PRINCE RISES TO ROYAL OCCASION
Accounting for The Last Lion (Ire) (Choisir {Aus}) going five furlongs at Beverley in his only prior start last month, Robert Cowell trainee Prince of Lir (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) rose to the occasion and caused an 8-1 stir when grinding out a game success from that familar foe in Thursday's G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot. Well away from the two box to stalk the pace in the second rank, he was under mild niggling from halfway and was resolute under a power drive once throwing down the gauntlet at the eighth pole to bravely assert by a half length, with Silver Line (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) finishing a neck off The Last Lion in third. “It's a great buzz and you work for days like these,” said jockey Luke Morris after registering his first winner at the Royal meet. “He's only had one start and is a little bit inexperienced, but he's a very talented horse. Once he met the rising ground and got rolling, he put the race to bed.”
Wednesday, Royal Ascot, Britain
NORFOLK S.-G2, £100,000, ASC, 6-16, 2yo, 5fT, 1:01.17, sf.
1–#@PRINCE OF LIR (IRE), 127, c, 2, by Kodiac (GB)
1st Dam: Esuvia (Ire), by Whipper
2nd Dam: Aoife (Ire), by Thatching (Ire)
3rd Dam: Aunt Hester (Ire), by Caerleon
(£40,000 Ylg '15 DNPRM; £170,000 2yo '16 GOFBRE). O-The
Cool Silk Partnership; B-Philip & Orla Hore (IRE); T-Robert
Cowell; J-Luke Morris. £56,710. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0,
$103,307. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Werk Nick Rating: C.[bullet ad=”itm-g2-g3″]2–The Last Lion (Ire), 127, c, 2, Choisir (Aus)–Mala Mala (Ire), by
Brief Truce. (€82,000 Ylg '15 GOFORB). O-John Brown &
Megan Dennis; B-Barronstown Stud & Mrs T Stack (IRE);
T-Mark Johnston. £21,500.
3–Silver Line (Ire), 127, c, 2, Dark Angel (Ire)–Admire the View
(Ire), by Dubawi (Ire). (€67,000 Wlg '14 GOFNOV; 150,000gns
Ylg '15 TAOCT). O-Godolphin; B-Ringfort Stud (IRE); T-Saeed
bin Suroor. £10,760.
Margins: HF, NK, HF. Odds: 8.00, 20.00, 3.50.
Also Ran: Peace Envoy (Fr), Global Applause (GB), Legendary Lunch (Ire), Big Time Baby (Ire), Nuclear Power (GB), Red Lodge, Prince of Cool (GB), Plata O Plomo (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
With this victory, Prince of Lir maintained his unbeaten record after a May 28 debut score at Beverley, but has no immediate targets according to trainer Robert Cowell, who will take stock before committing to his next start. “He's a pocket rocket–he's not very big, but is very well formed and mature, and has shown a lovely attitude,” the Cambridgeshire-based trainer said. “He looked a little outpaced at halfway, but he's a little bit lazy and very relaxed, and found the gears where it mattered. This is very special and I'm delighted for the owners and everyone at home. He'll stay at five furlongs and we won't go to any other trip at the moment. I think Goodwood would be out, unless it was easier ground, as the track there is too sharp for him. We'll sit back, let the dust settle and look at what might be useful to him.”
Mark Johnston was satisfied with performance of The Last Lion, who once again came up just short of Prince of Lir. “The form is usually right, he's run to the form of his Beverley race and the winner has improved a bit for his second run,” he said. “[Jockey] Joe [Fanning] felt he had it won a furlong out, but the other horse went past him although it looked like he was coming back a wee bit at the line.” Pondering future options, the trainer added, “I think we would be opened minded on trip. I don't think we should say he's better on soft ground as his form on fast ground is very good. Some horses don't handle soft ground, but he showed he does which makes him more versatile. We could go to Deauville [for the July 2 G3 Prix du Bois] in a couple of weeks now.”
Godolphin's John Ferguson was just as pleased with the performance of third-placed Silver Line and indicated a trip to Glorious Goodwood is on the cards for the Tattersalls October acquisition, saying, “He's run really well and what really pleased me is he ran all the way to the line. I think we'll probably step him up in trip on slightly better ground. We're very happy with him. We may look at the [July 28 G2] Richmond, or a race similar to that.”
Prince of Lir, who is full to a yearling filly by Kodiac (GB), is out of a winning half-sister to GSW Respendent Glory (Ire) (Namid {GB}). His second dam Aoife (Ire) (Thatching {Ire}) is a winning half-sister to G2 King's Stand S. third Funny Valentine (Ire) (Cadeaux Genereux {GB}) and the stakes-placed Dame Hester (Ire) (Diktat {GB}), who in turn is the dam of last term's G3 Hamburger Flieger Preis victor Donnerschlag (GB) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}).
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