By Tom Frary
One of the favourites for the 1,000 Guineas, Juddmonte's TDN Rising Star Red Letter (Frankel) is being slowly built back up by Ger Lyons and his patience paid off on Wednesday as the talented filly captured the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Cairn Rouge Stakes. Denied by her classy peer Barnavara in Navan's Listed Kooyonga Stakes last month, the 8-11 favourite had to work again for Colin Keane but mastered Fiery Lucy (Without Parole) close home to score by half a length in the mile feature.
“She's a filly we've always thought a lot of and I'd say she bumped into one last time,” Keane said. “This is the first time she's got an ease in the ground, which she appreciates. Up in trip, I'll think you'll see more improvement. They didn't go quick enough for me, as she's a filly that picks up and then lengthens.”
Shane Lyons was on hand to give his verdict. “She has done it the hard way, she was drawn and caught wide and the first two pulled well clear of the third horse,” he said. “She has got the job done today but when she fills into her frame, she'll be some horse next year. She has a championship cruising speed, which you need for future races, and Colin said if he had been beaten it was because they didn't go fast enough. We'll get home, speak to Colin and the family and make a proper plan.”
2025 account officially OPEN
Down-in-grade needs to dig in to land the Listed Cairn Rouge Stakes but she's off the mark for the calendar year.@IrishEBF_ | @ctkjockey | @KillarneyRaces pic.twitter.com/VzGdzC2r4d
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) July 16, 2025
Red Letter is the first foal out of the Listed-placed Red Impression (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}), whose family features the G1 Prix de la Foret heroine Etoile Montante (Miswaki), her four-times Group and Graded-Stakes winner and stakes producer Starformer (Dynaformer) and fellow top-flight winners Country Grammer (Tonalist), Sightseek (Distant View) and Tates Creek (Rahy). Her two-year-old colt Res Ipsa and yearling filly are also by Frankel, while she also a colt foal by Blue Point to follow.
Wednesday, Killarney, Ireland
IRISH STALLION FARMS EBF CAIRN ROUGE STAKES-Listed, €50,000, Killarney, 7-16, 3yo, f, 8fT, 1:46.15, sf.
1–RED LETTER (GB), 128, f, 3, by Frankel (GB)
1st Dam: Red Impression (GB) (SP-Eng), by Dark Angel (Ire)
2nd Dam: Purissima, by Fusaichi Pegasus
3rd Dam: Willstar, by Nureyev
TDN Rising Star. 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. O-Juddmonte; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd; T-Ger Lyons; J-Colin Keane. €30,000. Lifetime Record: 6-2-2-0, $80,875.
2–Fiery Lucy (GB), 128, f, 3, Without Parole (GB)–Craighall (GB), by Dubawi (Ire). (38,000gns Ylg '23 TATOCT). O-Lindsay Laroche & Dunphy Family Syndicate; B-Whatton Manor Stud; T-Gavin Cromwell. €10,000.
3–Ecstatic (Jpn), 128, f, 3, Lord Kanaloa (Jpn)–Magic Wand (Ire), by Galileo (Ire). TDN Rising Star. O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Mrs John Magnier; B-Coolmore Stud; T-Aidan O'Brien. €5,000.
Margins: HF, 2 3/4, 3 1/4. Odds: 0.73, 7.00, 8.00.
Also Ran: Shiota (Ire), And So To Bed (Ire), Tamam Desert (Ire), Wannabe Royal (Ire), Orchidaceae (Ire), Sweet Chariot (Ire), Bella Isabella (Ire). Scratched: Mojave River (Fr), Nancy J (Ire), Rion Rubette (GB).
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