3 minute read
Heliac prevails in the Noblesse Stakes
Fresh from landing their first Classic with Siskin (First Defence) in the Irish 2,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) on Friday, Ger Lyons and Colin Keene paired up again to win the Levmoss Stakes (Listed, 1m6f) at Leopardstown with Nickajack Cave (4 g ex Could You be Loved by Montjeu), who became the 30th stakes winner for Kendargent (Kendor).
The four-year-old gelding ate up ground in the straight and beat the Joseph O’Brien-trained and Lloyd Williams-raced Twilight Payment (Teofilo) by a length and a half, with Falcon Eight (Galileo) another five and a half lengths further adrift in third.
Purchased by Gaelic Bloodstock for £65,000 at the 2017 Goffs UK Doncaster Premier Yearling Sales, Nickajack Cave is out of the unraced Montjeu (Sadler’s Wells) mare Could You be Loved.
The gelding’s third dam is Listed winner Specify (Alleged) - the dam of Group 3 winner Fate (Teofilo) and multiple Group 1 winner Pride (Peintre Celebre), who in turn produced Group 2 winner One Foot In Heaven (Fastnet Rock).
Further back this 1,000 Guineas (Gr 1, 1m) winner Speciosa (Danehill Dancer), Grade 3 winner Major Rhythm (Rhythm) and Listed scorer Special Meaning (Mount Nelson).
Assistant trainer Shane Lyons said: “Colin was brilliant on him. He was drawn wide and said he’d drop him in as he always felt there was going to be pace in the race and he let him enjoy himself.
“For the first couple of furlongs he thought the ground was going to be a bit quick for him, but he warmed into it lovely. He latched on three furlongs out and Colin said he felt like a really good horse.
“This horse and Bucky Larson have been companions of Siskin, so he deserves this. The way he’s won there the plan could be to go to York for the Ebor. He’s after getting that trip well.”
A winning weekend for @gerlyonsracing & @ctkjockey as they add the Listed Saval Beg Stake with Nickajack Cave at @LeopardstownRC.
— Goffs UK (@GoffsUK) June 14, 2020
Sold at the Premier Sale by Coulonces Sales @AnnaSundstr to @GaelicBs.
Well done to all winning connections pic.twitter.com/uS0uxUsgVl
Later on in the afternoon, Lyons and Keene were successful again as Heliac (4 f ex Solar Pursuit by Galileo) landed the Noblesse Stakes (Listed, 1m4f) and handed Champs Elysees (Danehill) with his 30th stakes winner.
The Juddmonte Farms-raced four-year-old filly finished off strongly to beat Fresnel (Sea The Stars) by a neck with another half a length back to Loveisthehigherlaw (Kodiac) in third.
The four-year-old filly is out of the winning Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) mare Solar Pursuit, making her a half-sister to three winners.
Solar Pursuit herself is a half-sister to Grade 1 winners Meteor Storm (Bigstone) and Polish Summer (Polish Precedent), Group 3 scorer Host Nation (Grand Lodge) and Listed winner Morning Eclipse (Zafonic).
Further back this is the family of Winter Sunrise (Pivotal) - the dam of Group 1 winner Winsili (Dansili) and Listed scorer Backcountry (Oasis Dream) and Franconia (Frankel) - who landed the Abingdon Stakes (Listed, 1m2f) at Newbury on Saturday.
Winter Sunrise is herself a half-sister to Group 2 winner Ice Blue (Dansili).
“It was important to get black type for her and now that she’s got it so quick we can enjoy the rest of the season,” said Shane Lyons.
“She needed every yard of that and will get further. She won the Red God (Handicap, at Dundalk) and we thought she was well handicapped after that knowing that she would want further, but obviously black type with her pedigree was so important.”
Champs Elysees’ progeny is headed by three Group 1 winners, including dual Australian Cup (Gr 1, 2400m) winner Harlem.
What a finish!
— Horse Racing Ireland (@HRIRacing) June 14, 2020
It was close but in the end the spoils go to the favourite, Heliac, ridden by @ctkjockey for Ger Lyons
@LeopardstownRC pic.twitter.com/ga2MyABJ91
