By Alan Carasso
Bush Brave, reigning champion 2-year-old in Poland, stormed through the final 300 metres and came away to an easy defeat of his elders in the Polish St Leger. He became the second horse in three years to sweep the Polish 2000 Guineas, Polish Derby and the St Leger, and joins 2015 hero Va Bank (Ire) (Archipenko) as Triple Crown winners sourced by Bobby O'Ryan at the Tattersalls Ireland yearling sale.
Third of this quintet as Largo Forte galloped along uncontested on the lead, Bush Brave improved a spot through the middle stages and was poised as they rounded the second turn with about 800m to travel. Held together as long as possible by Tomas Lukasek, Bush Brave was finally given his head with less than a quarter-mile to race and kicked readily clear.
Dam of a 2-year-old filly by Excelebration (Ire), who fetched €58,000 at the 2015 Goffs November foal sale, Moriches foaled a filly by Camacho (GB) in 2016. Bush Brave's second dam Almaaseh (Ire) (Dancing Brave) produced Hong Kong Horse of the Year Military Attack (Ire) (Oratorio {Ire}). Bushranger, winner of the 2008 G1 Darley Prix Morny, originally retired to his breeding place at Tally-Ho Stud and was exported to Turkey in 2016. VIDEO
NAGRODA ST LEGER (NB), ZL94,500 (£20,581/€22,155/US$26,589), Sluzewiec (Warsaw), 8-27, 3yo/up, 2800mT, 3:01.3, gd.
1–BUSH BRAVE (IRE), 120, c, 3, Bushranger (Ire)–Moriches
(Ire), by Alhaarth (Ire). (€1,800 Ylg '15 TISEP). O-D Jaskolski;
B-Elaine Banahan; T-W Olkowski; J-T Lukasek; ZL54,000.
Lifetime Record: Hwt. 2yo-Pol, 9-6-2-1, ZL289,400.
2–Largo Forte (GB), 119, c, 3, Rip Van Winkle (Ire)–Passionate
Girl (Ire), by Grand Lodge. ZL21,600.
3–Neo (Pol), 132, c, 3, Ecosse (Fr)–Nowa Nadzieja (Pol), by Jape.
ZL10,800.
Margins: 5HF, 1 3/4, 4HF.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
