Clemmie Back In The Fray

[Wandering Eyes]

With the 66-1 outsider Billesdon Brook (GB) (Champs Elysees {GB}) stamping her authority on the G1 1000 Guineas, the inevitable feeling is that the 3-year-old miling division for fillies remains up for grabs. One notable name missing from that Newmarket line-up was Ballydoyle’s Clemmie (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and while she is back for Sunday’s G1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas at The Curragh, it will probably only be at Royal Ascot next month that we will see who tops the pecking order with last year’s G1 Cheveley Park S. scorer in need of this comeback. Introduced in this meeting’s six-furlong fillies’ maiden a year ago, the full-sister to Churchill (Ire) built momentum as the season progressed with her wins in the G3 Grangecon Stud S. here and Newmarket’s G2 Duchess of Cambridge S. and Cheveley Park characterised by a lack of any drama. Her 1 3/4-length defeat of Different League (Fr) (Dabirsim {Fr}) in that latter contest in September was carried out in the same uncomplicated fashion as her previous efforts, but after a troubled spring it is likely she will make less of an impact here than she would with a clean run-up. Of Aidan O’Brien’s seven winners of this, only three were at Newmarket beforehand but this is purely a reintroduction with future targets in mind.

“Clemmie seems to be in good form, but we’ll be very happy if she just runs a nice race,” O’Brien said. “She will improve a ton from the race.”

The “now” horse here is Happily (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was just over two lengths behind Billesdon Brook when third in the 1000 Guineas. Everything speaks for her, with her big juvenile wins in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. and G1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere coming on testing ground which would not have played to her strengths. In the latter contest, she upstaged Olmedo (Fr) (Declaration of War) and Masar (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}) and although both of those colts may not have been at their best on that occasion, it remains the only time that one of her sex and age met with top-flight colts in 2017. The dam You’resothrilling (Giant’s Causeway) has already supplied the operation with two Irish Guineas winners in Gleneagles (Ire) and Marvellous (Ire), and it takes no jump of the imagination to see her making it a third as she approaches an elite position among the enviable Coolmore broodmare band.

While Ballydoyle had the one-two-three 12 months ago, with even the place-getters subsequently proving themselves fillies out of the top drawer, there is a chance that there may not be the same air of dominance among their current crop. If that is the case, then the bombproof Who’s Steph (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) could capitalise here. Bought by George Strawbridge in between her wins in Leopardstown’s pair of G3 1000 Guineas Trials over seven furlongs Apr. 14 and May 13, she will have to do a lot more here than she did when beating Ship of Dreams (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) by a length in the latter contest but she trades in toughness and resolution which will carry her a long way. “In an ideal world the slow side of good would be perfect, no extremes, just nice ground for her,” trainer Ger Lyons said. “While she won on quickish ground at Leopardstown, she was a little bit stiff on it. To me, off her current rating she’s still shy of a Guineas horse and she has to improve, but at this moment in time I think she has the ability to be in the first four.”

Third and fourth respectively behind Who’s Steph in the Derrinstown Stud 1000 Guineas Trial, Alghabrah (Ire) (Tamayuz {GB}) and Chiara Luna (War Front) were particularly eye-catching on their first steps outside of maiden company. The latter’s trainer Dermot Weld has more than one line on Shadwell’s half-sister to the 2016 G1 Irish 2000 Guineas hero Awtaad (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), having saddled ‘TDN Rising Star’ Contingent (GB) (Frankel {GB}) to beat her in a Leopardstown maiden in October. Chiara Luna is a half-sister to Mad About You (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}), who was third in the 2008 edition of this race behind Halfway To Heaven (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) and shaped with real promise at Leopardstown, where she was denied a clear passage in the straight before finishing off strongly. As he proved on that same card with Hazapour (Ire) (Shamardal), there is no better trainer in the business in fine-tuning unexposed horses for the big events and Chiara Luna has any amount of untapped potential especially on this lively ground untypical of the track at this time of year. Weld’s 2017 was one of his most troubled in many years, with a virus hitting the yard, and so it may be that he has some serious talent that have so far flown under the radar.

Godolphin’s Soliloquy (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) was one of a few from the Charlie Appleby stable to light up Newmarket’s Craven meeting and she had Billesdon Brook 5 1/2 lengths back in fourth when capturing the G3 Nell Gwyn S. over seven furlongs Apr. 18. Like stablemate Masar, who was so dynamic a day later, she did not go forward on that effort in the main event and her sixth in the G1 1000 Guineas three weeks ago needs bettering here. “She’s come out of the Newmarket Guineas really well and I feel that a repeat of her win in the Nell Gwyn would put her right there,” her trainer said. “We are taking on the might of Aidan O’Brien, but I am very happy with our filly.”

One year ago, ‘TDN Rising Star’ Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) looked a Classic filly through and through when beating the subsequent G3 Anglesey S. winner and G1 Phoenix S. third Actress (Ire) (Declaration of War) by five lengths in the Listed Coolmore Stud Irish EBF Fillies’ Sprint S. at Naas. Subsequent events have taken the shine off, with a second in the G3 Albany S. at Royal Ascot preceding a fifth placing when favourite for the Moyglare and a lacklustre 10th in the Ballylinch Stud 1000 Guineas Trial on heavy ground. Trainer Jessie Harrington maintains faith in the Niarchos homebred, who descends from two mile Classic heroines in East of the Moon (Private Account) and Miesque (Nureyev). “She wants good ground and is ready to run,” her trainer said.

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