Lope de Vega's Phoenix of Spain Dominates the Irish 2000 Guineas

Phoenix of Spain | racingfotos.com

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Having played second fiddle to both Too Darn Hot (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Magna Grecia (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) at two, Tony Wechsler and Ann Plummer's Phoenix of Spain (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) arrived at The Curragh a fresh horse on Saturday to put them and all others in their shade in the G1 Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas. Imposing in stature, it may be that the G3 Acomb S. winner and G2 Champagne S. and G1 Vertem Futurity Trophy runner-up needed his collective experience at two and he reappeared a monster whose considerable presence marked this race at every stage. Always happy on the front end, the 16-1 chance had all bar the 6-4 joint-favourite Too Darn Hot in trouble inside the last two furlongs and he quickly put that rival in the red as he stormed to an emphatic three-length success. The champion juvenile was a half length in front of Decrypt (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) at the line, with the other joint-favourite Magna Grecia disappointing in fifth. “I'd be lying if I said I thought he'd win like that, so it's a surprise,” jockey Jamie Spencer said. “He's got a bit more speed this year and I was surprised when I gave him a boot in the belly. He was a bit fresh today, but the last furlong was his best furlong.”

Phoenix of Spain began his juvenile campaign with an encouraging fourth to TDN Rising Star King of Comedy (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) in a seven-furlong Sandown novice contest in July before taking a Wolverhampton contest later that month and the Acomb at York in August. When he met Too Darn Hot in Doncaster's Champagne in September, he appeared to succumb without much of a struggle but there was only a head between him and Magna Grecia in the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster the following month and the evidence stopped there.

Charlie Hills had endured a tough time getting Phoenix of Spain Classic-ready and gave the lowdown afterwards. “We had a setback in January which put us back three or four weeks and it's always hard chasing a horse to get ready for an English Guineas. We did get him there, but unfortunately we had a dirty scope prior to the race so we couldn't run,” he explained. “We had given him a racecourse gallop at Newmarket on Craven week and the week after that he scoped dirty–who knows, it might have been a blessing in disguise. He had some fantastic form last year and at Doncaster [in the Vertem Futurity Trophy] things didn't work out for us. Unfortunately we just got too far back and if we had ridden him a little bit more like today I think he would nearly have won that race.”

This Classic very rarely has hard-luck stories and there were none again this time, with Phoenix of Spain getting pressure from the free-going Emaraaty Ana (GB) (Shamardal) on the front end as Spencer sought to exploit his inside draw. Shaking off that rival heading to the two-furlong marker, he had all the main contenders lined up behind but his giant stride took him into isolation as Too Darn Hot floundered and Decrypt earned third spot in an impressive upgrade from his previous best. “It was very impressive,” Hills continued. “We were slightly concerned with the draw in one and were really conscious to get a good start. The plan wasn't really to make the running, but Jamie gave him an absolute peach and he's some horse.”

“He's a big horse and whatever he did last year was a bonus,” he added. “He's got a hell of a future ahead of him. It's so great for the owners, Ann and Tony, who have put so much into the sport over recent years and deserve every success they get. We'll obviously enjoy today and then sit back down in a couple of days and prepare him for Ascot and the [June 18 G1] St James's Palace. After that we're really looking forward to stepping him up to a mile and a quarter. He has an Eclipse entry as well.”

The dam Lucky Clio (Ire) (Key of Luck) had already produced a variety of performers in the G3 Dee S. third Kingsdesire (Ire) (King's Best), the Listed Rockingham S. and Listed European Free H. third Lucky Beggar (Ire) (Verglas {Ire}) and the G3 Royal Whip S. third Central Square (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}).  A half-sister to the G2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein-winning sire Special Kaldoun (Ire) (Alzao), she also has a 2-year-old full-brother to the winner who was bought for €110,000 by Grove Stud at the 2017 Goffs November Foal Sale and a yearling colt by Awtaad (Ire) who sold to Tally-Ho Stud for €58,000 at the most recent renewal of that auction.

Saturday, Curragh, Ireland
TATTERSALLS IRISH 2000 GUINEAS-G1, €400,000, Curragh, 5-25, 3yo, 8fT, 1:36.52, g/f.
1–PHOENIX OF SPAIN (IRE), 126, c, 3, by Lope de Vega (Ire)
1st Dam: Lucky Clio (Ire), by Key of Luck
2nd Dam: Special Lady (Fr), by Kaldoun (Fr)
3rd Dam: Macedoine (Fr), by King of Macedon (Ire)
1ST GROUP 1 WIN. (78,000gns Wlg '16 TATFOA; 220,000gns Ylg '17 TATOCT). O-Tony Wechsler & Ann Plummer; B-Mrs Cherry Faeste (IRE); T-Charles Hills; J-Jamie Spencer. €232,000. Lifetime Record: GSW & G1SP-Eng, 6-3-2-0, $423,523. *1/2 to Central Square (Ire) (Azamour {Ire}), GSP-Ire; Kingsdesire (Ire) (King's Best), GSP-Eng; and Lucky Beggar (Ire) (Verglas {Ire}), MSP-Eng, $185,021. Werk Nick Rating: B+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Too Darn Hot (GB), 126, c, 3, Dubawi (Ire)–Dar Re Mi (GB), by Singspiel (Ire). O-Lord Lloyd-Webber; B-Watership down stud (GB); T-John Gosden. €80,000.
3–Decrypt (GB), 126, c, 3, Dark Angel (Ire)–She's A Worldie (Ire), by Kodiac (GB). (£55,000 Ylg '17 GOUKPR). O/T-Paddy Twomey; B-Equine Origin Ltd (GB). €40,000.
Margins: 3, HF, NK. Odds: 16.00, 1.50, 20.00.
Also Ran: Skardu (GB), Magna Grecia (Ire), I Am Superman (Ire), Van Beethoven, Mohawk (Ire), Old Glory (Ire), Guaranteed (Ire), Shelir (Ire), Emaraaty Ana (GB), Globe Theatre, Hillwalker (GB). Click for the Racing Post result or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Video, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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