The Group I smorgasbord of racing continued in Ireland at The Curragh overnight with four G1 races – two of them for juveniles, plus a 5f sprint and the Irish St Leger with all races won by stallions that have shuttled to Australia and all prepared by trainers whose surname is O’Brien.
The Group I Moyglare Stud Stakes (7f) was expected to be won by the hot favourite Sun Goddess and the Sioux Nation filly did not disappoint.
She thrashed her rivals to win by six and a half lengths for Ryan Moore taking her overall to five wins and two seconds from seven starts.=
Her trainer Aidan O’Brien declared the filly a freak and her season may not be over yet either.
Sun Goddess runs for the Coolmore partners and was purchased at the Goffs Premier UK Yearling Sale for £120,000 by Avenue Bloodstock for MV Magnier.
Click here to read more about her pedigree and the Aussie offshoot of this family.
The Group I National Stakes (7f) for the 2YO colts was won by the Joseph O’Brien trained Folsom Blues, who was also a dominant winner scoring by six lengths for Joey Sheridan over his stablemate and race favourite Monogram (Kingman).
Folsom Blues chased Sun Goddess home last start for second in the G1 Phoenix Stakes and has two wins and three placings from five starts with this victory his first stakes win.
A homebred for Al Shira'Aa Racing Limited, Folsom Blues is a half-brother to Group III winner Cote Atlantique, currently campaigning in Australia and second at Flemington last Saturday.
He is the best of three winners from four to race from Group III placed Liwa Palace, a grand-daughter of Group I winner Aquaarid.
Folsom Blues is the sixth Group I winner for Blue Point and one of two on the weekend for his sire joining star mare Blue Bolt, who won the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown on Saturday.
Blue Point shuttled to Darley Victoria for five seasons.
The Group I Flying Five (5f) for the sprinters went the way of the Donnacha O’Brien trained 4YOWootton Bassett stallion Comanche Brave, who made it back to back G1 wins coming out of the July Cup at Newmarket.
Ridden by Billy Loughnane, he scored by a length and a quarter as favourite.
Bred by the O’Brien family’s Whisperview Trading, Comanche Brave races for Muhaideb Almuhaideb and has the overall record of five wins and six placings from 16 starts.
He is the best of three winners from three foals to race from Group III winning Holy Roman Emperor mare Ishvana who traces back to the family of Melbourne Cup winner Fiorente.
Comanche Brave is a dual Group I winner for Wootton Bassett, who died in Australia last September with his final small crop of foals to be born in Australia this spring.
He has two first season sire sons at stud here this spring with Wodeton at Newgate Farm in the Hunter Valley and Royal Patronage (Fr) in WA at Darling View Thoroughbreds.
The Group I Irish St Leger (1m6f) delivered a fifth G1 victory for elite Justify stayer Scandinavia, who is undefeated this year and now riding an eight race winning streak that extends back to July last year.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore, 4YO Scandinavia scored by two lengths as favourite over his stablemates Queenstown and Jan Brueghel.
A homebred for the Coolmore partners, Scandinavia has the overall record of nine wins and two placings from 13 starts.
He is a half-brother to Group I winner Above the Curve and is the second Group I winner among three winners from blueblood Galileo mare Fabulous, an unraced half-sister to champion racehorse and sire Giant’s Causeway.
Fabulous is also a half-sister to Group II winning blue hen You’resothrilling, the dam of Group I winners Gleneagles, Happily, Joan of Arc and Marvellous.
Justify posted a Group I double at the weekend as he also sired the two year-old filly Voyager to win the Group I Natalma Stakes at Woodbine in Canada.
Justify is available for Southern Hemisphere covers at Ashford Stud in Kentucky and has two sons on the roster in Australia this spring with 2024 Champion European 3YO Colt and Horse of the Year, City of Troy standing at a fee of $49,500, while Storm Boy is priced more affordably at $16,500.
