Guineas redemption for Rosallion at the Curragh
The Richard Hannon-trained Rosallion (3 c Blue Point – Rosaline by New Approach) earned redemption for his last-start second-placed finish in the English 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) when he produced a fine effort to land the Irish equivalent at the Curragh on Saturday.
The son of Darley shuttler Blue Point (Shamardal) always looked to be travelling comfortably throughout and when Sean Levey asked for his effort he responded, reeling in the longtime leader and stablemate Haatem (Phoenix Of Spain), who was third in the English Guineas, eventually beating him by a head.
Last season’s Coventry Stakes (Gr 2, 6f) winner River Tiber (Wootton Bassett) finished third, another length and a quarter adrift, on his seasonal reappearance.
Following the win, Levey told Racing TV: “I’ve great memories already at this track, but I’ve never come here with a good chance like him and have it actually pay off.
“My actual worry was Haatem would be a lot better horse on this track and he’d take all the beating. I wasn’t too far wrong, but my lad’s turn of foot got me out of trouble. He found loads and picked up and felt exceptional.”
Rosallion was cut into 7-4 (from 3) by Betfair Sportsbook and Paddy Power for next month’s St James’s Palace Stakes (Gr 1, 1m) at Royal Ascot, when he could have a fascinating rematch against English Guineas winner Notable Speech (Dubawi).
Hannon said: “Standing in the second and third places in the paddock at Newmarket was utterly galling, but this more than makes up for it. It’s the icing on the cake.
“Rosallion has always been a little bit special and we built him up quite a lot, so it’s lovely to see him win a Classic. Both horses ran the races of their lives. Rosallion will go to Ascot now and it’ll be a great race for everybody. Haatem’s day will come too.”
Rosallion was adding a second elite-level victory to his CV in Saturday’s Classic, having taken out the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere (Gr 1, 1400m) at Longchamp on his final start as a juvenile last October.
Bred and raced by Sheikh Mohammed Obaid Al Maktoum, the colt is from the same family as Inisherin, winner of the Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock earlier in the afternoon, being out of Rosaline (New Approach), an unraced half-sister to that colt’s Group 1-winning dam, Ajman Princess.
Blue Point will return to the Hunter Valley this season where he will stand for an unchanged fee of $44,000 (inc GST).