By Tom Frary
Coming back to the scene of her debut win, Juddmonte's Swelter (GB) (Kingman {GB}) mastered some significant peers to take Leopardstown's G3 Ballylinch Stud “Priory Belle” Stakes. Off the track since scoring over a mile in July, the daughter of the G3 Nell Gwyn Stakes winner Hot Snap (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) was fine-tuned to perfection by Dermot Weld and after swooping a furlong out readily held Ballydoyle's Exactly (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) to score at 6-1 by 1 1/4 lengths, with Cercene (Ire) (Australia {GB}) half a length away in third.
Weld has the Irish 1,000 Guineas in mind for the winner, who was emulating her dam in winning a Classic trial on only her second start. “I'd say it was a good renewal of the race, a very competitive group 3. She won over a mile here last year and my concern was that seven might be a little too sharp for her,” he said. “My reason for running her was that she would learn a lot from it and I thought she came home very nicely. We'll see how she comes out of the race, but my present thoughts would be to head for something like the Irish 1,000 Guineas. She is a filly that will hopefully get ten furlongs as the season progresses.”
Aidan O'Brien said of Exactly, “They went very hard and ours have only been half-speeding at home, so she would have found that a little bit strange and she'll love going up to a mile. We were very happy and the winner looked a very smart filly.”
2⃣ out of 2⃣
Irish 1,000 Guineas-entry Swelter makes a winning return from 255-days off the track to maintain her unbeaten record.
That's a @LeopardstownRC double for Dermot Weld and @chrishayes24.@BallylinchStud | @JuddmonteFarms pic.twitter.com/eSNgWKcbUL
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 30, 2025
Pedigree Notes
Hot Snap, who followed up her Nell Gwyn success with a third placing in the G1 Nassau Stakes, has also produced the listed-placed Vivienda (GB) (Showcasing {GB}). The second dam is the Listed Lingfield Oaks Trial runner-up Midsummer (GB) (Kingmambo), responsible for the operation's six-times top-level winner and Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf heroine Midday (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). She is in turn the dam of three black-types winners headed by Midterm (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and is also the second dam of last year's G3 Prix Cleopatre winner Halfday (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}). This is the esteemed family of the G1 Oaks heroine Reams Of Verse (Nureyev) and another famed Juddmonte Classic hero and leading sire Zafonic.
Sunday, Leopardstown, Ireland
BALLYLINCH STUD “PRIORY BELLE” STAKES-G3, €60,000, Leopardstown, 3-30, 3yo, f, 7f 30yT, 1:27.50, g/y.
1–SWELTER (GB), 128, f, 3, by Kingman (GB)
1st Dam: Hot Snap (GB) (GSW & G1SP-Eng, GSP-Ire, $138,733), by Pivotal (GB)
2nd Dam: Midsummer (GB), by Kingmambo
3rd Dam: Modena, by Roberto
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GROUP WIN. O-Juddmonte; B-Juddmonte Farms Ltd (GB); T-Dermot Weld; J-Chris Hayes. €36,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $50,556. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Exactly (Ire), 128, f, 3, Frankel (GB)–Heartache (GB), by Kyllachy (GB). O-Derrick Smith, Mrs John Magnier & Michael Tabor; B-Coolmore (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €12,000.
3–Cercene (Ire), 128, f, 3, Australia (GB)–Tschierschen (Ire), by Acclamation (GB).
1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GROUP BLACK TYPE. (€50,000 Ylg '23 TATIRY). O-Shane R Stafford; B-China Horse Club International Ltd (IRE); T-Joseph G Murphy. €6,000.
Margins: 1 1/4, HF, HD. Odds: 6.00, 0.83, 28.00.
Also Ran: Carla Ridge (Ire), Copacabana Sands (Ire), Orchidaceae (Ire), Barnavara (Ire), Usdi Atohi (Ire), Merrily, Miracle Beauty (Ire), Sparkling Sea (Ire), Bubbling (Ire), Minaun View (GB).
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
