Breeders’ Cup hero Victoria Road, Cairo lead European-based Triple Crown nominees

Feb 08, 2023 Kellie Reilly/Brisnet.com

Irish maestro Aidan O’Brien has nominated three colts to the 2023 Triple Crown, including Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) winner Victoria Road. The lone British-based nominee, Wigmore Street, is a promising son of American Pharoah. Owner/breeder Charles Fipke has hopefuls on three continents, but his top contender could be Shirl’s Bee in Dubai.
Let’s look at the seven European-trained nominees, who have yet to race on dirt, plus Shirl’s Bee, who has won on dirt at Meydan.

Cairo

The O’Brien nominee with the clearest hope of acting on dirt is Cairo, by multiple Grade 1 star Quality Road, who was the erstwhile favorite for the 2009 Kentucky Derby (G1) before being sidelined. Yet to finish out of the top two, Cairo just missed in his unveiling at the Curragh before scoring at the same venue over a mile. He didn’t have the speed to reel in Fipke’s quick filly Spirit Gal in the seven-furlong Star Appeal S. on the Dundalk Polytrack, but relished the stiffer stamina test of the Oct. 15 Killavullan (G3) on a rain-softened course at Leopardstown.

Cairo is much the best in the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes -- an 11th win in the race for Aidan O'Brien this century @LeopardstownRC pic.twitter.com/bJ9bgnTNyl

— Horse Racing Ireland (@HRIRacing) October 15, 2022

Cairo was pre-entered in the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, only he ended up not making the trip. He likely would have been better fancied than Victoria Road, leaving an intriguing question of how he might have fared at Keeneland. Note that Cairo comes from the extended family of $16 million-earner Mishriff, most accomplished on turf but also successful in the 2021 Saudi Cup on dirt.

Victoria Road

Victoria Road started out in rather low-key fashion, then finished his juvenile season strong with four wins in a row. The May foal was an educational fourth on debut at Roscommon, just a couple of days after his actual birthday, and he placed second in his next two at the Curragh and Naas. Although Victoria Road finished fourth back at Naas on Aug. 1, that represented a real step forward, coming in the valuable Ballyhane race versus better company.

From that point on, Victoria Road was unbeatable. He broke his maiden at Gowran Park and ventured to France for a pair of stakes. Victoria Road captured a listed event at Deauville, edging future Prix Marcel Boussac (G1) romper Blue Rose Cen, and stepped up to about 1 1/8 miles to win the Prix de Conde (G3) at Chantilly. In the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, Victoria Road cut back in trip to a mile and nipped heavy favorite Silver Knott in a climactic stretch run.

Victoria Road’s pedigree is very much geared toward turf,
and he hails from the excellent family of globetrotting champion Magical. But
his young sire, Saxon Warrior, descends from the male line of 1989 Kentucky
Derby and Preakness (G1) legend Sunday Silence. If Victoria Road can transfer
his ability to dirt, it would add to Saxon Warrior’s profile as a Coolmore
stallion.

Greenland

Stablemate Greenland is likewise an improving son of Saxon
Warrior from a turf-oriented family. The only nominee who has competed on the
European Road to the Kentucky Derby, Greenland earned two points for finishing
fourth in the Sept. 24 Royal Lodge (G2) at Newmarket. Granted, it was just a
four-horse field, but he was beaten a little over a length after being slightly
compromised by a rival. Moreover, the Royal Lodge shapes up as a key race:
runner-up Dubai Mile came back to take a French Group 1, and beaten favorite
Flying Honours promptly rebounded in the Zetland (G3).

Wigmore Street

While Coolmore partner Michael Tabor is involved in the Ballydoyle-based trio, he has a smart prospect of his own in Wigmore Street. The American Pharoah colt is out of Tabor’s Marylebone, winner of the 2003 Matron (G1).

Wigmore Street rolled to a smart debut win at Kempton for the father-and-son training duo of Simon and Ed Crisford. Drafting just behind the leaders in a one-mile novice, he quickened through his last three furlongs in :35.12 on the Polytrack to win by five lengths.

Proper debut!

Michael Tabor's Wigmore Street (American Pharoah) absolutely bolts up in the @BritishEBF Future Stayers' Novice Stakes @kemptonparkrace for @SimonCrisford @edcrisford and @the_doylerpic.twitter.com/Tt0nupZG16

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) December 19, 2022

Jockey James Doyle, speaking to RacingTV afterward, described Wigmore Street as a “relaxed character” who will “probably sharpen up with racing” and develop into a 1 1/4-mile horse in time. Like the O’Brien colts, Wigmore Street has been nominated to the Mar. 25 UAE Derby (G2) on Dubai World Cup night. 

Shirl's Bee

Dubai-based Shirl’s Bee could be one of the main players in the UAE Derby, if he passes his test in Friday’s UAE 2000 Guineas (G3). The Fipke homebred brought a big reputation into his Meydan debut on Dec. 23, and he duly won over the metric mile, beating an impressive next-out winner. Shirl’s Bee is trained by American expat Doug Watson, who’s topped the UAE standings seven times.

Sporting a totally Fipke pedigree, Shirl’s Bee is from the first crop of Grade 1 winner Bee Jersey and out of a full sister to 2011 Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) upsetter Perfect Shirl. Thus he comes from the all-star family of Shirl’s Speight and Lady Speightspeare.

Fipke has another nominee with Watson, Distinct Tale, who was eighth in his lone start so far at Jebel Ali, as well as a once-raced hope in Japan, Kana Always, likewise eighth in a turf maiden last fall.

Stormy Entry

Two Fipke nominees are with trainer Willie Browne in Ireland – Stormy Entry, who just won recently at Dundalk, and the unraced Paradise Perfect, a descendant of Hall of Famer Miesque.

Stormy Entry was a slow-starting second on debut at Dundalk Dec. 16, but he was much more on the ball to stalk and pounce over the same Polytrack venue Jan. 18. By turf star Point of Entry, Stormy Entry is out of 2016 Natalma (G1) runner-up Stormy Perfection. His dam is a close relative of multiple Grade 1 victor Tale of Ekati, fourth in the 2008 Kentucky Derby.

Stormy Entry looks a decent prospect and strikes second-time up in the lucky last for Seamie Heffernan and Willie Browne at @DundalkStadium

Today's winners here https://t.co/GI57hUtDeF pic.twitter.com/cOSQFfgM9z

— Racing TV (@RacingTV) January 18, 2023

Nation's Call

Legendary Irish horseman Dermot Weld has one nominee, Nation’s Call. A son of the unbeaten phenom Frankel, and from a prolific Moyglare Stud family, Nation’s Call was unplaced in turf maidens last summer. He was a closing sixth behind the classy pair of Hans Andersen and Al Riffa at the Curragh and fourth to another well-regarded colt, Denmark, at Naas.

It remains to be seen if any of these nominees will opt for the upcoming scoring opportunities on the European Road – the Mar. 1 Road to the Kentucky Derby conditions race at Kempton, the Mar. 3 Patton S. at Dundalk, and the Mar. 30 Cardinal conditions race at Chelmsford.

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