Whirl whizzes to Musidora win as Aidan O'Brien maintains dominance ahead of what could be summer of fun

Daily Mail​

14-05-2025

Much more of this and it might be easier to run the English Classics on the Ballydoyle gallops, such is Aidan O'Brien's dominance.
The last seven days, even by Ballydoyle's sky-high standards, had been extraordinary but then along came Whirl, who delivered a performance at York that might have her connections wondering whether they should rename the filly 'Woosh'.
O'Brien wouldn't be a regular winner of the Tattersalls Muisadora Stakes – he'd only taken the Group Two once in the last 10 years (Snowfall, 2021) – but the manner in which Whirl demolished her five rivals suggested this will be the first of many big race triumphs for her this summer.
Whether she runs next on June 6 at Epsom – as most winners of this contest tend to do – remains to be seen but her emphatic display simply underlined the strength in depth of O'Brien's three-year-olds, who had swept all before them at Sandown, Chester, Lingfield and Leopardstown.
'Ryan Moore said to me he was going to get a good position, keep it simple and if the others caught her, so be it,' said owner Michael Tabor, who was making a rare visit to York to see Whirl and, of course, The Lion In Winter, who runs in Thursday's Dante Stakes.
'I didn't really think Whirl was an Epsom filly, I thought she might be more for the Prix de Diane (French Oaks) at Chantilly but she was very impressive, you have to say that. There is much to discuss with (co-owners) John (Magnier) and Derrick (Smith).'
There certainly is. Never in the modern era has a stable won Sandown's Classic Trial, go on to Chester and taken the Vase, the Cheshire Oaks and the Dee Stakes before ending up in Lingfield and plundering that course's Oaks and Derby trials but O'Brien is inclined to reshape landscapes.
What we know for sure is that his generation is formidable: Whirl, Giselle and Minnie Hauk are three fillies of immense potential, while the colts are brimming with talent. Lambourn, Mount Kilimanjaro, Puppet Master, Stay True and Delacroix are class but what about The Lion In Winter.
Excitement about this handsome bay is huge. He's not been seen since winning The Acomb Stakes at York, the afternoon last August when his much-vaunted former stablemate City Of Troy left everyone breathless, but his price at the head of the market for Epsom has remained solid.
'I think for sure he has been a bit behind in his work,' said Tabor, sounding a note of caution. 'I hope that he runs well, naturally. I hope that he is a Derby horse. I would not be putting any money on him tomorrow but the Derby is different. The ability is still there, he's just playing a bit of catch up.'
It's something to bear in mind. The field for the Dante Stakes is deep and every top stable is represented, including Godolphin who run Alpine Trail after supplementing him for the race, but the indication is that The Lion In Winter has the most talent – and will eventually prove to be the best.
One man who certainly is the best is Moore, the jockey who every time he rides challenges you to find new ways of describing him. Paul Smith, one of the Coolmore hierarchy, likened him at Chester to Roger Federer during his Wimbledon peak years as it is all comes so effortlessly.
If he kept thins devastatingly simple on Whirl, he was power-packed on Inisherin, who took the Group Two Duke Of York Stakes in a style that left you believing there was plenty more to come in the future. He was backed into 11/8 and defeat, really, was never a possibility.
'We discussed last year that if Ryan was available, would we put him up,' trainer Kevin Ryan explained. 'He has ridden so many top horses for so many top people and he will tell you straight if he thinks you have a good horse. There is no going around the corner.'
And did he say Inisherin was a good horse? 'He was very complimentary,' came the reply. 'I'd like to think we have got 20 per cent improvement to come for Royal Ascot.'