Tahiyra is favourite for next year’s 1,000 Guineas after bridging a 35-year-gap for trainer Dermot Weld in the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh on Sunday.
Flutter Away in 1987 was Weld’s previous winner of Ireland’s premier race for two-year-old fillies. But three and a half decades later, and with the Moyglare woven into the Longines Irish Champions Weekend concept, the trainer based on the Curragh racecourse’s doorstep looks to have unearthed another exceptional classic prospect.
His previous one, Homeless Songs, failed to fire for the Weld team in Saturday’s Matron Stakes. However, Tahiyra performed an uncanny impression of her older stable companion’s devastating Irish 1,000 Guineas victory back in May.
Despite having only a Galway maiden under her belt the Aga Khan-owned filly produced a superb late burst to overwhelm the unbeaten evens favourite Meditate and see her 2023 classic odds slashed to 4-1 for the Newmarket 1,000 Guineas.
Princess Zahra represented her father as the 100-30 winner, a half-sister to the Breeders Cup champion Tarnawa, on her return to the winner’s spot under jockey Chris Hayes.
“At the moment she’s better than her sister because she’s won her maiden at two and she’s a Group 1 winner,” Hayes said. “I won a maiden on Taranawa as a three-year-old and a Blandford the same year. She (Tahiyra) is terribly exciting.”
As befits someone whose first winner came nearly 50 years ago, Weld had been cautious on the approach to the race. “I was afraid it might just come a little soon in her career at Group 1 level, and I’ve always said what a beautiful filly she would be next spring,” he said. “Chris has been riding exceptionally well for me all year. It was a masterclass of riding in the Group 3 at Leopardstown yesterday [Duke De Sessa].
“I just told him to take his time and make steady progress as she has lots of pace and to come inside the last furlong. It takes confidence. We’ll discuss it but that’s it for this year. She’s a half-sister to Tarnawa. There is tremendous stamina in the pedigree, brilliance and speed. We’ll review it early next spring but obviously one of the classic trials possibly and then one of the Guineas, Irish English or French. But that’s a long way down the line,” he said.
Out of luck on Saturday, Joseph O’Brien notched a 59-1 double on day two of Champions Weekend. The giant Above The Curve, winner of the Group 1 Prix Alary in May, returned to action with a gutsy Group 2 defeat of Insinuendo in the Blandford. However, it was Al Riffa’s pounce from last to first in the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes that had layers forced to cut classic odds for 2023.
O’Brien twice won the National as a jockey and saddled Thunder Moon to win a couple of years ago. It was a landmark first career Group 1 though for jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle.
“As soon as I gave him a little kick in the belly and he moved on to the bridle I was always the winner. I was travelling over the top of them. He picked up good and put it to bed very quick,” said the 19-year-old champion apprentice. “It means a lot. You couldn’t have done it on a bigger stage and it’s great to get one.”
The English favourite Highfield Princess lived up to her billing in style with a third Group 1 victory in just 36 days in the Al Basti Flying Five. Trained by Yorkshire-based Irishman John Quinn, the filly followed up her Nunthorpe and Prix Maurice De Gheest victories with a three-and-a-quarter length success.
“I knew coming into the two [pole] she was giving me some fell – that is the best feel she has actually given me all year,” jockey Jason Hart said before looking on to her running at the Breeders Cup. “It would be nice to go and take on Golden Pal and see how we get on over there. She’s well on track to do it. She’s just spectacular, really.”
Johnny Murtagh left it late to strike over the weekend but made up for that in style with a one-two-three in the concluding Northfields Handicap. The Aga Khan colours were again in the winner’s enclosure through the Jamie Powell-ridden Kerkiyra who led home her stable companions Safecracker and Flying Dolphin.
“It was a long weekend up until this one!” Murtagh joked. “The three horses were going very well at home. Ben [Coen, who rode Safecracker] couldn’t ride this one because she only had 8-8. I thought she was well handicapped claiming the 7lb off her.”
English jockey Charlie Bishop got a two-day ban for careless riding after landing the Tattersalls Auction Race on Streets Of Gold.
