Tony McFadden reflects on Purple Lily's impressive reappearance success at Naas and how it could bode well for trainer Paddy Twomey.
It's that stage of the Flat season, before dreams are dashed, when trainers can look ahead to the campaign and wonder about what big-race success is in store. Paddy Twomey has more reason to be optimistic than most, though, as he had a talented crop of two-year-olds in 2023, including some credible Classic contenders, particularly in the fillies' division.
One such filly, Purple Lily, enhanced her standing with an authoritative success on her return in a conditions race at Naas on Sunday, improving her Timeform rating to 101p (from 90P) as she forged three lengths clear of the useful Portland who had finished third in the Group 1 Criterium International when last seen in October.
Purple Lily was returning from a longer absence having been off the track since running out a stylish winner of a good-quality Galway maiden on the first of August but, as was the case on debut, Purple Lily saw her race out strongly and was well on top at the finish, leaving the impression that there's more to come when the situation demands it.
Purple Lily was one of ten individual juvenile winners in 2023 for Twomey whose two-year-olds contributed 15 of the yard's total of 28 winners. Five of those juveniles achieved a Timeform rating of at least 100, headed by Beresford Stakes winner Deepone (108), a 33/1 chance for the Derby, and One Look (108p), who put up the best performance by a two-year-old on debut last season when running away with the Goffs Million. She has only two horses ahead of her in the betting for the 1000 Guineas.
Like Purple Lily and One Look, Porters Place (87P) showed notable promise when winning her only start at two, enhancing the yard's fantastic record with those on debut (seven of the yard's ten individual two-year-old winners were successful first time out). Porters Place overcame an unfavourable position, making up plenty of late ground, to land that Curragh maiden by four lengths, earning the Timeform 'Large P' to mark her out as one likely to make significant improvement. She won that contest in the style of one to follow and her reputation has grown since as the three highest-placed runners to have run subsequently have all won.
Adding further strength in depth to Twomey's team is another unbeaten filly in A Lilac Rolla (100p). She took the notable scalp of Opera Singer when last seen at the Curragh in August, narrowly beating a rival who would comfortably win both subsequent starts, including the Prix Marcel Boussac on Arc day, and end the campaign as the highest-rated juvenile filly. She's another to look out for during what promises to be a huge season for one of racing's emerging forces.
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