Pleascach Prevails In Yorkshire Oaks

Since winning the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas at The Curragh May 24, the wheels had started to come off Godolphin’s Pleascach (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), but Jim Bolger had worked his magic in the interim to restore her mojo and she repaid him with a gutsy win in Thursday’s G1 Darley Yorkshire Oaks.

Second when considered a lock for the G2 Ribblesdale S. over this trip at Royal Ascot June 18 and well below-par when fifth 10 days later in the 10-furlong G1 Pretty Polly S. at The Curragh, the imposing bay was positively ridden back from a break by Kevin Manning as the typical Coolcullen confidence shone through. Taking until the final yards to get past the G1 Irish Oaks winner Covert Love (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}), the generously priced 8-1 shot kept grinding away to prevail by a neck, with less than 1 1/2 lengths separating the first five home in another exciting finish at this Ebor meeting.

John Ferguson summed up the general feeling afterwards. “You’ve got to give credit to Jim. He is a remarkable man and trainer and we are very lucky to be associated with him,” he said. “She’s a beautiful filly with a lot of scope and Kevin was very keen to let her get into a rhythm and use her stride today. Jim said she was in a good place, so when a master like that says it you take notice.”

Thursday, York, Britain
DARLEY YORKSHIRE OAKS-G1, £365,825, YOR, 8-20, 3yo/up, f, 12fT, 2:32.77, g/s.
1–PLEASCACH (IRE), 123, f, 3, by Teofilo (Ire)
1st Dam: Toirneach, by Thunder Gulch
2nd Dam: Wandering Pine, by Country Pine
3rd Dam: Wandering Lace, by Private Account
O-Godolphin; B/T-Jim Bolger (IRE); J-Kevin Manning. £207,459. Lifetime Record: 8-4-2-0, $674,207. Werk Nick Rating: C+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
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2–Covert Love (Ire), 123, f, 3, Azamour (Ire)–Wing Stealth (Ire), by Hawk Wing. (€26,000 Ylg ‘13 GOFORB). O-FOMO Syndicate; B-Sommerville Bloodstock (IRE); T-Hugo Palmer. £78,652.
3–Sea Calisi (Fr), 123, f, 3, Youmzain (Ire)–Triclaria (Ger), by Surumu (Ger). O-Martin S Schwartz Racing; B-Derek Bloodstock (FR); T-Francois Doumen. £39,363.
Margins: NK, NK, HD. Odds: 8.00, 1.85, 7.00.
Also Ran: Curvy (GB), Miss Marjurie (Ire), Jack Naylor (GB), Lustrous (GB), Crystal Zvezda (GB), Easter (Ire), Lady Of Dubai (GB), Outstanding (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result, the brisnet.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

One of the rare types that can handle herself in a pattern race over six furlongs at two and win at the top level over a mile and a half at three, Pleascach represents the kind of versatile performer that Jim Bolger has become accomplished at nurturing down the years.

During a light campaign as a juvenile, her debut fourth in the G3 Grangecon S. at The Curragh last June gave the clearest indication of her inherent class and that was confirmed on her return second to Bocca Baciata (Ire) (Big Bad Bob {Ire}), with Diamondsandrubies (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) back in third, in the 10-furlong Listed Salsabil S. at Navan Apr. 18. Taking the G3 Blue Wind S. in impressive fashion over that trip at Naas and The Curragh’s G1 Irish 1000 Guineas in the space of 11 days the following month, her star was firmly in the ascendant, and talk of the Irish Derby and Oaks double seemed far from fanciful in the immediate aftermath of her Classic win.

In the event, what was termed as a simple warm-up for the Derby in the G2 Ribblesdale S. at Royal Ascot turned into a surprise reversal, as she lost out by a length when second to Curvy (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) in that June 18 contest. Worse news was around the corner and after a flat performance when only fifth after just 10 days of respite in the G1 Pretty Polly S. at The Curragh, Pleascach was steadily rebuilt by Bolger as the Irish middle-distance Classics passed her by.

Up to shadow Covert Love and Pat Smullen early, she proved ideally placed with that 15-8 favorite steadying the pace in front, but when the front-runner cranked up the pressure in early straight, it seemed unlikely that she would get to her. As Covert Love lugged left towards the far rail in the final yards, Pleascach stayed on strongly, and her will to win proved decisive with three other rivals also bearing down on the long-time leader including the French filly Sea Calisi (Fr) (Youmzain {Ire}).

“I wasn’t overly happy with her at Ascot and in the Pretty Polly, but I was pleased with the way she was going when I rode her last week after she had freshened up,” Manning said. “I knew she’d get the trip very well and I got a grand lead from the favorite, who was very tough and she battled all the way to the line. She goes on various types of ground and is a very talented filly.”

Bolger added, “Previously we tried to settle her a little bit and it meant breaking her stride and Kevin decided whatever happened he wasn’t going to break her stride today. We’ll have to see how she comes out of this, but maybe something at Longchamp like the [Oct. 4] G1 Prix de l’Opera.”

Covert Love’s trainer Hugo Palmer was not too downhearted by the defeat of his Irish Oaks heroine and said, “She’s run absolutely brilliantly and it’s a huge boost to the Irish Classic form. She’s made her own donkey work, and if she was owned by a massive operation we’d have put a pacemaker in and done things differently. I couldn’t be more proud of what she’s achieved. When I walked the track, I thought the last 75 yards were softer than good-to-soft and the rest was better than good-to-soft and that’s where she’s got tired. We still look like a big frame that needs to fill and she will only get better. If she had bolted up today, we could have gone to Doncaster [for the St Leger], but she didn’t. She’s in [the Oct. 17 G1 British Champions Fillies & Mares S.] at Ascot, but she doesn’t need to run again this year. I don’t want to squeeze the lemon too hard this year.”

The winner’s dam, a $110,000 Keeneland September graduate in 2006, won two of her 12 starts while under the care of Bolger and hails from the female family of one of Thunder Gulch’s best daughters, the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff winner Spain.