Babouche and Colin Keane© Photo Healy Racing
Ger Lyons and Colin Keane completed an opening race double when Babouche backed up her impressive debut success to run out a gutsy winner of the Group 3 Jebel Ali Racecourse And Stables Anglesy Stakes at the Curragh.
Well touted prior to blitzing her rivals at Cork last month, the Juddmonte owned filly had no difficulty with this significant step up in class.
Prominent in the chasing group as Treasure Isle took the runners along, Colin Keane moved second at halfway before heading the front runner 200 yards out. Camille Pissarro came through to throw down a strong challenge inside the last 150 yards but the Lyons trained daughter of Kodiac showed admirable battling qualities to go away close home for a half-length win.
“She's a filly we've always liked and has a temperament to die for,” said Lyons.
“She's become more switched off since she ran in Cork. It's okay winning in Cork like we did but we learned nothing because she did it all on her own, with the way the race was run.
“Coming here you're lobbing into a proper stakes race against the boys and you are wondering what did she learn.
“Since the run in Cork she's just been so switched off at home. Colin said that you can't get over her temperament.
“She got mashed out of the stalls there, then had to do it the hard way and then got to the front and parked and looked around.
“Maybe she'll improve and she needs to improve if we're going to keep going forward. We'll see how she comes out of it but at the minute we're going to take on the boys in the Phoenix Stakes.
“She doesn't show a whole pile at home since her run. Before her run we knew she was special but since then she shows you nothing.
“I've always said that we're winning our Listed, Group Threes and Twos but for the Group Ones you need the temperament. That can be the final thing that you're missing and she seems to have that.
“I've been blessed since Juddmonte came into the yard, we're always finding one. Last year was the ordinary year but even her sister (Zarinsk) pulled us out of the hole by winning a Group 2.”
On trip for the winner he added:- “At the minute we'll stick to six and see. I would have thought she'll get further until what we've seen on the track.
“Her sister was a seven/miler filly and I can see her doing that. She's going to be a Guineas filly, I'll be training her for the Guineas.”
Additional reporting by Gary Carson
