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| Staff Writer |
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Rosallion secured a thrilling victory in the Gr.1 Irish Two Thousand Guineas by narrowly overtaking stablemate Haatem. After finishing second in the Gr.1 English Two Thousand Guineas at Newmarket, on 25th May at the Curragh.
Rosallion delivered an impressive performance under jockey Sean Levey, allowing trainer Richard Hannon to claim the top two positions in the race. Reflecting on the win, Levey shared with Racing TV, "I have fond memories of this track, but I've never had such a promising opportunity materialize into a victory like this before."
"My actual worry was Haatem would be a lot better horse on this track and he'd take all the beating. I wasn't too far wrong, but my lad's turn of foot got me out of trouble. He found loads and picked up and felt exceptional."
Jamie Spencer rode Haatem boldly, making a decisive move inside the last two furlongs and seemingly taking the lead ahead of his stablemate, who was the favorite.
This marked a proud achievement for Levey, who has been part of Hannon's team for several years after starting his career with Aidan O'Brien in the mid-2000s.
Levey said, "I thought the race would be a bit like that. He dragged me hard to the line and he had to work hard to get by Haatem. I was confident I was going to get him, especially over that last bit when we were climbing all the time. Hopefully they both come out of it okay, it was a real battle."
Next month at Royal Ascot, Rosallion is anticipated to compete in the Gr.1 St James's Palace Stakes, setting the stage for a potentially thrilling rematch against Notable Speech, the English Guineas winner.
Hannon said, "Standing in the second and third places in the paddock at Newmarket was utterly galling, but this more than makes up for it. It's the icing on the cake.
"Rosallion has always been a little bit special and we built him up quite a lot, so it's lovely to see him win a classic. Both horses ran the races of their lives. Rosallion will go to Ascot now and it'll be a great race for everybody. Haatem's day will come too."
Hannon's affection for Haatem is evident. He expressed, "Haatem showed great courage and ran a wonderful race. It's a shame he didn't win, but I believe his time will come. I have a lot of love for him; he's truly exceptional and a joy to have."
The race was won by a head, with O'Brien's trainee River Tiber finishing a length and a quarter behind in third place.
O'Brien was on his way to congratulate Levey when he was approached to share his thoughts on River Tiber's performance, which may have surpassed expectations. He said, "That was a lovely first run against two good horses. We will have to see now whether he will go over six, seven, or a mile at Ascot."
Rosallion is the first classic winner for Darley's 2023 European champion first-crop sire Blue Point , who stands in Ireland at Kildangan Stud for a 2024 fee of US$65,901, US$1.08.