Leopardstown supporting races: Pearls Galore dazzles in Matron

Pearls Galore made all of the running to triumph under Billy Lee in the Coolmore America “Justify” Matron Stakes at Leopardstown.

An outsider at 16-1, Paddy Twomey’s filly hardly saw another rival as she set the pace from the front throughout the one-mile Group One contest.

Jane Chapple-Hyam’s Saffron Beach plugged away in her slipstream but neither she, nor the third-placed horse Tenebrism, could pass winner.

Eventually prevailing by three lengths, Pearls Galore went one better than her second-placed run in the same race last year, where she was beaten a neck by No Speak Alexander.

Twomey said: “She’s been in good form today and I said to Billy we’d put the cheekpieces on her. She’s five years old and she does what she has to do. In France, it didn’t work out, the ground was quick and a straight mile.

“This is more her jazz, ease in the ground there, turning mile. Her best race of her life was this race last year. Even before the last race, she was down there walking around the pre-parade ring and she was throwing herself around the place. I kind of knew she was in good form. I said to Billy, ‘We’ve the cheekpieces on, I don’t think we should be taking her back,’ and it worked.

“She’s the ability to travel at a high pace and burn off horses. That’s her true running there and I’m delighted for her.”

Auguste Rodin was an impressive winner of the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes at Leopardstown.

The Deep Impact colt was the 11-10 favourite for Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien, travelling behind the leading pair in the early stages of the one-mile Group Two contest.

Having inched into the race he took up the lead at the furlong marker, holding off all four rivals to cross the line a length and a half ahead of runner-up Caroline Street. The winner’s stablemate Tower Of London had taken them along with Serious Challenge, but dropped away tamely in the straight.

O’Brien said: “He was just ready off his break and will come forward plenty from it.

“He travelled and he’s a lovely mover, so he will appreciate nice ground when he gets it.

“Ryan said he had to go a little bit earlier than he wanted, but we’re very happy with him really.

“His dam (Rhododendron) was very good and he’s by Deep Impact. He’s a horse with a lot of quality.

“He has a beautiful physique and a good nature and always went through his work very impressively. He’s matured into a lovely horse.

“To send a mare to Japan at the time was incredible foresight and it was maybe the last year of Deep Impact. To get a horse like him out of a Galileo champion mare is incredible really.”

Auguste Rodin could head next to Doncaster or Newmarket and was cut from 16-1 to 12-1 with Coral for both the 2000 Guineas and the Derby.

“He could be a Vertem Futurity or Dewhurst horse, he has plenty of class and quality and will probably sharpen up a lot from the race,” O’Brien said.

“We thought he could be the type of horse who could do both (2000 Guineas and Derby), he could be a Derby horse that could start in the Guineas. He could end up a middle-distance horse, a mile and a quarter horse that could get a mile and a half. But a mile, mile-and-a-quarter horse we thought.”

After not enjoying the clearest of runs on Vadeni in the Irish Champion Stakes, Christophe Soumillon made his trip to Ireland a profitable one in the Group Two Clipper Logistics Boomerang Mile aboard the impressive Jadoomi.

Always prominent under the French-based Belgian, Jadoomi sprinted clear in the closing stages to record a four-length victory for Simon and Ed Crisford.

The 9/4 joint favourite was maintaining an impressive unbeaten sequence this season when taking home the €200,000 contest.

“Coming here, he didn’t have the penalty today for winning (the Celebration Stakes) at Goodwood and when the rain came, I was so delighted because he loves to get his toe in,” said Ed Crisford. “I think Christophe made it very simple. We wanted to go forward and he went really well in that performance and it was a great performance.

“I think he’s improved again. We gelded him in the summer and I think that’s made a huge difference to him and he’s an exciting horse. It’s onwards and upwards I think.

“He’s not in the QEII but I think we’ll have to sit down with Sheikh Ahmed and have a talk and see if we’ll supplement him. He’s won enough prize money to justify it now hopefully.”

A photo finish had to split Thunder Kiss and Duke De Sessa in the Group Three Paddy Power Stakes but that didn’t impact Newton Anner Stud, who owned both and were in jubilant form as the latter, trained by Dermot Weld, got the verdict by a short head. There was only a further head back to the Paddy Twomey-trained Beamish in third but it was a good start to the weekend for the Rosewell House maestro.

“He’s had a break. He loves that ground. He loves this track. He’d been working exceptionally well. The only question in my mind was whether he’d get the mile and a half,” the winning trainer said afterwards.

“I toyed with running him in the Champion Stakes and just thought that hopefully this might be the easier option and if he got the trip, he’d be very hard to beat.

“Chris (Hayes) gave him a beautiful ride. He switched him off at the back, which was the plan, and he came home very strongly.”

There was British-trained one-two in the €150,000 Irish Stallion Farms EBF “Sovereign Path” Handicap at Leopardstown, with the Charlie and Mark Johnston-trained I’m A Gambler holding off the late charge of John Quinn’s Safe Voyage.

Ridden by Tom Marquand, I’m A Gambler – last seen finishing fifth in the Group Three Supreme Stakes at Goodwood – was never far from the pace, while in contrast Safe Voyage and Jason Hart had to make up lots of ground from the rear having been drawn in stall 19.

Half a length was the official margin for the 18-1 shot, and Marquand – making his first ride at the Dublin track a winning one – said: “I’m obviously getting a bit lucky with these Irish tracks coming over and having a first go round, but to be fair we had all the help there with a good draw.

“He was nice and relaxed in behind the lead and got a good run through when we needed it.

“The track rode a bit sharper than I’d imagined from watching it.”

A philosophical Quinn added: “He was a long way back – through no fault of the rider – and nearly got there, but well done to the winner – the winning post is where it is! We knew he’d love Leopardstown and he ran very well.”

Zarinsk landed the Listed Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Ingabelle Stakes.

The Ger Lyons-trained filly won a good maiden at the Curragh in May and was then fourth in both her following runs, the Airlie Stud Stakes and the Silver Flash Stakes, Group Two and three contests respectively.

Down in grade and a 9-2 chance in the hands of Colin Keane, the Juddmonte-owned two-year-old ran prominently on the inside rail and broke away from Aidan O’Brien’s Library (2-1 favourite) to prevail by two lengths.

“She’s a lovely filly. We’ve been blessed, our fillies have been pretty precocious this year and they’ve all won their maidens well,” Lyons said.

“They need to step up then to stakes racing. She was a work in progress for the season, and still is I’d say.

“I’ll to talk to the boys and the (Abdullah) family, but I could see us putting her away for next year. She’s got a lovely stride and Colin is quite confident of her getting a mile.”