Curragh: Babouche foils Whistlejacket to take Phoenix Stakes and stay unbeaten

Babouche maintained her unbeaten record with an impressive display in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh; also on the card, the beautifully-bred Delacroix opened his account at the second time of asking; Aidan O'Brien and Ryan Moore doubled up with Ides Of March

Saturday 10 August 2024 17:26, UK

Babouche maintained her unbeaten record with an impressive display in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh.

The Ger Lyons-trained filly came out on top in a good battle with Aidan O'Brien's Whistlejacket, denying the Ballydoyle handler an 18th victory in the Group One showpiece.

Babouche - owned by Juddmonte, just like Lyons' previous Phoenix winner Siskin - oozed class throughout, with Colin Keane seemingly always having all bases covered.

Ryan Moore tried to dictate on Whistlejacket, an impressive winner of the July Stakes at Newmarket last time out, but always looming on his inside was Babouche.

When Moore injected pace, Keane was able to move up alongside effortlessly on the only filly in the race.

As Babouche was asked to put the contest to bed, she quickened up smartly and the 5/2 shot was a comfortable one-and-a-half-length winner at the line.

Delacroix does it nicely to get off the mark at the Curragh

The beautifully-bred Delacroix opened his account at the second time of asking at the Curragh, with any number of eyecatching performances in behind him.

By Dubawi out of Tepin, who came from North America to win the 2016 Queen Anne Stakes, the O'Brien-trained colt had finished an encouraging second on his debut at Leopardstown.

Having survived a scare at the start when Delacroix was unruly in the stalls, Moore was keen to set the pace on the 2/5 favourite.

Sheila Lavery's outsider Pickersgill briefly threatened to play a part in the finish before fading, but ran with a deal of promise, as did Joseph O'Brien's Dante's Lad, who finished third.

Perhaps the one for the notebook, though, was Acapulco Bay, a stablemate of the winner, who only had two behind him entering the final furlong but flew home for second, beaten a length and three-quarters.

The winner was cut to 25/1 from 33s by Betfair and Paddy Power for next year's 2000 Guineas.

"He was very green the first day and he's still very green. Ryan said they were waiting in the stalls a long time and he had a hold of him, but when he let him go he just went up," said O'Brien.

"He's still babyish and he'll probably come forward plenty. He's probably going to be a lovely middle-distance horse.

"The second horse had a lovely run. You don't know what they are going to do first time. I said to Wayne (Lordan) to give him a chance the first half to see what he's going to do the second half and he was coming home."

O'Brien and Moore doubled up with even-money favourite Ides Of March in the Revamp Conservation And Restoration Irish EBF Maiden.

Fourth on debut over six furlongs, he was then a beaten favourite over a furlong further but made no mistake back down at six and is as low as 25/1 for the 2000 Guineas with some firms, although O'Brien views him as more of a sprinter.

"Coming back in trip suited him and he could be a Group sprinter. He's a powerful, big horse," he said.

"He could be one for something like the Middle Park with a run in between.

"I think there is a six-furlong Listed race back here that he could go for next."