Sun Chariot: Roly Poly in line for Breeders' Cup after third Group One win
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Tue 5 Dec 2023
Watch a full replay of the Kingdom Of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes won by Roly Poly at Newmarket on Saturday.
By Racinguk.com staff
Roly Poly gave Aidan O'Brien a 23rd success at the top level this year - just two short of the late Bobby Frankel's world record - with a typically gutsy performance in the Kingdom of Bahrain Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket.
Taking her personal Group One tally in 2017 to three, Roly Poly just would not give in and kept responding to Ryan Moore's urgings.
Moore had Roly Poly (4-1) smartly out of the stalls and despite being unable to grab the far rail which Dawn Of Hope occupied, was always in a good position.
Dawn Of Hope led briefly, but Roly Poly rallied and went ahead again and was able to hold off Persuasive (9-4 favourite) by a length.
Nathra was a length and a quarter away in third, giving Jimmy Fortune a fine spin on his last ride before retirement.
O'Brien said: "She's a great filly, with a great heart. She's tactical and tough, amazing really. "She's incredibly bred, out of a very good Galileo mare and by War Front, and the lads do a great job with her at home.
Roly Poly is likley to join Aidan O'Brien's burgeoning Breeders' Cup team (PA)
"I think so (go to Breeders' Cup), the lads (Coolomore) will decide what they want to do, but her and Rhododendron could be trained for the Filly & Mare race if that's what the lads want to do."
Roly Poly is now a best-priced 8-1 for the Filly & Mare Turf, which is staged over nine furlongs, but Paddy Power are as short as 5-1 for the Breeders' Cup Mile behind 7-2 Ribchester. The Irish firm also paid out on O'Brien beating Frankel's record.
"It would be incredible for everybody, but the horse always comes first," O'Brien added of being on the brink of eclipsing the American trainer. " That's the important thing - the horse always comes first.
"After every race, the lads sit down and have a chat among themselves and see what race they want to pick, they have a big discussion with the people around them, make a target and we go with that.
"It's race to race, horse to horse, the horse always comes first and we're doing our best in every race, it's all we can do."
John Gosden said of Persuasive and Nathra: "They both ran superbly well. The winner on this ground was too good for us. "With a bit more juice in the ground, both of our fillies would have troubled the winner. They have run second and third and I could not be more thrilled with them.
"They have run true and honest right to the end of the season.
"I think that will probably be it for both of them and the breeding sheds beckon."
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