By Tom Frary
Having missed out on the G1 1000 Guineas on Sunday, Bye Bye Baby (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) offered quick compensation when winning Saturday's G3 Plusvital Irish EBF Blue Wind S. at The Curragh to get on the increasingly-crowded magic bus to Epsom. This early highlight is in contrast to her 2-year-old profile, when she was a slow learner who took four starts to get off the mark but did so at the expense of the classy Altyn Orda (Ire) (Kyllachy {GB}) by two lengths over seven furlongs at Newmarket in late September. That day she was ridden positively and it was the same story again here as Seamie Heffernan set out to make it a test from the front on the 11-4 second favourite. By the time she had passed the two pole, the daughter of the promoted 2010 Epsom Oaks runner-up Remember When (Ire) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) had the race in safe keeping and her rider who carried a pound overweight was happy to cajole her to the line. She had a comfortable two-length advantage there over the even-money favourite Jaega (Ire) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), who had beaten Wednesday's Listed Cheshire Oaks winner Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) convincingly on her debut. “She'll go to Epsom next,” Aidan O'Brien commented. “She's very straightforward, very uncomplicated and stays well. She's a very well-bred filly, too.”
Only eighth when favoured for the Listed Salsabil S. over 10 furlongs Apr. 22, Bye Bye Baby was performing in line with several of the yard's runners in recent days in finding more than a stone on their seasonal debuts. “You'd be delighted with that and she came forward lovely from Navan,” O'Brien added. “On their first runs I'm never surprised. Obviously we've seen the improvement can be out of this world sometimes. When they start off, they start off, and you just want them to progress. The first day is just the start.” Bye Bye Baby, whose juvenile campaign also featured a win in the Listed Staffordstown Stud S. over a mile at Navan and third in the G3 Killavullan S. at Leopardstown in October, is already one up on her dam who went to Epsom a maiden and retired that way. Her sister Wedding Vow (Ire) captured the G2 Kilboy Estate S. and ran second in the G1 Nassau S., while her brother Beacon Rock (Ire) was an out-and-out stayer whose career highlight came when taking the G3 Gallinule S. here. Remember When's half-brother, the champion Dylan Thomas (Ire) (Danehill), was able to garner the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe for the establishment and is one of two Classic winners out of Lagrion (Diesis {GB}) alongside Homecoming Queen (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) who like this filly took her time to build into a top-class performer. With the unbeaten G1 Cheveley Park S. heroine Queen's Logic (Ire) (Grand Lodge) also featuring along with her GSW descendants Lady of the Desert (Rahy) and Queen Kindly (GB) (Frankel {GB}), this is rare stock. Remember When's 2-y-o colt by Galileo has received a title of gravitas in T.S. Eliot (Ire), while her yearling is the sixth by that sire.
It is clear that Aidan O'Brien is heading to Surrey with plenty of angles despite having two valid favourites for each Classic in Happily (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Saxon Warrior (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}). Perhaps something unprecedented is in the offing. “We'll have to keep going away and see what happens,” he explained. “The lads will decide how many they want to run. If they are there we'll let them run. We'll all learn together, because really from the trials you don't know. You don't know what is a good trial or an ordinary one, so we'll let them in there together and find out together.”
Saturday, Curragh, Ireland
PLUSVITAL IRISH EBF BLUE WIND S.-G3, €75,000, CUR, 5-12, 3yo/up, f/m, 10fT, 2:14.09, hy.
1–BYE BYE BABY (IRE), 121, f, 3, by Galileo (Ire)
1st Dam: Remember When (Ire) (G1SP-Ire & SP-Ire, $146,679), by Danehill Dancer (Ire)
2nd Dam: Lagrion, by Diesis (GB)
3rd Dam: Wrap It Up (Ire), by Mount Hagen (Fr)
1ST GROUP WIN. O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith & Susan Magnier; B-Remember When Syndicate (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Seamus Heffernan. €44,250. Lifetime Record: 8-3-1-1, $109,350. *Full to Wedding Vow (Ire), GSW-Ire & G1SP-Eng, $316,572; Beacon Rock (Ire), GSW-Ire & MGSP-Eng, $234,948; and Bound (Ire), SW-Ire. Werk Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Jaega (Ire), 121, f, 3, Fastnet Rock (Aus)–Farranjordan (GB), by Galileo (Ire). O/B-Newtown Anner Stud Farm Ltd (IRE); T-Dermot Weld. €15,000.
3–Clear Skies (GB), 135, m, 5, Sea the Stars (Ire)–Out West, by Gone West. (500,000gns Ylg '14 TATOCT). O-John P McManus; B-Deerfield Farm (GB); T-Aidan O'Brien. €7,500.
Margins: 2, NK, 2 1/4. Odds: 2.75, 1.00, 10.00.
Also Ran: I'm So Fancy (Ire), Panstarr (GB), Easter Lily (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
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