Vocalised's TDN Rising Star Verbal Dexterity Powers To National Glory

With Expert Eye (GB) (Acclamation {GB}) and then Gustav Klimt (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) missing, this renewal may not be as strong as some recent ones but there could be no argument that the emphatic winner Verbal Dexterity performed like a colt with a bright future. Labelled a TDN Rising Star when scoring by

9 1/2 lengths on debut over this course and distance June 10, the imposing bay had come off second best by a length to Beckford in the six-furlong G2 Railway S. here at the start of the following month. Racing close to the pace set by Rostropovich, the homebred was able to assert from Ballydoyle's G2 Futurity S. winner as Kevin Manning started to apply the pressure from halfway. Beckford emerged to take a narrow advantage with two furlongs remaining, but Verbal Dexterity stayed in the fight and his strength over this trip on this ground really began to tell from just inside the final furlong.

Jim Bolger brought St Jovite and his sons of Galileo, Teofilo (Ire) and New Approach (Ire), to capture this en route to further top-table excesses and was placing his seventh winner of the race firmly in their category. “I can see him as being champion European two-year-old. He's the real deal,” he said. “He's as good as any of the two-year-olds I've had. We loved him here the first day and then I got it wrong when I went back to six furlongs in the Railway, but he would have learnt from it. He needs the seven, even though he has plenty of toe. Seven or a mile is his real cut. He handles any ground. It was good ground the last day over six and it was still a good effort. We were fairly optimistic that we would turn the tables going seven. He has a marvellous temperament, great looks. He has everything and is the complete package.”

Bolger's five conquests of the G1 Dewhurst S. could be added to, with the Oct. 14 Newmarket juvenile feature high on the winner's agenda. “He's as good as any of the ones that have won the Dewhurst for us, any of those five. I would think he'll go for that next. He's a very sound, strong-limbed horse and I don't see any problems with faster going or deeper going–it will all come alike to him. There is no need to look beyond a mile. When you have a horse like that, you don't need to think about going further.” Connections of Beckford are looking at returning to six furlongs for the G1 Middle Park S. at Newmarket Sept. 30, while Aidan O'Brien revealed that fellow TDN Rising Star Gustav Klimt was “a bit off” on the morning of the race and expected him to come right in a couple of weeks.

Verbal Dexterity's win is yet another triumph for the legendary racing visionary Bolger, with Vocalised single-handedly bringing the Bold Ruler line to Europe from his trainer's Redmonstown Stud in County Wexford. He was successful in the Listed Loughbrown S. and G3 Tetrarch S. either side of inflicting a defeat on Cityscape (GB) in the G3 Greenham S. in 2009 and has just began to take off thanks to the exloits of his daughters Steip Amach (Ire) and Vociferous Marina (Ire), with the 2-year-olds Sometimesadiamond (Ire) and Warm the Voice (Ire) other notables. The winner is the first living foal out of the maiden Lonrach, a daughter of Luminous One who ran third in the Listed Eyrefield S. and is herself a daughter of the dual listed scorer Smaoineamh. She can boast three other black-type performers among her offspring, headed by the Listed Silver Flash S. winner and G1 Moyglare Stud S. runner-up Luminata (Ire) (Indian Ridge {Ire}), while her Danehill daughter Scribonia (Ire) produced five notable Galileos. Chief among them were the stable's G3 Albany S. and G3 Swordlestown Stud S. winner and G1 1000 runner-up Cuis Ghaire (Ire) and the G1 Coronation S. runner-up Gile Na Greine (Ire) who was third in the 1000 Guineas. Smaoineamh's siblings include the G1 King's Stand S. and G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp-winning sire Double Form (Ire) (Habitat), Scimitarra (GB) (Kris {GB}), who was injured when favourite for the 1987 G1 Epsom Oaks, and Galka (Deep Diver {GB}) who is the second dam of the G1 Phoenix S. heroine Eva Luna (Ire) (Double Schwartz {Ire}). The dam has a yearling full-sister to the winner to come.

Sunday, Curragh, Ireland

GOFFS VINCENT O'BRIEN NATIONAL S.-G1, €350,000, CUR, 9-10, 2yo, 7fT, 1:27.32, s/h.

1–VERBAL DEXTERITY (IRE), 129, c, 2, by Vocalised

1st Dam: Lonrach (Ire), by Holy Roman Emperor (Ire)

2nd Dam: Luminous One (Ire), by Galileo (Ire)

3rd Dam: Smaoineamh (Ire), by Tap On Wood (Ire)

*1st stakes win. O-Mrs J S Bolger; B-Jim Bolger & John Corcoran (IRE); T-Jim Bolger; J-Kevin Manning. €199,500. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0, $277,176. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.

2–Beckford (GB), 129, c, 2, Bated Breath (GB)">Bated Breath (GB)–Whirly Dancer (GB), by Danehill Dancer (Ire). (58,000gns Wlg '15 TATFOA; €55,000 Ylg '16 GOFORB). O-Newtown Anner Stud Farm Ltd; B-Joyce Wallsgrove (GB); T-Gordon Elliott. €70,000.

3–Rostropovich (Ire), 129, c, 2, Frankel (GB)">Frankel (GB)–Tyranny (GB), by Machiavellian. (1,100,000gns Ylg '16 TATOCT). O-Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Susan Magnier & Markus Jooste; B-Epona Bloodstock Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien. €35,000.

Margins: 3HF, 2 3/4, 4HF. Odds: 2.50, 1.50, 7.00.

Also Ran: Coat of Arms (Ire), Lethal Steps (GB), Brother Bear (Ire), Berkeley Square (Ire). Scratched: Gustav Klimt (Ire). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.