Aidan O’Brien had to give best to John Gosden and Kingman in the Irish 2,000 Guineas but with Gosden’s ante-post favourite Taghrooda a late defection from the Darley Irish Oaks, the Ballydoyle maestro was able to scoop his third Irish Classic of the year with Bracelet holding off her stablemate Tapestry by a neck at the Curragh.
The start of the race was delayed by 21 minutes when Luca Cumani’s representative Volume was spotted to be wearing racing plates that are forbidden under Irish racing rules and had to be reshod at the start. Volume, who made much of the running at Epsom to ultimately finish third to Taghrooda and Tarfasha in the Oaks, had to settle for the same position in the Irish version after her early lead was reeled in by the O’Brien-trained duo.
O’Brien also trained the fourth filly home, Beyond Brilliance, ridden by his daughter Ana, who made history by becoming the first female jockey to ride in the Irish Oaks.
The winner provided yet another reminder of the great blow dealt to the breeding industry when Montjeu died at the age of 16 in 2012. She became the second Group 1 winner for her sire in less than a week following the Grand Prix de Paris victory of Gallante and the second consecutive winner by Montjeu of the Irish Oaks after Chicquita, who has yet to race this season but holds an entry for next month’s Yorkshire Oaks.
Bracelet’s pedigree has appeal far beyond her sire, however, as she is out of Cherry Hinton, a daughter of the great Urban Sea. By Green Desert, Cherry Hinton is a three-parts sister to Taghrooda’s sire Sea The Stars and a half-sister to Australia’s sire Galileo, thus illustrating the extraordinary influence wielded on this season’s Classics by Urban Sea.
Having won the Leopardstown 1,000 Guineas Trial on her seasonal debut,Bracelet disappointed a Newmarket in the QIPCO 1,000 Guineas when finishing 14th of the 17 runners. She atoned for that blip at Royal Ascot when stepped up to 12 furlongs for the first time in the Ribblesdale Stakes and is an exciting prospect for top-class middle-distance contests throughout the autumn.
