By Tom Frary
While visually making heavy weather of bringing up a third renewal of Navan's Listed Bar One Racing Vintage Crop Stakes on Saturday, Ballydoyle's stayer supreme Kyprios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) is back and at this point still in command of this sphere. Those unaccustomed to the way the 7-year-old operates would have found themselves underwhelmed at the way he took a relative age to subdue the drastically overmatched Poetic Sound (Ire) (Poet's Word {Ire}) in this 14-furlong warm-up for the season's Cup races, with even takers of the cramped 1-7 on offer faced with an anxious spell as Ryan Moore got to work.
In the event, despite the efforts of the Moyglare-bred jewel to disguise his superiority it was doomed to failure as his rival caved and he stretched on to win by two lengths from the closer Enfranchise (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}). “Kyprios just does what he has to do and Ryan was very happy with him, so we're delighted,” Aidan O'Brien said. “The plan will be to go back to Leopardstown [for the Saval Beg Stakes] and then the Gold Cup.”
“He is just totally relaxed, he's in second gear all the time and he's very classy. Ryan rides him great and he has a big team around him. He's a remarkable horse, he's as enthusiastic as he ever was, he was like that as a two-year-old as well and his demeanour hasn't changed. It is pure, raw ability with him.”
KYPRIOS! 😍
The three-time Listed @BarOneRacing Vintage Crop Stakes winner @NavanRacecourse 🥇
A treble for team @Ballydoyle 🙌 pic.twitter.com/rdHsykBbSo
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) April 26, 2025
Kyprios' pedigree has been covered countless times, but it is worth reiterating what an outstanding producer Moyglare's Polished Gem (Ire) (Danehill) has been. This evergreen performer joins the likes of his dual G1 Irish St Leger-winning full-sister Search For A Song (Ire) and the G1 Prince of Wales's Stakes winner Free Eagle (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}) and a clutch of other Group winners to have come from the stellar mare.
Saturday, Navan, Ireland
BAR ONE RACING VINTAGE CROP STAKES-Listed, €52,500, Navan, 4-26, 4yo/up, 14fT, 3:15.17, sf.
1–KYPRIOS (IRE), 136, h, 7, Galileo (Ire)–Polished Gem (Ire) (2x Broodmare Of The Year-Ire), by Danehill. O-Moyglare, Magnier, Tabor, Smith & Westerberg; B-Moyglare Stud Farm Ltd (IRE); T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore. €31,500. Lifetime Record: MG1SW-Eng, Fr & Ire, 20-16-2-0, $3,301,607. *Full to Search For A Song (Ire), MG1SW-Ire, SW & GSP-Eng, G1SP-Fr, $1,086,486; Falcon Eight (Ire), GSW-Ire & SW-Eng, $409,006; Amma Grace (Ire), SW & GSP-Ire; and 1/2 to Free Eagle (Ire) (High Chaparral {Ire}), G1SW-Eng, GSW & G1SP-Ire, $926,416; Sapphire (Ire) (Medicean {GB}), MGSW & G1SP-Ire, GSW-Eng, $518,947; Custom Cut (Ire) (Notnowcato {GB}), MGSW-Eng & Ire, $951,925; and Valac (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), GSW-Aus, $448,653.
2–Enfranchise (Ire), 126, m, 7, Invincible Spirit (Ire)–Saoirse Abu, by Mr. Greeley. (68,000gns 4yo '22 TATMA). O-Mrs A F Mee; B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Willie McCreery. €10,500.
3–Poetic Sound (Ire), 131, g, 4, Poet;s Word (Ire)–Ceoil An Aith (Ire), by Accordion (Ire). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O/B-John Keaney Keaney (IRE); T-Ger Lyons. €5,250.
Margins: 2, SHD, 2HF. Odds: 0.14, 9.00, 11.00.
Also Ran: Barnso (GB), Bay Of Sanibel (Ger), Sonnyboyliston (Ire). Scratched: Dawn Rising (Ire), Leinster (Ire).
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