By Tom Frary
By the time Great Barrier Reef (No Nay Never) had crossed the line in front in Sunday's G3 Kilkea Castle Marble Hill Stakes, the weighing room collective had to admit it was Ryan Moore's world and they were just living in it.
Taking his weekend Curragh tally to six-from-six including four at Group level, the supremo had to work a bit harder this time to justify picking the TDN Rising Star over the stable's other No Nay Never colt Carry The Flag but was ultimately proved right again.
The pace-setting runner-up, who had beaten the card opener's winner and new TDN Rising Star Sun Goddess at Naas last time, looked to have done enough entering the final furlong but under Moore's drive the course-and-debut maiden winner Great Barrier Reef was able to wear him down and score by 1 1/4 lengths as the 8-15 favourite. The Robson De Aguiar-trained Immortal Guard (Persian Force) was the same margin back in third.
Aidan O'Brien, who was registering a 14th success in this with Albert Einstein, Blackbeard, Fairyland and Caravaggio the last four, had warned before the race that Great Barrier Reef had failed to sparkle at home in the lead-up. “His last bit of work was a little bit ordinary and we weren't sure why–he was checked out and everything was fine,” the master of Ballydoyle said. “Ryan said he was a little bit babyish in the stalls today and so missed the break and was a little bit on the back foot.”
“Ryan said when he got hold of him, he won very well but he is still a very babyish horse that could progress plenty,” he added. “He'll get seven in time, but if all is well he could go to the Coventry with the horse [Confucius] that won at Naas. Wayne [Lordan] was very happy with the second and he could go back to five for the Norfolk.”
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Great Barrier Reef (No Nay Never) remains unbeaten with a Group Three success in the Kilkea Castle Marble Hill Stakes @curraghrace 🟣⚪️ pic.twitter.com/AIhHsbPwIQ
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) May 24, 2026
Pedigree Notes
Great Barrier Reef's dam Gems (Haafhd), who was successful between 12 and 13 furlongs, has also produced the G3 Prix Miesque runner-up Seaella (Canford Cliffs) and No Nay Never's G2 Superlative Stakes winner Mystery Power.
Gems is a half to the strong-staying triple Listed scorer and multiple Group-placed Frank Sonata (Opening Verse) and to the speedier Peaceful Paradise (Turtle Island), who captured the Sweet Solera Stakes when it carried Listed status and was third in the Prix du Calvados as a Group 3. Her yearling filly is also by No Nay Never.
Sunday, Curragh, Ireland
KILKEA CASTLE MARBLE HILL STAKES-G3, €70,000, Curragh, 5-24, 2yo, 6fT, 1:11.33, gd.
1–GREAT BARRIER REEF (IRE), 131, c, 2, by No Nay Never
1st Dam: Gems (GB), by Haafhd (GB)
2nd Dam: Megdale (Ire), by Waajib (Ire)
3rd Dam: Nawara (GB), by Welsh Pageant (Fr)
TDN Rising Star. 1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN; 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Westerberg; B-Barronstown Stud; T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €42,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $64,270. *Full to Mystery Power (Ire), GSW-Eng; and 1/2 to Seaella (Ire) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}), GSP-Fr. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Carry The Flag (Ire), 131, c, 2, No Nay Never–Ejaazah (Ire), by Acclamation (GB). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€250,000 Ylg '25 GOFORY). O-Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Westerberg & Peter Brant; B-Summerhill Bloodstock; T-Aidan O'Brien. €14,000.
3–Immortal Guard (Ire), 131, c, 2, Persian Force (Ire)–Souls In The Wind (Ire), by Fastnet Rock (Aus). 1ST BLACK TYPE; 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€43,000 Ylg ;25 GOFFEB; €100,000 Ylg '25 GOFORY). O-Ramiro Restrepo, Jacob West & Giselle De Aguiar; B-Skehanagh Bloodstock; T-Robson Aguiar. €7,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, 1 1/4, 3/4. Odds: 0.53, 5.00, 11.00.
Also Ran: Alaskan Bear (Ire), Lars Soldier (Ire), Otherworldly (Ire), Brazilian Diva (Ire). Scratched: Edward Thatch (Ire).
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