The Group I Phoenix Stakes (6f) at the Curragh featured just five runners and four of them were colts, but it was the Juddmonte homebred filly Babouche that ran out an easy winner, while an unbeaten daughter of Frankel has G1 aspirations.
Trained by Ger Lyons and ridden by Colin Keane, Babouche had won her two previous starts and kept her perfect record intact when she forged clear to win by a length and a half over hot favourite Whistlejacket, the Aidan O’Brien trained colt by No Nay Never.
“Babouche is a good horse and we knew that from the start. Horses like this are hard to find. When lads like us find them, we can do it. She will stay over this trip until she tells me. For now the plan is the Cheveley Park and that will be her done for the year. There is no rush to step up in trip,” said Ger Lyons.
The eighth Group I winner for Kodiac, Babouche is a full sister to multiple Group winner Zarinsk and is the second stakes-winner among six winners from stakes-winning Arch mare Pavlosk.
Kodiac has just one son at stud in Australasia and that’s his dual Group I winning sprinter Hello Youmzain (Fr), who shuttles to Cambridge Stud in New Zealand and will have his first local runners this season.
The Group III Sweet Solera Stakes (7f) at Newmarket was also won by an unbeaten two year-old filly with the Aidan O’Brien trained Lake Victoria scoring by two lengths for Sean Levey.
“She’s a quality filly and on the back of that, it’ll be interesting to see what they do next,” said Levey.
“She’s a strong filly with plenty of scope and there’s no doubt she will improve. There’s plenty of speed in the pedigree and on the back of that I think there will be plenty of options.”
A homebred for the Coolmore partners, Lake Victoria is now two for two and is a three-quarter sister to Group II placed Bluegrass and is the best of three winners from dual Group I winning sprinter Quiet Reflection, a daughter of speed sire Showcasing.
Lake Victoria is the 100th Group winner for Frankel and is his 147th stakes-winner.
