SUNDAY, 21 JULY 2019 A-GAME CATCH AS CATCH CAN Europe=s racing on Sunday spans from The Curragh to Dusseldorf, with Deauville in between offering a key 2-year-old contest in the G2 Darley Prix Robert Papin. Staged over the unique distance of 5 1/2 furlongs, it has attracted Shaikh Duaij Al Khalifa=s G2 Norfolk S. winner A=Ali (Ire) (Society Rock {Ire}) who bids to inflict another in a string of defeats on the French- trained contingent. Going from a defeat on debut at Ripon June 5 to a neck verdict over Saturday=s Weatherbys Super Sprint disappointment Ventura Rebel (GB) (Pastoral Pursuits {GB}) in the June 20 Royal Ascot speed test, the Simon Crisford trainee bids to become the sixth British-trained winner since 2012. The exception is the filly Jolie (Fr) (Power {GB}), who in another stride would have beaten the Norfolk abstainer Maven (American Pharoah) in the G3 Prix du Bois at Chantilly June 29. Star Catcher and Franki Dettori stay firm all the way to the line in the At The Curragh, the G2 Friarstown Stud Sapphire S. features Irish Oaks | Racing Post some usual suspects among the sprinting scene and the 3-year- old Soldier=s Call (GB) (Showcasing {GB}). Third in the G1 King=s Although he is to be feared in any racing scenario, it is a given Stand S. at Royal Ascot June 18, Clipper Logistics= representative that Frankie Dettori must never be allowed to dominate from has proven ultra-consistent throughout his brief career so far the front but in reality there was little that could be done to stop and evades a penalty for his G2 Flying Childers S. success at the peerless jockey extend his current hot streak on Star Doncaster in September. Cont. p9 Catcher (GB) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) in Saturday=s G1 Kerrygold Irish Oaks. Quickly establishing dominion on Anthony Oppenheimer=s >TDN Rising Star= on a Curragh track that is increasingly becoming a haven for front-runners, the homebred became the fourth consecutive Classic winner on this circuit to make all in 2019. As in the G2 Ribblesdale S. at Royal Ascot June 20, it was again Ballydoyle=s Fleeting (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) who put the frighteners on in the closing stages with all else readily beaten but ultimately it was the same one-two with a half-length the margin this time. The 5-2 favourite Pink Dogwood (Ire) (Camelot {GB}) was 4 1/2 lengths away in third, unable to live with the pair of highly progressive contemporaries ahead of her. AShe=s a filly who has done nothing but improve, the vibes at home were good and John is a great trainer and he had a good feeling about her so we knew we had her good enough to do herself justice,@ Dettori said of the 7-2 second favourite who had been supplemented for i40,000 at the confirmation stage. AWe A=Ali winning the Norfolk | Racing Post weren=t going to sit and sprint and so when I knew we had to make our own way home it was just a matter of getting the IN TDN AMERICA TODAY fractions right. Having a tailwind up the straight helps when on HEAT-DELAYED HASKELL GOES TO MAXIMUM SECURITY you are on a front-runner. I smelled the runner-up coming, but I Following a heat-induced delay, Monmouth Park’s GI Haskell could have gone a little bit further and I don=t think she=d have Invitational S. went the way of Maximum Security (New Year’s Day). passed me.@ Cont. p2 Click or tap here to go straight to TDN America. TDN EUROPE • PAGE 2 OF 15 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • 21 JULY 2019 G1 Kerrygold Irish Oaks Cont. from p1 (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) on the speed. Able to use her generous stride It was possible at the time to put Star Catcher=s Ribblesdale to suppress the majority of her rivals= ambitions by the two- win in part down to the AFrankie effect@, as she made up one of furlong pole, there was only the habitual strong closer Fleeting his unforgettable four-timer on Royal Ascot Thursday, but it is who was able to engage where it mattered. Motoring into more likely that she was a filly on the up tackling a mile-and-a- contention with what looked to be a winning surge inside the half trip that was made for her. Like her G1 Epsom Oaks-winning final furlong, Donnacha O=Brien=s well-supported mount instead stablemate Anapurna (GB) (Frankel {GB}), she was introduced met a wall of opposition with Star Catcher countering the move on the all-weather in December and was likewise unplaced but as the line neared. that outing on Chelmsford=s Polytrack was over an inadequate While there was no repeat of the demolition job of the stable=s mile. Next seen earning TDN Rising Star status when the 4 1/2- 2017 winner and now-legendary Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), length winner of the 10-furlong Newbury maiden Apr. 12 won this performance had significant merit with Fleeting rating an by the future Oaks heroines Eswarah (GB) (Unfuwain) and improved performer and the G1 Pretty Polly S. protagonists Dancing Rain (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and last year by her Iridessa (Ire) (Ruler of the World {Ire}) and Pink Dogwood accomplished stablemate Lah Ti Dar (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}), she unable to land a blow. It makes the earlier eclipse of the stable=s seemed to excel on the soft ground which she also encountered fellow >TDN Rising Star= and Ribblesdale third Sparkle Roll (Fr) at the Royal meeting. (Kingman {GB}) in the Listed Aphrodite S. at Newmarket even In between, Star Catcher had finished third behind the class more surprising, but first and foremost it provides Gosden with act Queen Power (Ire) (Shamardal) when not going hard enough an enviable quandary as to how to divide his clutch of high-class in front in the May 18 Listed Haras de Bouquetot Fillies= Trial S. middle-distance fillies and conquer throughout the remainder of over the same course and distance of her maiden success. That the season. came on ground officially described as good and so when the AShe=s a fabulous filly and she=s won a Classic, so that=s what rain failed to arrive in Kildare there was a doubt as to how she it=s all about,@ he said. AIt=s no fluke and we=ve always liked this would handle the quick surface, but in the event it only served filly. I couldn=t believe it when she was beaten first time out at to enhance her chances once Frankie had usurped Peach Tree Chelmsford.@ Cont. p3 TDN EUROPE • PAGE 3 OF 15 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • 21 JULY 2019 G1 Kerrygold Irish Oaks Cont. include Cannock Chase=s G2 Prix Eugene Adam-winning He added,@ Frankie said her best furlong was her last in the full-brother Pisco Sour. The second dam is the listed-placed Lady Ribblesdale and he was determined not to see a falsely-run race. Ilsley (Trempolino), who was responsible for the late Dr. Vincent That=s Frankie, he has the courage to do that which comes from O=Brien=s G3 Ballycorus S., G2 Jebel Hatta and G3 Al Rashidiya- years of experience and having a clock in your head. He rode a winning sire Lord Admiral (El Prado {Ire}). The third dam Sue quite beautiful race. She=s out of a good mare and is by Sea the Warner (Forli {Arg}) is kin to the G2 Prix Maurice de Gheest Stars, who to me is a phenomenally good stallion. She=s very scorer Beaudelaire (Nijinsky II) and is the ancestress of the GI talented and can only get better with age, as she=s only just Breeders= Cup Juvenile hero Action This Day (Kris S.) and the GI coming to herself.@ Breeders= Cup Sprint winner Drefong (Gio Ponti). Lynnwood With Enable, Anapurna, Coronet (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Lah Ti Chase also has the unraced 2-year-old filly Maurimo (GB) Dar to juggle, Gosden was understandably non-committal about (Kingman {GB}), a yearling filly by Frankel (GB) and a colt foal by Star Catcher=s future targets. AShe is a mile-and-a-half filly and Time Test (GB). we=ve not over-raced her,@ he added. AAnthony [Oppenheimer] is a great sportsman and he brought Cracksman here and Golden Horn to the Irish Champion, so he=s a competitor. Maybe Saturday, Curragh, Ireland later in the year, the [G1] Prix Royallieu [at ParisLongchamp Oct. KERRYGOLD IRISH OAKS-G1, i400,000, Curragh, 7-20, 3yo, f, 5] or [G1] Prix Vermeille [at ParisLongchamp Sept. 15] could be 12fT, 2:34.49, gd. options, but we=ll see how she comes out of this.@ 1--STAR CATCHER (GB), 126, f, 3, by Sea the Stars (Ire) 1st Dam: Lynnwood Chase, by Horse Chestnut (SAf) Pedigree Notes 2nd Dam: Lady Ilsley, by Trempolino Star Catcher had some living up to do after the GI Canadian 3rd Dam: Sue Warner, by Forli (Arg) International triumph of her half-brother Cannock Chase (Lemon >TDN Rising Star=. 1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (240,000gns Wlg >16 Drop Kid), but she now has the bragging rights among the TATFOA). O-A E Oppenheimer; B-Hascombe & Valiant Studs progeny of Lynnwood Chase (Horse Chestnut {SAf}) which also (GB); T-John Gosden; J-Lanfranco Dettori. i228,000. Lifetime TDN EUROPE • PAGE 4 OF 15 • THETDN.COM SUNDAY • 21 JULY 2019 Record: GSW-Eng, 5-3-0-1, $428,824.