Al Riffa raises the temperatures with supreme St Leger triumph
Al Riffa, ridden by Dylan Browne McMonagle, comes home to win the Comer Group International Irish St. Leger at Curragh Racecourse, Ireland. Pic: Evan Treacy/PA Wire
On an otherwise inclement afternoon at the Curragh, Al Riffa turned up the heat with a display of style and substance in the Group 1 Comer Group International St Leger.
Joseph O’Brien’s classy colt is a relative newcomer to staying races but already looks as though he could be a star in the sphere. With Dylan Browne McMonagle making giant strides in a career which has champion written all over it, they were imperious in the day’s feature.
As the field turned for home, it looked as though the 3-1 chance may be reliant on some luck in running, but McMonagle remained remarkably calm, weaved his mount’s way through the field, and coolly waited until very late in the piece to put the race to bed.
British raider Amiloc ran a great race to finish second, though ultimately he was no match for the winner, while Karl Burke’s fine run continued with a third-place finish for Al Qareem. For a moment, it looked as though German raider Waldadler may play a leading role, but he had to settle for an honourable fourth place.
“The horse has been a real star for us,” said the winning trainer. “He always turns up and runs his race, on all ground, and I’m delighted for the new ownership group, Australian Bloodstock.
“He was a very good mile-and-a-quarter, mile-and-a-half horse until the middle of this season, and had a great run in Ascot against Rebel Romance, who has been one of the best horses in the world.
“We thought we’d venture up in distance. He switches off very well and he’s two from two now since he’s gone up in trip.
“We knew that the guys that were guaranteed stayers were going to try to expose the stamina of some of the guys who weren’t so guaranteed. The pace was really, really strong and Dylan was cool on the horse and confident. Dylan is riding great, he’s confident, and he’s a big part of our team.”
With his new ownership, the Melbourne Cup is the obvious plan for the five-year-old. As well as the guarantee that he will have to lumber a heavy weight, O’Brien, who has twice won that race, warned: “He had a tough race today. It was a gruelling race, but we’ll get him freshened up and hopefully that will be the next spot.”
Barnavara has been quite the filly this season, winning listed and Group 3 races as well as being place in two more Group 3s, and she took her form to a new level by taking the Group 2 Moyglare “Jewels” Blandford Stakes.
Shane Foley rode a positive race aboard Jessica Harrington’s three-year-old and she picked up to go clear in the straight for a third win of the season. A further step up in grade awaits the filly, with the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera now very much on the agenda.
Arizona Blaze made the breakthrough at Group 1 level with a fine effort in the Bar One Racing Flying Five Stakes. This was a much-deserved victory for the Adrian Murray-trained colt finished runner-up, beaten just half a length, in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and went even closer when a neck second in the Commonwealth Cup.
And it came quite smoothly too, as he sat just behind the pace early, moved up to challenge a furlong and a half out, and was in command from that point.
“He competed as a juvenile at the top level, and the Commonwealth Cup defeat was hard to swallow,” said winning rider David Egan. “He’s a top-class horse and he really deserved this.
“I always had a lot of faith in this horse. He was a little bit disappointing last time, but he bounced back, and a bit of ease in the ground helped. He was always comfortable and it’s the best form I’ve ever felt him in, so credit to Robbie and Adrian.”
Precise gave Aidan O’Brien an 11th victory in the Moyglare Stud Stakes but for winning rider Ronan Whelan it was a far more significant success. The hat-trick seeking daughter of Starspangledbanner was the outsider of the three Ballydoyle fillies in the race, but she picked up best of all in the closing stages to run down stablemate Beautify and, in doing so, gave Whelan just his second Group 1 in this country, and fourth in all.
It was in this very race in 2018 that he got off the mark at the top level, winning on Patrick Prendergast’s Skitter Scatter, and the Ado McGuinness-trained A Case Of You provided the other two successes, one of which was in Meydan and the other in Longchamp.
“I know it’s a cliché, but it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, and it’s great to be associated with this team,” said Whelan. “Any time you get the leg over, you know you always have a chance.
“She didn’t jump as well as I would have liked, she was a little bit sluggish but, being honest, the beauty about riding a second or third string is you can just let it happen that bit more.
“Roger Quinlan rides her out every day and said that, ideally, you wouldn’t be hitting the front too soon on her. It couldn’t have worked out any better. I feel for Wayne Lordan, who should be here talking to you, but I’m very grateful for the opportunity.”
