Chinese White looks pretty good at Curragh
Saving the best for last is always a good way to make the grand exit. Chinese White was retired to the paddocks after the mare signed off in the best possible style with a first Group One victory in the Audi Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh.
She is currently in foal to Cape Cross and maternity is clearly suiting her as she won the sixth of her racing career for trainer Dermot Weld. Easy to back, perhaps because of the fast ground, Chinese White was given a canny ride by Pat Smullen.
He made sure that Kevin Manning never got too far ahead on the front-running filly Akdarena, who was five lengths clear of Chinese White at halfway, with Flying Cloud close in third. But they were at least 10 lengths in front of the pack which was led by the favourite, Remember When.
By the home turn Johhny Murtagh was already pushing on Remember When but the Aidan O’Brien runner never looked like breaking her maiden tag. At the business end of the race, Chinese White set about breaking the resistance of Akdarena from the two-furlong marker and led a furlong later to beat the late rallying Flying Cloud by one-and-a-quarter lengths, with Akdarena in third and Remember When a disappointing fourth.
“It’s absolutely amazing. She’s been knocking on Group One company from the beginning of her career. It would have been criminal for her to finish her career without being a Group One winner so I’m absolutely thrilled for her,” Smullen said, who always thought he had the measure of Remember When, who had finished third to Chinese White at Gowran Park last month.
“To be honest I couldn’t see how she could beat me – but you don’t say things like that before a race. I went out into the ring before the race and the boss asked me ‘how are you going to ride her?’ and I said I wasn’t going to let Kevin get away.
“He set a very good pace on a filly that stays very well and, to be fair, when I passed her she rallied again. It was a strong, end-to-end gallop and, thankfully I had the best horse.” Now Smullen is just hoping to be able to ride her progeny. “If they’re half as tough and talented as her, they’ll do me,” he said.
Weld and Smullen had already won the Group Three Ballymacoll Stud International Stakes with a filly, Precious Gem, who could prove the ideal replacement. “She was in tremendous form. She won a good race at Limerick the other day,” Smullen said. “And she’s just getting better with every run.”
Recharge, who had chased home Fame And Glory earlier in the season, was a warm favourite but this time Recharge had a major power failure. Grand Admiral tried to win the race from the front but was passed by Precious Gem with two furlongs to run and the filly galloped away from Shintoh to win by one-and-three-quarter lengths.
The favourite was never better than fourth and a beaten horse from some way out and Weld suffered a similar fate when Profound Beauty, a possible for the Melbourne Cup, was beaten two lengths by Tactic in the Group Three At The Races Curragh Cup.
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