By Tom Frary
First there was the Live In The Dream (Ire) (Prince Of Lir {Ire}) at 28-1 in the Nunthorpe, then Saturday's Haydock Sprint Cup turn-up courtesy of the 10-1 shot Regional (GB) (Territories {Ire}) and now Moss Tucker (Ire) (Excelebration {Ire}–Rare Symphony {Ire}, by Pastoral Pursuits {GB}) to complete the shock treble at 16-1 in Sunday's G1 Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Flying Five S. at the Curragh, a GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint qualifier. This looked a surefire renewal for the Brits on form, but one by one Highfield Princess (Fr) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) and Art Power (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) wilted leaving it to a triumvirate of outsiders to fight it out.
As the 22-1 shot Get Ahead (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) and fellow outsider at 20-1, Equality (GB) (Equiano {Fr}), tried hard to bring the prize back across the Irish Sea in the closing stages, Billy Lee kept asking the Ken Condon-trained 5-year-old and the response was typically courageous and honest. Using the extra stamina he displayed when taking the six-furlong G3 Phoenix Sprint S. here last time, Moss Tucker forged ahead late to deny Get Ahead by half a length, with Equality eventually beaten another 1 1/4 lengths in third. Following the preceding rain, Highfield Princess was hammered into even-money favouritism but uncharacteristically missed the break and struggled some way out.
“It's fantastic on the Curragh, on the most important weekend in Irish racing. It's just been a great story with this horse how he has progressed and kept improving,” Condon said. “You're thinking if we got placed it would be a super effort and then the heavens opened about an hour and a half ago which helped us a good bit. He was very good here the last day a month ago. We thought that was a career-best and obviously this is another step in the right direction.”
Moss Tucker had been to The Curragh on eight occasions prior to this, with wins in the aforementioned Phoenix Sprint and also the Listed Waterford Testimonial S. in October to his name as well as a third to Art Power in the G2 Sapphire S. In July. Also responsible for upsetting Tenebrism (Caravaggio) in the Listed Woodlands S. at Naas in April, the gelding needed a slice of luck to get one of these on his file but had that in spades here with the British contingent so below-par.
Billy Lee said, “Ken and I love this horse and he has been a brilliant servant who has made his way up through the grades. He is as genuine as they come, things went lovely today–he jumped and travelled well, but when they quickened at the two I thought I was in trouble. He is all heart though, stuck to his guns and really battled hard. He is just a brilliant horse and while we have had a quietish year, this one winner makes all the difference.”
The rain came at the right time!
The big market fancies fail to fire, but this is a great result in the @ABE_Dubai Flying Five Stakes as Moss Tucker strikes for jockey Billy Lee, @kencondonracing and the Charlie Bit Me Syndicate #IrishChampionsFestival pic.twitter.com/bQyqEGoXr1
— The Curragh Racecourse (@curraghrace) September 10, 2023
Pedigree Notes
Moss Tucker's dam Rare Symphony is a half-sister to the GIII Astra S. winner Pantsonfire (Ire) (Sir Percy {GB}) and her Swedish Derby-winning full-brother Bomar (Ire), as well as the stakes-placed Liar Liar (Ire) (Dream Ahead). Also connected to the G1 2000 Guineas hero Island Sands (Ire) (Turtle Island {Ire}), her unraced 2-year-old gelding is by Poet's Word (Ire), while she also has a yearling filly by Sumbal (Ire).
Sunday, Curragh, Ireland
AL BASTI EQUIWORLD, DUBAI FLYING FIVE S.-G1, €400,000, Curragh, 9-10, 3yo/up, 5fT, 1:00.89, g/y.
1–MOSS TUCKER (IRE), 132, g, 5, by Excelebration (Ire)
1st Dam: Rare Symphony (Ire), by Pastoral Pursuits (GB)
2nd Dam: Rubileo (GB), by Galileo (Ire)
3rd Dam: Ruby Affair (Ire), by Night Shift
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. O-Charlie Bit Me Syndicate; B-Mr Donal Spring (IRE); T-Ken Condon; J-Billy Lee. €240,000. Lifetime Record: 30-8-4-7, $444,181. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Get Ahead (GB), 129, f, 4, Showcasing (GB)–Suelita (GB), by Dutch Art (GB).
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. (200,000gns Ylg '20 TATOCT). O-Hot To Trot Racing V; B-Whitsbury Manor Stud (GB); T-Clive Cox. €80,000.
3–Equality (GB), 132, g, 5, Equiano (Fr)–Penny Drops (GB), by Invincible Spirit (Ire).
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. (£50,000 Ylg '19 GOFFPR). O-Kennet Valley Thoroughbreds II; B-Mr & Mrs G Middlebrook (GB); T-Charles Hills. €40,000.
Margins: HF, 1 1/4, 2. Odds: 16.00, 22.00, 20.00.
Also Ran: Ladies Church (GB), Highfield Princess (Fr), Art Power (Ire), Bradsell (GB), Aesop's Fables (Ire), Bouttemont (Ire), Ano Syra (Ire).
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