Zoffany rises in Phoenix Stakes
Richard Hannon’s two-year-olds had been sweeping all before them in the major British meetings at Newmarket and Goodwood in the last month. Aidan O’Brien had an impeccable record in the Group One Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh, so something had to give.
Hannon sent over Strong Suit, the market leader for next season’s 2000 Guineas, having won the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot. There he had beaten O’Brien’s Zoffany by eight-and-a-quarter lengths but Zoffany turned that form around as O’Brien won the Phoenix Stakes for the 11th time in 13 years.
Strong Suit had scrambled home to win the Coventry so despite a field of only seven – after two withdrawals that included the highly rated Dunboyne Express – Richard Hughes elected to bounce Strong Suit out from the stalls. He was upsides Snow Mountain, one of four O’Brien runners, as Johnny Murtagh sat at the back of the field on Zoffany, appearing to be trapped on the rail at about halfway.
Hughes took up the running into the final furlong-and-a-half with Glor Na Mara giving chase. Zoffany managed to get a run down the rail when Snow Mountain edged right as he weakened. Zoffany appeared to have too much ground to make up but he picked up well and had the chance presented to him when the leaders drifted apart just far enough to let Zoffany through to win by a half-length, with Glor Na Mara getting second by a short-head from Strong Suit. “We’re making no excuses - we'll take him home and have him scoped," was the reaction of a stunned Richard Hannon Jnr.
It was Zoffany’s fifth win from six starts but O’Brien suggested that the defeat in the Coventry may have gone a long way to making this victory possible. “Before Ascot he only had two very easy runs and that’s often the trouble going to Ascot,” he said. “He went there as a baby and he suffered from stage fright I suppose. And all we could do then when we came back was we stepped him up in trip, where things would happen a bit slower and he would learn a little bit more.”
Having proved himself in two wins over seven furlongs, O’Brien had been tempted to run Zoffany in the Futurity Stakes later in the month but elected to drop back to six for this race. “He was a horse who always had that acceleration, which we saw in his first two starts, and now he’s relaxing he’s very exciting. Everybody agreed that he was ready to come here and the rest is history.”
Zoffany's chances looked to be history three furlongs out but O’Brien explained that Murtagh was following a tactical plan. “Johnny said he was going to relax him. Obviously when the field closes in like that you have to be lucky but Johnny was very cool on him. He said he wasn’t going to panic, he was going to let it happen, and that’s exactly what he did.”
While some trainers wrap potential star juveniles in cotton wool, O’Brien likes to start the seasoning process as early as possible. And as the likes of King of Kings and George Washington – both 2000 Guineas winners who both made juvenile debuts in May – this is not simply with short-term gains in mind and Zoffany does not seem to be finding the regime limiting his growth. “He’s getting heavier all the time and that’s usually great with a horse,” O’Brien said. “He’s obviously maturing and getting stronger in himself so until he stops putting on weight I think we’ll have to keep going forward. We’ll look at the National Stakes with him next and take it step by step after that.”
O’Brien also has a strong record in the Keeneland Debutante Stakes, with seven winners, but had to settle for the place money this time.
Jessica Harrington may be better known for her jump winners, most notably champion chaser Moscow Flyer, but her Flat team are in rare form this season and Laughing Lashes gave the trainer a Group Two winner.
Fran Berry, fresh from his success as the leading rider at the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at Ascot the day before, always had Laughing Lashes up with the leaders and was upsides Misty For Me with two furlongs to run, chased by the favourite Together.
Misty For Me was already under pressure from Sean Levey but did not waiver as she stuck to her guns while her stable companion Together drifted left, against Murtagh’s stick. But Laughing Lashes, Who was breaking her maiden on her third start, picked up well to beat Misty For Me by a length.
A measure of the improvement that the winner has made is that she had been beaten a length by Together when they finished first and second in the Group Three Silver Flash Stakes at Leopardstown three weeks ago.
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