Tahiyra will attempt to go one better than her Newmarket second and provide Dermot Weld with back-to-back victories in the Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh on Sunday.
The Rosewell House handler and jockey Chris Hayes combined for Classic glory with Homeless Songs 12 months ago and have a real chance of repeating the dose with the exciting Aga Khan-owned daughter of Siyouni.
Tahiyra headed to the Rowley Mile unbeaten in two outings as a juvenile and although the 6-4 favourite suffered her first defeat when second after a real tussle with Saeed bin Suroor’s Mawj, she left Newmarket with her reputation enhanced having produced such a fine effort on just her third outing.
Having shown her handler she has recovered sufficiently from her 1000 Guineas exertions, she is now given another opportunity to add a Classic to her CV.
“She was a bit tired after the race, but she travelled home on the ferry and came home well and then she has picked up nicely and we’ve been pleased with her,” said Weld. “It was a massive performance.”
Weld is double-handed in the contest and will also saddle Tarawa, who like her stablemate sports the colours of the Aga Khan.
A winner over seven furlongs at two, she was a fast-finishing second in the Cornelscourt Stakes at Leopardstown on reappearance and Weld anticipates a good showing.
He continued: “She ran very well in the Group race at Leopardstown. I’ve been pleased with her work and expect her to run a very nice race.
“I’m happy with both fillies, they are both equally well and I expect them to run equally nice races.”
Homeless Songs’ victory for Weld last year ended a three-year winning run for Aidan O’Brien in the contest and the master of Ballydoyle is mob-handed with Meditate, Jackie Oh and Dower House as he bids to regain the winning thread.
It is Meditate that appears to have the best chance of handing O’Brien his 11th success in the race and he has been happy with what he has seen from the daughter of No Nay Never since slightly disappointing at Newmarket.
O’Brien said: “We’ve been very happy with Meditate since Newmarket. It’s going to be much different ground, obviously the ground at Newmarket was soft and it was her first run.
“She didn’t have a real clear run through the whole winter into the spring.
“Meditate is very classy, has always been very good, and everything has gone very well with her since Newmarket. That’s a very good sign.”
Stablemate Jackie Oh was thought of as a possible Oaks contender after winning over a mile in heavy ground at Naas on debut.
However, after being touched off in a fact-finding mission in the Salsabil Stakes over 10 furlongs, plans were altered and the Galileo filly reverts back to the mile on this occasion.
“We ran Jackie Oh in Navan over a mile and a quarter to see if we would go the Oaks or Guineas route,” continued O’Brien.
“Ryan (Moore) thought that maybe it was far enough for her, so we’d said we’d come back to the Guineas. We can go up after that again if we like, she seems in good form.”
Jessica Harrington’s Eternal Silence is still a maiden but reappears in deep waters following an encouraging run in the Moyglare Stud Stakes behind both Tahiyra and Meditate in her final appearance at two.
“It’s been a frustrating spring with Eternal Silence as she was meant to run in a few maidens but due to going, we didn’t run her,” said Kate Harrington, who is assistant trainer to her mother.
“Thank God the sun has shone for the last 10 days and we’re going to have good ground. She goes there in great form. She was a big filly last season and she’s really filled her frame out over the winter.
“She was a good third in the Moyglare last year behind Tahiyra and Meditate, has had a few racecourse gallops and we go there hopeful of a big run.”
The sole British challenger in the race is provided by John Quinn’s Breege, who performed admirably in Group contests as a two-year-old last term.
She was last sighted finishing fifth in the Marcel Boussac at ParisLongchamp and although taking her time to come to hand this spring, Quinn hopes she can acquit herself well on reappearance.
He said: “I’m happy with her. She’s taken a while to come to hand, but we’re pleased with her. Obviously we feel she is good enough to take her chance so we’re hoping for a good run.
“She ran very well last year and very well in France on bottomless ground. The winner of the French race (Blue Rose Cen) is probably the best three-year-old filly we’ve seen – she went on to win the French Guineas emphatically a couple of weeks ago. So I’m happy with the filly and hopeful of a good run.”
Fozzy Stack saddles both Amethyst Stakes runner-up You Send Me and Cornelscourt Stakes third Aspen Grove, with Jim Bolger’s Comhra fifth on that occasion and now tried in first-time cheekpieces as she completes the field of 10.
Light seeking to shine again at Sandown
Kitty’s Light is taking aim at his usual season finisher in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown.
The gelding has been a star for trainer Christian Williams, winning big handicap events like the Eider Chase and the Scottish Grand National and going close in the Charlie Hall and the Coral Trophy.
He has particularly good record in the bet365 Gold Cup on the final day of the season, missing out only due to interference when second in 2021 and coming home third in 2022.
Last year he was completed the set of podium finishes when winning by two and a half lengths under usual jockey Jack Tudor.
The two are well acquainted and teamed up for Kitty’s Light’s Grand National bid at Aintree earlier in the month, where he ran a valiant race to finish fifth behind four Grade-One winning Irish chasers.
Williams was incredibly proud of his stable star and is now hoping the gelding can shine again in the Sandown contest he has found to be lucrative in the past.
“It was wonderful, we trained him to win the race and we thought he could, but you couldn’t be disappointed with what he did,” Williams said of the National performance.
“We were thrilled, the horse tried his best and we were very, very proud of horse and jockey.
“He’s come out of it very well, if the race was run today even then he’d be running, he’s in good form.
“He loves it at Sandown with the big fences, his jumping has come on now but even as a five-year-old he nearly won the race.
“He was third the year after that, it really seems to suit him.
“I think he likes going right-handed, he hangs a little bit right at home and he seems to really enjoy it there.
“We’re taking our chance anyway, he seems well and we’ll hope for the best.”
Olivier Peslier announces imminent retirement
Olivier Peslier will retire from riding at La Teste on Thursday.
The 51-year-old has enjoyed an exemplary career in the saddle, being crowned French champion on four occasions and claiming a string of big-race successes across the world.
Peslier counts four victories in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on his CV, as well as Derby success aboard High-Rise in 1998 and a 2000 Guineas triumph with Cockney Rebel in 2007.
He enjoyed a long association with star miler Goldikova, riding the mare to win 17 of her 27 career starts which included a famous Breeders’ Cup Mile hat-trick in 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Peslier also chalked up two Japan Cup wins and victories the Hong Kong Cup, Mile and Vase plus big-races successes in the likes of Germany, Italy, Ireland and Dubai during a truly international career.
He was retained rider for owners Alain and Gerard Wertheimer between 2003 and 2014 with the aforementioned Goldikova and 2012 Arc winner Solemia two of the headline acts of their lengthy relationship.
Peslier will sign off after two rides at La Teste in the south-west of France, bowing out with over 3,700 wins to his name.
“My health is fine, but you need the horses and need the practice and if you don’t have so many horses, it is the time to decide to stop because it is very tricky to ride only a few horses,” Peslier told the PA news agency.
“After a very long career I have had plenty of success. I have had more than 3,700 winners and over 500 Group race wins. I have won with both Arabians and thoroughbreds and 165 Group Ones, so it is amazing when I look at my career.
“I have won everywhere in the world and had great success and great moments. I’ve met so many good people and I’m very happy to stop my career and watch what has happened before.
“I won all the good races in England – the Epsom Derby, the King George and at Royal Ascot. In Japan, I won 12 Group Ones and won the Japan Cup and all the big races over there and also the Breeders’ Cup and all the Derbies in Europe.
“So now is the time and I’m in good form and everything is fine. It’s sad to take the decision but this morning I rode six horses and tomorrow I will ride some horses in training and for sure I will keep riding some horses because everybody loves horses and also I ride for my passion.”
Peslier is unsure what the future holds, intending to spend the summer months enjoying time with family and friends before finalising plans for the next stage of life, while he highlighted the talents of both Goldikova and Prix du Jockey Club and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Peintre Celebre as notable memories from his decorated career.
“I will take a little break and see some friends and see what happens over the next few months,” continued Peslier.
“After a holiday, September will be a new life, and I think I need a little bit of time to see what will happen in the future. I’m going to spend some time with my kids and enjoy life, then it will be a new life.
“Normally when I go to say Hong Kong and England it is for work, now I can go and visit people I know and take the time to enjoy it.
“Goldikova won 14 Group Ones and Peintre Celebre won the French Derby and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and were both really, really good.”
Bellum Justum stakes Derby claim with Epsom victory
Bellum Justum halved in price for the Derby after Andrew Balding’s colt won the Betfred Blue Riband Trial at Epsom.
While he took four attempts to get off the mark as a juvenile, the form of his win over Kevin Ryan’s Inisherin now looks much stronger than it did at the time and he took another leap forward here.
Ridden by Oisin Murphy, he was content to take a lead off Ryan Moore on Aidan O’Brien’s Chief Little Rock and with those in behind struggling to get on terms, it soon developed into a battle.
Bellum Justum held a narrow advantage for much of the final furlong but while he was well on top of the Ballydoyle runner close home, Roger Varian’s Defiance began to stay on strongly.
Without looking like winning, he closed to within three-quarters of a length of the 9-1 winner, looking promising for the future on just his third outing.
Bellum Justum was cut to 25-1 from 50s for the Derby by both Coral and Paddy Power.
“He had a setback about a month ago and he missed 10 days, so he’s entitled to come on for that today,” Balding told Racing TV.
“His form looked pretty strong and he improved a lot with racing last year and he’s entitled to improve from two to three, so we were fairly sure he’d be there or thereabouts but we’re expecting him to come on for it.
“He’s in the Dante and if he was going to run again that would be the likely target, we’ll just see how the Guineas goes and the other trials and we might end up coming back here.
“He’s out of an Oasis Dream mare but he’s closely related to Fox Tal who stayed a mile and a half.
“He’s up there with our best three-year-olds but unfortunately the one we were really excited about, Anzac Day, has had a setback.”
Crystal Delight (5-2) made a winning debut for Harry Eustace when leading home stablemate Ziggy in the Lilley Plummer Risks City & Suburban Handicap.
Previously trained by the now-retired William Jarvis, he was sent straight to the front by Jim Crowley and controlled matters from the outset.
He kicked clear over two furlongs out and came home five and a half lengths ahead of Ziggy, who stayed on without ever looking a danger.
“William came as he’s good friends with dad (James Eustace) and we ended up with a couple off him, this one and Duke Of Verona and it’s going well so far,” said Eustace.
“I thought he’d run well as he’s been training well at home. It was a small field and he likes making the running, so I thought we’d be able to set our own fractions and that’s what Jim did, it worked out well.
“I had a mile-and-a-half handicap at York in mind so we’ll see how we go.”
Eustace had to settle for third with Duke Of Verona in the Weatherbys Global Stallions App Great Metropolitan Handicap as Champagne Piaff (5-2 favourite) ran out an easy winner for Gary and Ryan Moore.
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