MONDAY, 28 JUNE 2021 THUNDERING NIGHTS HIGH DEFINITION TO RETURN IN THE AUTUMN PREVAILS IN One-time G1 Cazoo Derby favourite High Definition (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) excited his 10th-place finish in the G1 Dubai Duty THE PRETTY POLLY Free Irish Derby in good order and will be given a break until the fall, according to trainer Aidan O=Brien. Named a >TDN Rising Star= after breaking his maiden at first asking at The Curragh last August, the bay saluted by 3/4 of a length in the G2 Beresford Memorial S. there on Sept. 26 and was shelved for the winter. An unsatisfactory blood test ruled the colt out of the Listed Lingfield Derby Trial in early May, and he returned to run third behind Irish Derby hero Hurricane Lane (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) in the G2 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Dante S. at York on May 13. AAfter two furlongs he clipped heels and nearly came down. Ryan [Moore] said he got disorganised then and he couldn=t get him going after that,@ said O=Brien. Cont. p9 Thundering Nights bests Santa Barbara in the Pretty Polly IN TDN AMERICA TODAY Racingfotos.com JUVENILE MARKET BOUNCES BACK IN STYLE Chris McGrath examines how the American 2-year-old market has Narrowly denied in the GII New York S. earlier this month, bounced back to 2019 levels. Click or tap here to go straight to Shapoor Mistry=s Thundering Nights (Ire) (Night of Thunder TDN America. {Ire}) was able to come out on top of another tight finish on Sunday when garnering The Curragh=s G1 Alwasmiyah Pretty Polly S. Settled behind the leading trio early by Shane Crosse, the 16-5 shot seized the advantage approaching the final furlong and held off the strong challenge of TDN Rising Star Santa Barbara (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) to score by a neck, with 2 1/2 lengths back to the 11-4 favourite Cayenne Pepper (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in third. AShe=s a great mare, she=s very tough and every time you ask her a question she rises to the occasion,@ trainer Joseph O=Brien said. AShe always has a bit of a look around when she goes to the front and she did that again today, but when the other one came to her she really fought back.@ First coming to prominence when beating the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac winner Albigna (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and Epona Plays (Ire) (Australia {GB}) in the nine-furlong G3 Snow Fairy S. here in August, Thundering Nights was a well-beaten third to Cayenne Pepper in the course-and-distance G2 Blandford S. in September before finishing seventh in the G1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares S. at Ascot the following month. Cont. p2 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 2 OF 13 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • 28 JUNE 2021 G1 Pretty Polly S. Cont. from p1 chance to show what she is made of here with ideal trip and ground. AI=m delighted she ran well, I was very happy with her,@ Back with a half-length second to Broome (Ire) (Australia {GB}) he said. AAfter Epsom, we were hoping it was the trip and the in the G3 Alleged S. again over this track and trip Apr. 17, the ground and it looks like she wants a mile or a mile-and-a-quarter bay came up short by a nose to Mean Mary (Scat Daddy) in the as she=s not short of pace. She did everything right, Joseph=s filly New York June 4 and upped her game again to strike for the was very unlucky in America the last day and she=s tough. When older fillies and mares here. she got to her, she didn=t surrender and his horses are running This was straightforward for Thundering Nights, who enjoyed a well. We were thinking of going to the Nassau with Joan of Arc clear trip all the way and who had time to wait on Santa Barbara and maybe to split them up this filly could have the option of inside the closing stages before giving extra. going to the [G1] Belmont Oaks in a couple of weeks= time. She=s ABroome just nabbed her here on the line, but she had an a big powerful filly and hopefully she=ll be there for next year as opportunity to fight back today and she did that,@ Joseph well.@ O=Brien said. AIn America, she would have won in another stride, the tight track caught her out a little bit as it was her first time Pedigree Notes around the bends over there. She had to spend a week after the Raised at Manjri Farm in India, Thundering Nights is the first race over there, so she=s only been back a couple of weeks. She foal out of the multiple-winning middle-distance performer trained there for a week, then shipped straight back and came Cape Castle (Ire) (Cape Cross {Ire}), who was bought by Stroud straight here. She has a great constitution. She has options back Coleman Bloodstock for 32,000gns carrying the winner at the in America, like the [Aug. 9 GI] Beverly D., and she also has the 2017 Tattersalls February Sale. She is a granddaughter of the G3 likes of the [G1] Nassau [at Goodwood July 29] and [the G1] Nell Gwyn S. winner and G1 Prix Vermeille runner-up Cloud Matron [at Leopardstown Sept. 11]. She=s a Group 1 winner Castle (GB) (In the Wings {GB}), whose trio of black-type winners now, so she=s a very exciting broodmare prospect no matter are headed by the G3 Winter Hill S. winner Queen=s Best (GB) what happens.@ (King=s Best). She in turn produced the GI Breeders= Cup Filly & Aidan O=Brien believes that Santa Barbara finally had the Mare Turf heroine Queen=s Trust (GB) (Dansili {GB}). Cont. p3 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 3 OF 13 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • 28 JUNE 2021 G1 Pretty Polly S. Cont. Cloud Castle is also the second dam of this year=s GI Turf Classic S., GI Manhattan S. and GI Hollywood Derby hero Domestic Spending (GB) (Kingman {GB}), the G3 Fred Darling S. winner and G1 Prix Marcel Boussac third Dabyah (Ire) (Sepoy {Aus}) and the G2 Badener Meile winner Royal Solitaire (Ire) (Shamardal). Cloud Castle is kin to the four-times Group 1- Senior Vice President Gary King winning dual Coronation Cup hero Warrsan (Ire) (Caerleon) from Twitter: @garykingTDN the dynasty of the G1 Poule d=Essai des Pouliches and G1 Prix de [email protected] Diane heroine Avenir Certain (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}). Cape Castle=s + 1.732.320.0975 2-year-old filly is by the stud=s resident Phoenix Tower. International Editor Sunday, Curragh, Ireland Kelsey Riley ALWASMIYAH PRETTY POLLY S.-G1, i250,000, Curragh, 6-27, Twitter: @kelseynrileyTDN 3yo/up, f/m, 10fT, 2:08.72, g/f. [email protected] 1--THUNDERING NIGHTS (IRE), 138, f, 4, by Night of Thunder (Ire) European Editor 1st Dam: Cape Castle (Ire), by Cape Cross (Ire) Emma Berry 2nd Dam: Kaabari, by Seeking the Gold Twitter: @collingsberry 3rd Dam: Cloud Castle (GB), by In the Wings (GB) [email protected] 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (i17,000 RNA Wlg >17 GOFNOV; i19,000 RNA Ylg >18 TIRSEP). O-Shapoor Mistry; B-Manjri Farm (IRE); Associate International Editor T-Joseph O=Brien; J-Shane Crosse. i150,000. Lifetime Record: Heather Anderson GSP-US, 11-4-3-1, $412,193. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for Twitter: @HLAndersonTDN the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Marketing Manager 2--Santa Barbara (Ire), 126, f, 3, Camelot (GB)--Senta=s Dream Alayna Cullen (GB), by Danehill. >TDN Rising Star=. O-Susan Magnier, Michael Twitter: @AlaynaCullen Tabor, Derrick Smith & Westerberg; B-Whisperview Trading [email protected] Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O=Brien. i50,000. 3--Cayenne Pepper (Ire), 138, f, 4, Australia (GB)--Muwakaba, Contributing Editors by Elusive Quality. (195,000gns Wlg >17 TATFOA). O-Mrs S Alan Carasso Kelly; B-G H S Bloodstock & J C Bloodstock (IRE); T-Jessica Christina Bossinakis Harrington. i25,000. Cafe Racing Margins: NK, 2HF, 3/4. Odds: 3.20, 3.00, 2.75. Sean Cronin Also Ran: Insinuendo (Ire), Epona Plays (Ire), Shale (Ire), Silence Tom Frary Please (Ire), Oodnadatta (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or [email protected] the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Irish Correspondent Daithi Harvey AMHRAN NA BHFIANN BOUNCES BACK IN THE CURRAGH CUP Regular Columnists Fading out of the picture after attempting to make all in the G1 Chris McGrath | John Berry | Kevin Blake = Amy Lynam | Melissa Steele Gold Cup at Royal Ascot last Thursday, Ballydoyle s Amhran Na Bhfiann (Ire) (Galileo {GB}) was in no mood to let anyone pass on Sunday as he dominated the 14-furlong G2 Comer Group International Curragh Cup from pillar to post. Soon clear under IN TDN AUS/NZ TODAY Colin Keane, the 9-2 shot was relentless as he relished the SON OF SEBRING TOPS HK SALE ground and galloping nature of this track to record a seven- A Sebring (Aus) half-brother to Zoustyle (Aus) (Zoustar {Aus}) length defeat of the 11-8 favourite Pondus (GB) (Sea the Moon topped the Hong Kong International Sale on Sunday. Click or {Ger}), with the winner=s stablemate Passion (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) tap here to go straight to TDN Aus/NZ. four lengths away in third. Cont. p4 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 4 OF 13 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • 28 JUNE 2021 G2 Curragh Cup Cont. (GB) (Teofilo {Ire}) and after being brushed aside by that formidable rival wound up 11th.