Topically named Tiggy Wiggy colt to debut at the Curragh

Sue Magnier must have had a crystal ball to hand when she renamed Tiggy Wiggy's first offspring Year Of The Tiger in the weeks leading up to this year's Aintree festival and Masters at Augusta, with Tiger Roll becoming the first horse since Red Rum in 1974 to win back-to-back Grand Nationals and Tiger Woods sealing his first major championship in over ten years.

The topically-named son of Galileo is one of three juveniles declared by Aidan O'Brien in the 6f at the Curragh on Friday (5.30).

The Coolmore homebred borrows the first three letters of his name from his speedy dam, whose wins in the Lowther and Cheveley Park Stakes earned her the title of champion two-year-old filly in Europe in 2014.

Placed third in the following year's 1,000 Guineas behind Legatissimo, Tiggy Wiggy entered the Coolmore fold when bought by MV Magnier for 2,100,000gns at the Tattersalls December Mares Sale that winter.

The Kodiac mare has been mated exclusively with Galileo since retiring to stud, and also has a yearling colt by the perennial champion sire.

There is evidence that Year Of The Tiger is held in high regard at Ballydoyle, with entries in the Group 2 Railway Stakes at the Curragh and next year's Derby.

Year Of The Tiger shares much in common with last Saturday's Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck, being by Galileo and out of a Group-winning sprinter from a Danehill-line stallion, and time will ultimately tell what the ideal trip is for Year Of The Tiger.

Among his seven rivals on debut are his once-raced stablemate War Leader, a War Front brother to the Tattersalls Gold Cup winner Lancaster Bomber and half-brother to Excelebration; Royal County Down, a first-crop son of Gleneagles bred by Lynch Bages out of the Darley castoff Pearl Grey, and also hailing from Ballydoyle; and Alligator Alley, a Kingman colt who shaped with promise when fourth on his Curragh debut for Joseph O'Brien.

Blue-blooded youngsters also feature among the ten declared runners for the second maiden of the day, the 7f for colts and geldings (6.05).

Aidan O'Brien will saddle three newcomers in Kipling, a Galileo brother to the Irish and Yorkshire Oaks heroine Seventh Heaven; Lope Y Fernandez, a Lope De Vega half-brother to last year's Vintage Stakes scorer Dark Vision; and Mythological, an Australia colt bred by the trainer's own Whisperview Trading.

Joseph O'Brien has another likeable sort on pedigree with Bright Idea, a Zoffany colt out of the stakes-placed Galileo mare Cushion, who in turn is out of the exceptional miler Attraction.

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