Justifying a hefty gamble, Susan Magnier's Alice Springs (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) stepped out of her bit-player role among the high-class pack of Ballydoyle 3-year-old fillies to readily upstage her elders and stamp her class on Friday's G1 Tattersalls 250th Year Falmouth S. at Newmarket. Closely tracking the pace in third early, the 5-2 second favourite who was last seen finishing an unlucky third in the G1 Coronation S. at Royal Ascot June 17 struck the front approaching the furlong pole en route to an authoritative 2 1/4-length success from Godolphin's pacemaker Very Special (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) as the 11-10 market-leader Usherette (Ire) (Shamardal) flopped in sixth. “Aidan said he felt that she was improving and she's a big girl,” Moore said of the winner, who was herself a Tattersalls graduate and set a new track record in the process of providing her trainer with a first renewal. “She's had a busy year, but she's kept coming forward all the time and that was a very good performance. She is quite adaptable, but that ground helped her and she deserved that.”
Friday, Newmarket, Britain
TATTERSALLS 250TH YEAR FALMOUTH S.-G1, £200,000, NEW, 7-8, 3yo/up, f, 8fT, 1:34.42 (NTR), g/f.
1–#@&ALICE SPRINGS (IRE), 124, f, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Aleagueoftheirown (Ire) (Hwt. Older Mare-Ire at 5-6.5f & SP-Ire), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
2nd Dam: Golden Coral, by Slew o' Gold
3rd Dam: Optimistic Lass, by Mr. Prospector
(550,000gns Ylg '14 TATOCT). O-Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith; B-Lynch-Bages & Longfield Stud (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. £113,420. Lifetime Record: G1SP-Ire & GISP-US, 12-3-2-4, $796,658. *Full to Criteria (Ire), MGSP-Eng; and Kingston Jamaica (Ire), GSP-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.[bullet ad=”irt-shell”]2–Very Special (Ire), 133, f, 4, Lope de Vega (Ire)–Danielli (Ire), by Danehill. (280,000gns Ylg '13 TAOCT). O-Godolphin; B-Ballylinch Stud (IRE); T-Saeed bin Suroor. £43,000.
3–Always Smile (Ire), 133, f, 4, Cape Cross (Ire)–Eastern Joy (GB), by Dubai Destination. O-Godolphin; B-Darley (IRE); T-Saeed bin Suroor. £21,520.
Margins: 2 1/4, NO, 1HF. Odds: 2.50, 16.00, 8.00.
Also Ran: Irish Rookie (Ire), Ashadihan (GB), Usherette (Ire), Amazing Maria (Ire). Scratched: Euro Charline (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
In danger of becoming the forgotten one of the triumvirate of Rosegreen Galileo fillies behind Minding (Ire) and Ballydoyle (Ire), Alice Springs put up a performance here that would stand comparison with anything that duo have produced thus far. Turning the clock back to last June when the flashy bay made a winning debut over seven furlongs at The Curragh, she suggested from the off that she was capable of reaching this kind of level but subsequently took a few knocks despite holding her form throughout the remainder of her juvenile campaign. Second in the G3 Silver Flash S. at Leopardstown in July and fifth in the G2 Debutante S. back at The Curragh in August, she found some improvement in a first-time hood when third to Minding in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. back at the latter venue in mid-September 13 days prior to running fourth over six furlongs in the G1 Cheveley Park S. on the Rowley Mile here. A week later, she was back at that track to storm to a four-length success in the £300,000 Tattersalls Millions 2yo Fillies' Trophy returning to seven furlongs before taking in Keeneland's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in which she may have been an unlucky runner-up to Catch a Glimpse (City Zip). Third to Jet Setting (Ire) (Fast Company {Ire}) on heavy ground on her 3-year-old bow in the Apr. 10 G3 Leopardstown 1000 Guineas Trial, Alice Springs was four lengths off Minding when in the same position in the G1 1000 Guineas back on the Rowley Mile May 1 before putting up an uncharacteristically tame effort when seventh in the G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches at Deauville two weeks later. In the Coronation, she had too much ground to make up on Qemah (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) but became almost that race's story with her convincing finishing effort to again fill the bottom part of the tricast and the birds were singing from the trees as she came back to Suffolk with a weight of hard cash behind her from those in the know.
In the right place from the break with the G2 Cape Verdi and G2 Balanchine winner Very Special setting a tempo designed to suit the patiently-ridden Usherette, she had only that rival and Irish Rookie (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}) to beat as the closers spun their wheels in behind and as Ryan Moore committed running towards the quarter pole she put everything on the rack. Her explosive effort between the three and the one-furlong marker which helped set the new track record may have caused her to drift to her right late on, but she was beyond recall by that point with the tailwind egging her on.
Paul Smith was on hand to pay tribute to the winner.
“Ryan Moore was delighted with her, he got her into a lovely rhythm and she settled well and quickened up well,” he said. “Aidan's been very happy with her since the Coronation Stakes and said she'd stepped up her work. We were expecting a big run and she was definitely showing good signs at home, but we had a lot of respect for the favourite. We could step her up to a mile and a quarter, or keep her at a mile, whatever conditions dictate. She looked like she took the race well as she was very relaxed and she seems in a good place.”
Saeed bin Suroor was pleased with the runs of the runner-up Very Special and the third Always Smile (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}). “To have them finish second and third in a Group One is a good result,” he said. “We might take Very Special to America now for the Beverly D and there are no plans at the moment for Always Smile. We'll look for a nice race for her and see how she comes back. The ground made a big difference to them, as good, good-to-firm ground is what they want.” There were echoes of Golden Lilac (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the disappointment of Usherette, as that fellow Fabre representative also beat only one home when the hot favourite in 2012. John Ferguson, racing manager to Godolphin, said of the French filly, “Usherette ran flat. She didn't feel herself and did not feel the same filly as she was at Royal Ascot. That happens sometimes. She ran a flat one last year as well. Maybe that just happens. At Ascot last time she was running away, but there was none of that today.”
Alice Springs is the fourth foal out of the highweight sprinter Aleagueoftheirown, with two of her Galileo predecessors also showing some class in the G3 Tyros S. third Kingston Jamaica (Ire) and G2 Ribblesdale S. and G2 Park Hill S. third Criteria (Ire). Her third dam is the G2 Nassau S. and G3 Musidora S. winner Optimistic Lass, whose best progeny was the G1 Coronation S.-winning dual highweight Golden Opinion (Slew o' Gold), also placed in the G1 July Cup and G1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches. Other significant members of the troupe include the fellow French 1000 Guineas-placed mare Rahiyah (Rahy), later the dam of the GSP Decathlete (Medaglia d'Oro), the G2 Gimcrack S. winner and G1 National S. runner-up Shaweel (GB) (Dansili {GB}) and the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and GI Garden City S. heroine Samitar (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}). Alice Springs has a yearling full-sister to come.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
