Sun Goddess gives trainer O'Brien 18th Phoenix Stakes victory

Sun Goddess gave Aidan O’Brien a staggering 18th career win in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes for 2-year-olds at the Curragh on Sunday, but the legendary trainer’s first with a filly.

Sun Goddess, who won for the third time in her fifth start in the six-furlong Phoenix Stakes, could be bound for Keeneland and the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf on Oct. 30, O’Brien said in a post-race televised interview.

“I imagine a mile shouldn’t be a problem for her,” O’Brien said.

O’Brien said a trip to the United States is under discussion.

Sun Goddess, who paid $4 as the favorite in American pools, closed from last of eight to win by 1 1/4 lengths over 6-1 Folsom Blues, trained by Aidan’s son, Joseph.

Velozee closed from the back of the field to finish third by 1 3/4 lengths at 10-1.

Sun Goddess, ridden by Ryan Moore, closed sharply to reach the front in the final furlong in the Phoenix Stakes, which was run on a straightaway course.

Sun Goddess was second by a length as the 10-11 favorite in the Grade 3 Albany Stakes for fillies at five furlongs at Royal Ascot on June 19, and won the Group 2 Airlie Stud Stakes for fillies at six furlongs at the Curragh nine days later.

“She’s very special, we think,” O’Brien said.

“Before Ascot she had a foot bruise for a few days. When she got to the front at Ascot, she tired a little bit.”

In the Airlie Stud Stakes, Sun Goddess “won on pure ability and wasn’t at her best,” O’Brien said.

Owned by the Coolmore syndicate and Georg Von Opel, Sun Goddess may have her next start in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at six furlongs at Newmarket on Sept. 26.

O’Brien, 56, won the Phoenix Stakes for the first time in 1998. Sunday’s win was his first in the race since Little Big Bear in 2022.

Samangan wins French Sprint

Samangan, beaten in Group 1 races for 3-year-olds at Royal Ascot and Deauville in the last two months, rebounded with a surprise win in his debut against older horses in Sunday’s Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest for sprinters at Deauville, France.

Samangan, who paid $19.40 in American pools, closed from slightly off the pace in a field of 11 to win by a short neck over 5-1 Division, a 3-year-old who closed well in the final furlong.

The 4-year-old colt Stolen Kiss, the 5-2 second choice, closed from the rear of the field to finish third, a half-length behind Samangan. True Love, the winner of the Group 1 English 1000 Guineas for 3-year-old fillies at Newmarket in May, finished fifth by 1 1/4 lengths as the 2-1 favorite.

Samangan, a colt by Blue Point, won for the fourth time in his ninth start in the $439,400 Prix Maurice de Gheest, run at 6 1/2 furlongs.

Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard for Aga Khan Studs, Samangan was beaten in his first four starts this year. He won a Group 3 and Group 2 stakes at six furlongs last September and October.

Earlier this year, Samangan finished second and fourth in Group 3 sprints for 3-year-olds at Chantilly and Deauville before a sixth-place finish in the Group 1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot in June. On July 12, Samangan was fourth by a length in the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs at Deauville.

“He is a colt we have always held in high regard,” Graffard told the press on Sunday.

“Things did not go as planned at the beginning of the season, but he also needed to gain experience. His previous races have toughened him up, and this victory is the result of the experience he was able to acquire.”

Graffard said Samangan’s next start may be the Group 1 Prix de la Foret, a seven-furlong race at Longchamp Racecourse in Paris on Oct. 4. The $404,000 Prix de la Foret is on the undercard of the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

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