Ballydoyle Strikes Early with Tower Of London on World Cup Night

Mark Smith - Sunday March 31

The 2018 Melbourne Cup hero Cross Counter won the Dubai Gold Cup (3200m) at his next start five months later, and  Tower Of London would not be out of place in the famous 2-miler at Flemington judging by his performance in Saturday’s edition of the Group II staying feature at Meydan on World Cup night.

Tower Of London savages the line (image Grant Courtney)

Ridden by Ryan Moore for the Coolmore connection, the 4-year-old son of Galileo came with a barnstorming fihish to defeat Al Nayyir (Dubawi) by two lengths with Trawlerman (Goldern Horn) a further one and a half lengths back in third.

It was the third stakes win for the Aidan O’Brien-trained son of Galileo and his fifth from ten starts.

OTI Racing’s Sevenna's Knight (Camelot) finished solidly for sixth.“He ran a great race, he’s still immature," jockey Mickael Barzalona said:

Advertisement

Nothing could be taken from the winner.

“You would have to be very impressed with that,” Aidan O’Brien said.

What a team! (image Grant Courtney)

“He has become a very classy horse. He is very pacey. He quickens so well. Ryan said there wasn’t much pace on, but he was happy to wait with him like he did in Saudi last month. He settles well, then quickens. And he loves that fast ground on a flat track. I am not sure what the plan will be for him. I don’t know if he would get the trip in an Ascot Gold Cup. He might, though. Ryan said he could drop back to a mile and a half, too, so we have options with him. Races like the Coronation Cup or the Hardwicke Stakes we could think about. Ryan was very confident beforehand. We felt he and Auguste Rodin were our best chances of the day, and it was great to start with a win.”

Bred by Lynch Bages Ltd & Camas Park Stud, Tower Of London is a brother to the Irish Derby winner Capri and a trio of Group III winners Cypress Creek, Brazil and Passion.

Tower Of London’s sister Sovereign Parade is the dam of Commissioning (Kingman) the Champion 2YO Filly in GB in 2022, whose highlight came in the Group 1 Newmarket Fillies' Mile.

Advertisment
More Reading...
Olentia Sells for $2.6million to top MM August Virtual
Group II winning Zoustar mare Olentia was always seen as the likely sale-topper of the Magic Millions August Virtual Sale and she duly sparked interest with Olly Tait of Twin Hills Stud securing the mare on behalf of his international client Wathnan Racing for $2.6million.
Snitzel’s Tyreek Too Good On Debut At Canterbury
Off the back of two unbeaten trial performances, it was no surprise to see the John O’Shea and Tom Charlton trained Tyreek (Snitzel) start well in the money on debut before the 3yo gelding was simply too good for his rivals, winning the TAB Handicap (1200m) on Wednesday at Canterbury.
Extremely Good Week!
It’s been a memorable week for Star Thoroughbreds having sold their multiple Group winning mare Olentia for $2.6million and then the purple and white stars were back in the winner’s circle at Canterbury on Wednesday carried by 3YO Extreme Choice colt Estremo.
First foal Arrives for Mo’Unga
The Kelly family of Newhaven Park have taken an educated gamble on champion New Zealand sire Savabeel and have already struck paydirt with exciting young sire Cool Aza Beel siring Group I winning 2YO Cool Archie and now it’s time for Mo’Unga to make his mark.
Melbourne Cup Possible for G2 Curragh Cup Quinella
The Group II Comer Group International Curragh Cup (1m6f) was run overnight in Ireland with a Galileo quinella for Aidan O’Brien and both Tower of London and Grosvenor Square are somewhere in the mix for the Melbourne Cup having soundly beaten Vauban, who was favourite at Flemington last year.
Breednet Distance Sire Tables Highlight Some Home Truths
The end of season is a great time to look back and assess what has happened in terms of sire results and what may happen in the future and more importantly what all of that might mean for Australian racing.
Sires With Winners - Wednesday August 6
Here is the full list of 49 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
A Family Affair - Russian Camelot Filly Salutes at Sandown
Danny O’Brien enjoyed Group I success with outstanding colt Russian Camelot (IRE), so was understandably excited to produce his first metropolitan winner as a sire at Sandown on Wednesday and Censori comes from a family that he knows inside and out.
First Foal for Golden Mile – Now a Gelding
The Group I MRC Caulfield Guineas has been won in recent years by colts that have gone on to become some of our most exciting young sires - The Autumn Sun, Super Seth and Ole Kirk, but for the 2022 winner Golden Mile that path is not an option.
2025 Cox Plate Entries – Who are the 3YO Cox Plate Dreamers?
108 entries have been received for the 2025 Group I MVRC Cox Plate (2040m) to be run on October 25 with a galaxy of stars that include 11 overseas contenders and a group of new season 3YO’s.