Group 2s all round for Ballydoyle

Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore doubled up at the Curragh, on an afternoon when Blackbeard took the Group Two Darley Prix Robert Papin over at Chantilly for the stable, as Lily Pond took race five at HQ.

It’s a case of Group Twos all round for Ballydoyle on All Ireland Hurling Final Sunday. O’Brien and Moore landed the Romanised Minstrel Stakes earlier courtesy of Order Of Australia whilst Lily Pond did the needful in the Kilboy Estate Stakes.

With Paddy Power Lily Pond is now 7/1 from 12/1 for the Lillie Langtry Stakes. She’s 20/1 from 40/1 for the Yorkshire Oaks.

This afternoon English raider Purplepay didn’t come up to market expectations, the even money shot travelling well but not finding for pressure, eventually ending up in fifth place.

O’Brien’s son Aidan provided the runner-up, Seisai and she ran very well, as did the bronze medallist, One For Bobby The principal trio, all from the Classic generation, were separated by half a length and three parts of a length at the finish.

“We tried the last day to go up in trip but it was just too far,” said Aidan O'Brien on Lily Pond.

“We knew after the last day that her trip was between nine and twelve furlongs. This was a lovely race and she was very well.

“She's a very tough consistent filly but I'd say probably a mile-and-a-half is as far as she wants to go. She's very comfortable from nine to twelve.

“I'm delighted with her, she's a very well-bred filly.

“Ryan had her in a lovely position, they were ready to close her down but they couldn't get any more than half a length in front of her to close her down.

“When she hung in there for that half a furlong she got going again going to the line.

“She could go up into a good mile-and-a-quarter race now. That's a Group 2 today so she could step into any of those races from now on.

“She could be there for Arc weekend for the mile-and-a-quarter fillies race and she will get up to a mile-and-a-half. She's from the pedigree of Galileo so she has an unbelievable back pedigree.

“That was as tight distance wise as she wanted to go but she held in there.”

S. Foley, rider of Sierra Nevada (USA) trained by Mrs John Harrington, reported to the Clerk of the Scales that his mount never let itself down on the ground.

(GC & EM)