In the Prix Du Moulin held at Longchamp, Godolphin’s underdog Tribalist, ridden by Mickael Barzalona, provided a surprising Group One victory, dashing the hopes of Aidan O’Brien’s Henry Longfellow which came in third. The horse, trained by Andre Fabre, is considered a back-runner compared to its more successful stablemate, the Guineas and Sussex Stakes champion, Notable Speech. Disregarding his 25-1 odds, Barzalona executed a commendable ride, leading the race from its onset and successfully putting competitors at bay in the false straight.
As the race came to a close, favourite Charyn made an attempt at overtaking Tribalist, but failed to do so as Barzalona still led by over a length. Henry Longfellow lagged behind by another three lengths. Notable Speech disappointingly finished fifth, failing to mark its presence in the race.
“Barzalona used sharp tactics and Tribalist delivered a brilliant start-to-finish performance, all credit to the horse, not me,” said Fabre. The victory marks Fabre’s eighth in the esteemed mile race – a new record. Fabre now plans to enter Tribalist in the Prix La Foret, followed by a potential appearance in the Breeders’ Cup.
The fortunes of O’Brien’s horses over the weekend were far from impressive, touching a low with Henry Longfellow’s defeat. His woes were deepened with events at Kentucky Downs in the US. Greenfinch, O’Brien’s filly, missed a podium finish in Saturday’s Grade Three contest. Chief Little Rock, their Gallinule Stakes champion, did not get to participate in the Grade Two Kentucky Turf Cup following veterinary advice. The race was won by Grand Sonata, a horse trained by Todd Pletcher.
Patrick Foley, another Irish trainer, savoured a successful run at the Kentucky Downs programme, netting a high-value allowance race with the help from jockey Joel Rosario on Special Wan.
The Ballybrit action kicks off the week with a racing event showcasing eight national hunt card rounds, starring the celebrated chaser, Fakir D’oudairies, who will be racing over hurdles for the first time in nearly five and a half years. The seasoned equine performer has been trained by Joseph O’Brien and has had an impressive run over fences of two and a half miles in recent seasons. The steeplechase also sees the return of race horse veteran, Lord Erskine, marking his 61st participation in his career. This stalwart’s triumphs include the coveted winning title of the Irish Cesarewitch in 2017 and a valuable hurdles victory at the previous Dublin Racing Festival.
Riding with Lord Erskine for this event is Rachael Blackmore, who had previously teamed up with Harry Rogers. Having had a successful run at the Galway summer festival, the experienced racer boasts 11 victories out of his past 60 starts.
Another noteworthy horse, Neveradullmoment, following consecutive wins over hurdles at the festival, is once again a strong contender. His impressive Galway record also includes a commendable performance over fences, justifying his reputation as a solid bet in the handicap chase.
Finally, the well-known Willie Mullins brings a fresh challenger, Mummy Derry, who is a sibling of Gold Cup hopeful Spillanes Tower, to the bumper race.