Fox too strong for Pretty Polly rivals

English raider Urban Fox bagged Group 1 glory when running out an impressive winner of the Juddmonte Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh this afternoon.

Oaks winner Forever Together was sent to post the 4/6 for the ten furlong contest but came under pressure over a half a mile from home.

Urban Fox, under Danny Tudhope, swept to the front turning for home and was in control over a furlong out.

William Haggas' charge galloped on strongly in the closing stages to post a comprehensive three-and-a-quarter length win over the hotpot.

The winner had finished fourth in the Duke Of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot and was stepping up to ten furlongs for the first time today.

She runs in the colours of Barnane Stud, in Tipperary, which is owned by South African Wayne Kieswetter.

“It's fantastic and I'm thrilled to bits for the owners,” said Maureen Haggis, wife of the trainer.

“She's one of their first horses in England. They had a horse a few years ago called Cold As Ice who came over from South Africa and was placed in a Listed race.

“They bought this horse with our son Sam. He put her up to them last year and they bought her at the December Sales.

“They paid good money for her and she's done what they bought her to do, which is unbelievable.

“It's quick (coming here) as Ascot is hard whatever you run in but she put her weight back on very quickly and seemed very well in herself.

“It looked like an opportunity where she could be placed so we gave it a go.

“I spoke to William just before we saddled and he said 'I don't think this is a good idea'. I said 'it's too late, the jockey is standing in front of me in the colours, we're all here and we're going!'”

“She's a beautiful filly and he thought that she'd appreciate the step up in trip. She really enjoyed it and I couldn't believe how well she was going turning in.

“Danny didn't get a chance to say much but he'll talk to William later. He loved her when he won on her in Ascot, it was only a handicap, but he loved her then and he loves her a bit more now.

“It's great to win a Group 1 anywhere but this is a nice old race and the Oaks winner was in there so it was a decent performance.

“She's done what she needs to do and she'll go to stud eventually for the owners. She's a beautiful big filly.”

Tudhope added:- “I knew she'd stay this trip but whether or not she was good enough for this grade I wasn't sure.

“William liked her a lot and he doesn't bring them here for nothing. I won on her at Ascot and knew her well. I knew she's stay but didn't think she was as good as that.

“They're not coming from behind here. We've held her up because she's been keen but she's learning and was better today, more relaxed.

“She needed to stay to get that trip and she did.”

Aidan O'Brien said of Forever Together afterwards:- “We were very happy with her run.

“For a filly that handles soft ground and got a mile-and-a-half the way she did you wouldn't be a bit surprised.

“She ran very well but she was just flat out the whole way. She will appreciate going back up to a mile-and-a-half and it was good to run her because she's not a filly we'd be going to the Nassau with, she's a filly that will probably even go further than a mile-and-a-half.

“She was happy on the ground but obviously we know that she handles soft ground so we'd be very happy to go back to soft ground some time if we needed.

“The difference between her and Magic Wand is that Magic Wand probably handles fast ground and is probably not mad about soft ground whereas this filly handles fast ground and like an ease too.

“Magic Wand is a possible for the Irish Oaks and King George. She's in all those races.”