Sarrocchi© Photo Healy Racing
The Aidan O’Brien trained Sarrocchi has had an extraordinary week, and five days after topping a Horses-In-Training Sale at Goffs, today landed a sizeable gamble on debut in the opening Tote Irish EBF (Fillies) Maiden at Leopardstown today, to provide her jockey Michael Hussey with a first winner this season.
The daughter of Galileo went through the Sales ring at Goffs for E215,000 on Tuesday, having been previously registered in the ownership of China Horse Club International Ltd, but today scored in the colours of Mrs John Magnier and Mrs E. Irwin.
Racing from stall 16, the juvenile daughter of Galileo raced in mid-division and had plenty on her plate with two furlongs to race. However she picked up strongly when Hussey asked for maximum effort in the closing stages and in the end reeled in New To Town close home, to score by a length and a quarter.
In the betting market, there were initially no takers at 10/1 last night and early this morning about Ballydoyle newcomer Sarrocchi winning, but at approximately 11am her price was gradually cut. She opened up a 6/1 chance on track, and was eventually returned the heavily supported 7/2 favourite.
O’Brien can today enter the history books with a 26th Group 1 winner of the year at Doncaster and after Sarrocchi’s win, jockey Hussey, who won the Listed King George V Cup last year for the trainer with The Major General, stated “she's (Sarrocchi) a nice filly and did it the hard way, as she was as green as grass early. When she got going she got going well.
“She's been doing things right at home and as usual ours take a run but she got it right.
“She should be a mile plus filly next year.”
Quotes from Gary Carson
