Minding shows her true class to land Polly
MINDING duly landed the odds to collect her third Group One triumph of the season in the Sea The Stars Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh.
The Qipco 1000 Guineas and Investec Oaks heroine displayed a decisive turn of foot to cut down long-time leader Bocca Baciata and surge clear in the final half-furlong.
Colm O’Donoghue tried to steal a march on Bocca Baciata and Jessica Harrington’s four-year-old turned for home a good five lengths in front.
However, Ryan Moore asked Aidan O’Brien’s filly to go about her business and the 1-5 shot ate up the deficit in a matter of strides, going away to win by four and a half lengths.
Lucida was third for Godolphin and Jim Bolger, while the Luca Cumani-trained Koora was fourth and James Fanshawe’s Speedy Boarding last of the five.
It was a big-race treble for the Ballydoyle team and Moore after earlier Group-contest wins by Sir Isaac Newton and Roly Poly.
Minding was cut to 6-4 favourite from 2-1 for the Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood with Paddy Power. RaceBets make her 13-2 from 8-1 for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Paddy Power also trimmed Minding to 5-4 favourite from 2-1 for the Darley Irish Oaks.
O’Brien said: ‘She is a great filly. She loves her racing, and is getting very relaxed. Ryan was delighted with her, and we will look at something like the Nassau.
‘She has two options really for her next run, the Irish Oaks and the Nassau, and we are eyeing the Irish Oaks with Even Song.’
He added: ‘I hope she will stay in training next year, and I’ll certainly plead that she does. She is very talented and progressing all the time.’
Moore said: ‘She’s a very good filly and Aidan keeps bringing her back and producing her to run.
‘It’s some performance for a filly to run in two Guineas, an Oaks then come here. It’s a tough schedule and to keep her in super shape is a magnificent achievement.
‘She picked up to get there, then we shut down in the last furlong. There was more there again if we needed it.’
Meanwhile, the prospect of soft ground at Sandown on Saturday for the Coral-Eclipse is causing Aidan O’Brien a headache.
O’Brien has 13 horses in the mile-and-a-quarter Group One ahead of Monday’s confirmation stage, and last week earmarked Dante runner-up Deauville as one of his leading contenders after failing to stay in the Derby, where he was 11th to Harzand.
‘We are considering a few horses, but the ground looks like it is going to be soft and that may go against Deauville and Long Island Sound,’ said O’Brien. The ground on the round course at Sandown was described as soft, good to soft in places.
And O’Brien reported Idaho to be none the worse for his game effort in finishing second to Harzand.