Beautify too strong for Lady Iman in Airlie Stud Stakes

Beautify showed both plenty of heart and quality to account for Lady Iman at the Curragh and give Aidan O’Brien a fourth straight success in the Airlie Stud Stakes.

Most of the pre-race focus centred on Ger Lyons’ unbeaten 8-15 favourite who skipped Royal Ascot in favour of this Group Two event.

She travelled powerfully before breezing into contention in the hands of Colin Keane – but ultimately she proved no match for Beautify, who stepped up significantly on her debut third at this track and was given a fine front-running ride by Ryan Moore.

The daughter of Wootton Bassett was joined by the big-race favourite who loomed menacingly with a furlong to run, but it was soon one-way traffic as the 2-1 winner galloped on strongly for a two-length success.

“Ryan gave her a lovely ride. She had a lovely run first time and came forward lovely since then,” said O’Brien.

“The plan was to get a run into her and then come here for this race. It’s a very good race, a Group Two, an important race and a great track. It’s a very important race for a filly.”

O’Brien is already eyeing stepping Beautify up to seven furlongs, with a return to the Curragh for the Moyglare Stud Stakes during the Irish Champions Festival a possible option for later in the season.

“Ryan was very impressed. He said he’d love to go up to seven with her, that’s a very good sign when you hear him talking like that,” added O’Brien.

“Obviously she’s a Moyglare-type filly when Ryan says that, but obviously gets six very strong and travelled very strong.

“Ryan said she really got going inside the furlong marker and started to really open up. It’s great to hear that.

“She’s by Wootton Bassett who is an incredible stallion. The speed that they have and they stay, which is incredible. It’s very unusual, loads of speed and trips seem to be no problem to them either.”

Lyons was not too downcast in defeat for Lady Iman: “It was trainer error. It was a proper horse race and the best horse won. She (Beautify) will go forward in trip and I’ll drop back in trip.

“In defence of the best jockey in Ireland he’s been telling me for quite a while that she is a five furlong horse, but I just refused to listen to him.

“She’s a lovely filly. I think the fractions were very quick and when she loomed up to Ryan at the furlong pole I went ‘she’s never that good’, but she just got outstayed.

“She’s a proper horse and she owes us nothing. It would have been lovely to tick the Group Two box but we’ll go back now and look for the fives. Take the winner out of it though and we got six well. Six isn’t beyond us either.

“Sometimes you’d be on the ground when you lose, but I’m not. You walked away there knowing something.

“I can now fix what I know and listen to Colin!”