Goldrush shows 24-carat promise with easy debut victory

Brilliantly bred three-year-old filly Goldrush was last seen in public when bought by China Horse Club for €1.7 million at the Goffs Orby Yearling Sale in September 2015 and her long-awaited racecourse debut had been keenly anticipated.

On Saturday she showed she was well worth the wait as she powered to an impressive victory over 17 rivals in a mile maiden at Navan on her belated first run for trainer Jim Bolger.

Goldrush travelled sweetly for jockey Kevin Manning and hit the front two furlongs from home before drawing clear and finishing three lengths in front of runner-up Wooster, a Duke Of Marmalade gelding saddled by Joseph O'Brien, on the line.

“She did it very nicely, didn't she?” said Mick Flanagan, representing the China Horse Club at Navan. “We've had to be patient with her as each time she did faster work as a two-year-old she'd get a little bit weak, so we were happy to play the waiting game with her, and her pedigree said she'd be better at three and older anyway.

“We'd declared her a few times this year but the ground went against us and we wanted to do the best by her. I'm just so pleased now that we waited and that she has shown what Jim [Bolger] said he was seeing her do on the gallops.”

Flanagan said there were no specific targets in mind for the filly.

“To win like that first time up, you have to be good, and Kevin said when he got off her that he thought she'd improve a little,” he added. “We'll look to give her another run or two this season and hopefully we'll keep her in training at four when she could be even stronger.”

Third home at Navan was the Acclamation gelding World Tax War, trained by Jessica Harrington for owner and breeder Noel O'Callaghan of Mountarmstrong Stud – co-incidentally the breeder of Goldrush.

Goldrush and her entourage: (from left) Jim Bolger, Mick Flanagan and Kevin ManningCredit: Patrick McCann

The reason the filly has been the talk of racing fans before she even stepped foot on a racecourse is not only her price-tag, but also the fact she is by unbeaten dual world champion Frankel out of O'Callaghan's exceptional racemare Alexander Goldrun.

Bolger sent out Alexander Goldrun, a daughter of Gold Away now 16, to win ten races including five at the highest level – the Prix de l'Opera, Hong Kong Cup, Nassau Stakes and two Pretty Polly Stakes. She also finished second in another five Group 1 races, most memorably when just coming off second best in a titanic struggle with Ouija Board in another Nassau Stakes.

Goldrush is only the third foal, second runner and first winner out of Alexander Goldrun, who has produced fewer foals than many mares her age due to bad luck.

The dam's first foal Juniper Tree, a son by Galileo, was a 950,000gns yearling and finished placed in two of his three starts before going to stud in Denmark, and her second was Pietrangelo, another colt by Galileo and a 400,000gns yearling who did not run for David Lanigan and was eventually sold on for just £2,000.

Alexander Goldrun also has a Shamardal two-year-old filly sold to Koji Maeda for €600,000 at Goffs last year, named Une Alliance and exported to Japan.

She has no yearling but delivered a colt foal by Muhaarar and was covered by Kodiac this year.

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