be given a bit of a break now.” Tudhope added, “I knew she'd stay this trip, but whether or not she was good enough for this grade I wasn't sure. William liked her a lot and he doesn't bring them here for nothing. I won on her at Ascot and knew her well. I knew she'd stay but didn't think she was as good as that. They're not coming from behind here. We've held her up because she's been keen, but she's learning and was better, more relaxed. She needed to stay to get that trip and she did.”
Urban Fox, who was purchased by the newly established County Tipperary stud which is a satellite farm for the South African-based Highlands Farm, began her career racing for Saeed Manana and James Tate. Third in the G3 Prestige S. at Goodwood, G2 May Hill S. at Doncaster and G1 Fillies Mile at Newmarket at two, the bay had returned to be second in Newbury's G3 Fred Darling S. last April before finishing eighth in the G1 1000 Guineas. Tried in blinkers and a visor on two of her next four starts, she showed slight improvement for both but by the time she was fourth in the seven-furlong Listed October S. at Ascot it was beginning to look as if she had reached a plateau. Perhaps buoyed by a change of scene as she re-emerged to beat Tribute Act (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) giving her seven pounds and a neck beating in Ascot's EBF “Breeders” Series' Fillies' H. over a mile May 12, she was unable to confirm that form at the Royal meeting with the runner-up Tribute Act finishing a length ahead. This represented a leap forward, with her dismissal of some key members of Team Ballydoyle all the more meritorious given how well their runners had fared over the three days of the meeting.
Urban Fox's dam Lomapamar (GB) (Nashwan), who was tried unsuccessfully over 13 furlongs but won over this trip for the Amanda Perrett yard, is a half-sister to three black-type performers with the most notable being the G2 Royal Lodge S. winner Mons (GB) (Deploy {GB}) who showed he stayed well when runner-up in the 14-furlong G2 Yorkshire Cup and third in the G1 Gran Premio del Jockey Club over a mile and a half. The third dam Arewehavingfunyet (Sham) recorded three graded-stakes victories headed by the GI Oak Leaf S. and was also runner-up in the GI Del Mar Futurity. Lomapamar's as-yet unraced 2-year-old colt by Garswood (GB) is named Garryowen (GB), while she also has a yearling colt by Hot Streak (GB).
Sunday, The Curragh, Ireland
JUDDMONTE PRETTY POLLY S.-G1, €250,000, Curragh, 7-1, 3yo/up, f/m, 10fT, 2:06.98, g/f.
1–URBAN FOX (GB), 134, f, 4, by Foxwedge (Aus)
1st Dam: Lomapamar (GB), by Nashwan
2nd Dam: Morina, by Lyphard
3rd Dam: Arewehavingfunyet, by Sham
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN, 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (10,000gns Ylg '15 TAOCT; 425,000gns HRA '17 TATMA). O-Barnane Stud Ltd; B-Mascalls Stud (GB); T-William Haggas; J-Danny Tudhope. €147,500. Lifetime Record: G1SP-Eng, 18-5-1-3, $372,707. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Forever Together (Ire), 124, f, 3, by Galileo (Ire)–Green Room, by Theatrical (Ire). (€900,000 Ylg '16 GOFORB). O-Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith & Mrs John Magnier; B-Vimal and Gillian Khosla (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €47,500.
3–Athena (Ire), 124, f, 3, by Camelot (GB)#tot">Camelot (GB)–Cherry Hinton (GB), by Green Desert. O-Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Roncon & Chelston (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €22,500.
Margins: 3 1/4, 2 1/4, 1 3/4. Odds: 9.00, 0.65, 7.00.
Also Ran: Bye Bye Baby (Ire), Harvestfortheworld (Ire), Turret Rocks (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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