Europe
Precise makes it a Guineas double for Starspangledbanner
By Tom Frary
At the culmination of the battle of the Ballydoyle starlets in Sunday's G1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas, there was a dramatic if not entirely unexpected turnaround of this month's Newmarket Classic form as Precise (Starspangledbanner) held sway in some style at The Curragh.
As last year's Fillies' Mile and Moyglare winner swooped on True Love (No Nay Never) en route to an emphatic 2.5 length success, she put her 1000 Guineas eclipse firmly behind her to complete a remarkable weekend Classic double for her initially subfertile sire and make it a dozen renewals for Aidan O'Brien of the Classic that was his first back in 1997. True Love mastered Abashiri (Frankel) by half a length against the far rail as the 4-1 second favourite unleashed that electric acceleration out wide.
The Ballydoyle handler has for some time found it necessary to express the exalted regard in which he holds the winner, bred by his family's Whisperview Trading operation, and he was not about to stop here. “She is a serious one and is as good as we've had,” he declared.
A first Irish Classic winner under the Whisperview banner, Precise was adding that extra dimension to the post-race celebrations that are so customary for the master of Rosegreen. “It's very special,” he said. “It's next to impossible to breed a Classic winner, so when it happens it's a dream. Ana and Anthony and all the lads at home do all the work and they've been very patient with all the family. It's very exciting and I'm delighted for everyone.”
“It's next to impossible to breed a Classic winner, so when it happens it's a dream. Ana and Anthony and all the lads at home do all the work and they've been very patient with all the family.” - Aidan O'Brien
Wind back two months and this would have been the outcome all would have expected, with Precise coming out of the winter the dominant force among the Ballydoyle miling fillies and True Love almost a bonus. It was during O'Brien's Press Day in March that he described this winner as an “incredible filly”, but while she entered the Newmarket Classic slightly undercooked due to a setback her stablemate came in fully tuned and confounded a good few skeptics.
“We knew there was massive improvement to come from Newmarket, but in all fairness to poor Ryan it was very difficult and he had to ride True Love this time,” O'Brien added. “He didn't ride her in Newmarket, because we weren't sure she would get a mile but she did. Precise really stepped forward today and Wayne gave her a beautiful ride.”
“Precise really stepped forward today and Wayne gave her a beautiful ride.” - Aidan O'Brien
“Roger (Quinlan), who rides her every day, said to me this morning 'this filly has improved so much. it's hard to believe' and she was only beaten five lengths at Newmarket which isn't that much for this type of filly. Ryan was on the other side at Newmarket and was further back than they should have been, so he moved early and because she needed the run she got a little bit tired.”
Aidan O'Brien | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
With the Irish Guineas in safe keeping, Precise will head to Epsom to bid to emulate the yard's Imagine who took this in 2001 before adding the Oaks to her tally. “We came here thinking it was possible that Precise could go on to Epsom in two weeks and that would be another difficult decision for Ryan with Amelia Earhart there,” O'Brien explained.
“Will she get a mile and a half? You don't know until you try it, but she's out a Galileo mare with a lot of stamina in her pedigree and Wayne said that she ran through the line there. Ryan felt True Love's stamina just ran out over this stiff mile and she could go to the Coronation.”
Pedigree: Precise's dam Way To My Heart (Galileo) is a full-sister to three black-type performers headed by the Listed Dee Stakes winner and Irish Derby runner-up Kingfisher who had the stamina to also run second in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.
The second dam is the Listed Ruby Stakes scorer and G3 Solonaway Stakes-placed Mystical Lady (Halling), in turn kin to the G3 Leopardstown 2000 Guineas Trial winner and Poule d'Essai des Poulains-placed Furner's Green (Dylan Thomas).
Another of Mystical Lady's half-siblings is the Listed scorer Palace (Fastnet Rock), who produced a pair of Beresford winners by Galileo in the strong-staying High Definition and Innisfree with the former also placing in the Coronation Cup over the Derby and Oaks course and distance. The fourth dam is the luminary Sonic Lady (Nureyev), who captured this Classic in 1986 as well as the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp and Sussex Stakes.
Almaqam wins G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup
By Tom Frary
Ed Walker has long sung the praises of Almaqam (Lope De Vega) and although the elusive Group 1 win took its time coming, it all fell into place for the stable star on Sunday as he bossed The Curragh's G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup.
Making his seasonal return in the 10 1/2-furlong prize, Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum's homebred had Kieran Shoemark confident in his readiness. Taking command approaching the two-furlong pole, the 13-2 shot stayed on strongly to account for Bay City Roller (New Bay) by two lengths, with his own half-brother Saddadd (Pinatubo) three-quarters of a length further behind as the Brits dominated.
Ballydoyle's Minnie Hauk (Frankel) was sent off the 4-6 favourite but failed to pick up and was only fifth, beaten a total of nine lengths.
Walker has always been mindful of avoiding fast ground with the winner, but the ultimate irony is that on this rapidly-drying surface he was able to record an obscenely rapid time of 2:06.80, by some way the fastest in the history of the race since it was upped from 10 furlongs and made a Group 1 in 1999. “We had vowed that this year we were going to be a little bit more bold with him with regard to ground conditions,” the trainer explained. “I didn't love the track when I walked it, it was quite poached and quickening up but it was perfectly safe to have a go. He's a big boy of 550 kilos and may just be coming into his own this year.”
“We had vowed that this year we were going to be a little bit more bold with him with regard to ground conditions.” - Ed Walker
Pedigree: Unusually at this level, Almaqam's dam Talmada (Cape Cross) was responsible for the first and third as her year-younger G3 Gordon Richards Stakes-winning son Saddadd made the frame. Successful at Listed level and runner-up in the GI E. P. Taylor Stakes and G2 Middleton Stakes, she has also produced the dual Listed-placed Saleymm (Dubawi).
Talmada is a half to the G2 Champagne Stakes winner Saamidd (Street Cry) from the excellent family of Sadler's Wells's champion and sire son Barathea and Irish 1000 Guineas heroine Gossamer.
Japan
The Oaks makes history for Imamura
By Heather Anderson
Sunday's G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) result represented a lot of firsts, with Juryoku Pierrot (Orfevre) claiming Classic laurels.
Seina Imamura, Japan's Best Newcomer Jockey in 2022, became the first Japanese female jockey to win a JRA Group 1–it was her third attempt–as well as the first to ride in and win a Japanese Classic race. She follows in the footsteps of jockey Rachel King, who claimed the G1 February Stakes aboard Costa Nova (Lord Kanaloa) in 2025 and was the first woman to win a top tier race in Japan.
For trainer Ryo Terashima, it was his first Group 1 title on the Japan Racing Association circuit.
Sent off at 9-1, the daughter of Happy Value (Zenno Rob Roy) tossed her head a bit past the stands and settled in the final third of the field. Juryoku Pierrot found another gear, wove through the field and thrust her neck in front four strides from the wire and that was the margin she held over third choice Dream Core (Kizuna) on the line, with Laughterlines (Al Ain) another neck back in third.
A jubilant Imamura said, “It's like I'm dreaming! I've gone through tough losses in other attempts and I would always dream of doing better next time during the weekdays and dream of winning a big race…but today, it's a dream come true and, while I'm still not satisfied with my riding, I am so grateful to have been able to claim such a big title.
“I truly appreciate the support I have been getting towards my first Classic challenge and it is such an encouragement as a jockey which makes me so happy to have chosen this career.” - Seina Imamura
“I truly appreciate the support I have been getting towards my first Classic challenge and it is such an encouragement as a jockey which makes me so happy to have chosen this career. There may have been concerns about how my filly would handle her first 2400-meter distance but I had every faith in her.
"She did get a little bit excited early in the stretch but calmed down nicely and I was careful not to pull her back or shift lanes…then she responded with such power as she was taking me there (instead of my driving her)—she's one tough girl.”
A winner on debut over 1800 metres on dirt at Hanshin in September, the chestnut was winless in two more juvenile starts on that surface, but returned successfully at Kyoto trying 2000 metres for the first time in January and making her turf bow. Kept at that distance, she added the Listed Wasurenagusa Sho back at Hanshin on April 12.
The Yushun Himba was her first start beyond 2000 metres and she is the first Oaks winner in 26 years to make her first start on dirt. She is one of seven Japanese horses currently nominated for the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Tromphe in October.
Pedigree: Best known in European circles as the quirky dual Arc runner-up, Orfevre is credited with 29 stakes winners (22 group). Juryoku Pierrot is his second Japanese Classic scorer and fifth Group 1 winner. His multiple Group 1 heroine Lucky Lilac was third in the 2018 Yushun Himba, while 2018 G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese St Leger) hero Epoca d'Oro was second in that year's G1 Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby).
Although her dam Happy Value failed to place in one start at three, Juryoku Pierrot is one of six winners from six to race for her. The mare's latest progeny are a juvenile filly by Admire Mars, and a yearling colt by Roger Barows. She was covered by Caravaggio last year.
Second dam Name Value (Honour And Glory) won a brace of Japanese listed races, and she is a daughter of Madison County (Seattle Slew). The latter was a US$145,000 (AU$202,000) Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale purchase by JS Company in 1997 carrying Name Value. She, in turn, is out of GII Sheepshead Bay Handicap heroine Steal A Kiss (Graustark), placed four times at Grade I level in the USA.
