Sun Goddess further enhanced her huge reputation with a runaway victory in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh.
Aidan O’Brien’s filly had won four of her six previous starts, a record which includes a Group One victory against the boys in last month’s Phoenix Stakes and a demolition job in a valuable sales race at York on her latest outing.
Despite some concerns about the overall form of the Ballydoyle team, the daughter of Sioux Nation was the 4/7 favourite to notch a second top-level success on her first attempt at seven furlongs.
And after travelling strongly into contention in the hands of Ryan Moore, she rocketed six and a half lengths clear of the runner-up Green Empress, prompting Paddy Power to slash her odds to 3/1 favourite from 7/1 for next year’s English 1,000 Guineas.
“She looks a freak,” said O’Brien. “Everything she’s done has been freakish. “She went up to seven furlongs today in soft ground. Our other filly (Alpha, finished fifth), we felt, wanted a mile. This filly we weren’t even sure would stay, but there was only one place we were going to find out.
“It’s a seriously important race. Ryan was very patient on her. She’s a big powerful, strong, filly by Sioux Nation and it looks like Sioux Nations are really taking off. He was a sprinter himself but it looks like they are going to stay as well, which is very unusual.”
On future targets, the trainer added: “Obviously the Cheveley Park is there in two weeks’ time. She’s coming out of her races like she’s not having races. She has an awful lot of natural class.
“She’s a very big filly and you’d imagine looking at her she should be a way better filly next year. She’s just natural really, very unusual. We didn’t really know what was going to happen, incredible really.”
Earlier on the card, Comanche Brave and Billy Loughnane swooped late to supplement their July Cup success with victory in the Flying Five Stakes.
Dropping back to five furlongs on his first start since his Group One breakthrough at Newmarket nine weeks ago, Donnacha O’Brien’s sprinter was the 5/2 favourite to double his top-level tally.
Loughnane gave his mount plenty of time to find his feet off the frenetic early pace, but he could be spotted travelling ominously well in behind American Affair approaching the final furlong.
His supporters will have been anxious for a few moments as he waited for the gap to appear, but when it did Comanche Brave quickly sealed the deal, accelerating away to score by a length and a quarter from American Affair, with another British raider in Rumstar a close-up third.
O’Brien said: “He was very good and Billy gave him a lovely ride. The horse is getting better, Billy said five (furlongs) was definitely his trip. I was worried about the ground today but obviously that wasn’t any problem.
“He’s just a very, very good fast horse. There is a lot of Holy Roman Emperor in him looking at him — he’s not over-big but he’s very strong.
“I think there is a chance he might stay in training again next year, which would be great as well. I think he’s a horse that is getting better the whole time.
“He ran in Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia and he still has his passport, so I’m sure we’ll travel this winter.
When asked if the Breeders’ Cup, was an option he added: “Yes, very possible. We were even discussing whether he’d go for the Breeders’ Cup Mile rather than the five-and-a-half (Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint) in Keeneland, but I’d say looking at that you wouldn’t have any worries about the trip.”
Joseph O’Brien will consider a tilt at the Cheveley Park Stakes with Star Of State after she justified prohibitive odds under Moore in the Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales Stakes.
Runner-up to Libertango in the Lowther Stakes at York last month, the juvenile was a 1/5 shot to follow up in a race worth over €275,000 and ultimately got the job done comfortably, with 200/1 shot Fine Line best of the rest in second.
“That’s lovely, it was good prize-money and she’s a nice filly. It was nice to have a nice winner here for Jaber (Abdullah, owner) and she’s an exciting filly for the future,” said O’Brien.
“Libertango just nabbed her late the last day and she’s probably the best filly around, so we have to consider the Cheveley Park at Newmarket.”
The trainer’s Folsom Blues upstaged his better fancied stablemate Monogram to take top honours in the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes.
Having made a big impression on his course and distance debut three weeks ago, Monogram was the 9/4 favourite to successfully step up to Group One level for Joseph O’Brien, with his father Aidan’s Futurity winner Giant Sequoia and Oliver Cole’s British raider Dr Rascal rated his two biggest dangers.
But Folsom Blues brought strong Group One form to the table himself, having filled the runner-up spot best of the rest behind the earlier Moyglare Stud Stakes heroine Sun Goddess in last month’s Phoenix Stakes, and went one better in some style at 11/2 under Joey Sheridan.
Always travelling powerfully, the Blue Point colt engaged overdrive in the last of six furlongs to score by six lengths, with the less experienced Monogram making late gains into second to give his trainer a one-two.
“We felt we were coming here with two really nice colts,” said O’Brien. “They both had very good preparations, obviously different preparations and the winner looked really, really good today.
“It was really was top-class form and we’ve had a big opinion of the horse all along and he put it all together today. It was a great ride from Joey, very cool and executed perfectly.”
Mick Appleby’s British raider Coul Angel readily justified 7/2 favouritism in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Bold Lad Sprint Handicap, pulling two and three-quarter lengths clear of the chasing pack under Tom Marquand. “He did it very well, I’m very pleased,” said Appleby.