Roly Poly (foaled 2 February 2014) is an American-bred, Irish-trained

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are ...

racehorse. As a two-year-old in 2016 she won three of her eight races including the

Grangecon Stud Stakes The Balanchine Stakes, also known as the Airlie Stud Stakes, is a Group 2 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), a ...

and the

Duchess of Cambridge Stakes The Duchess of Cambridge Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), a ...

as well as finishing second in the

Cheveley Park Stakes The Cheveley Park Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it ...

and the

Lowther Stakes The Lowther Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run at York over a distance of 6 furlongs (1,207 metres), and it is scheduled to take place each ...

. In the following year she proved herself to be a top-class performer over one mile, recording

Group 1 Group 1 may refer to: * Alkali metal, a chemical element classification for Alkali metal * Group 1 (racing), a historic (until 1981) classification for Touring car racing, applied to standard touring cars. Comparable to modern FIA Group N * Group ...

victories in the

Falmouth Stakes The Falmouth Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run on the July Course at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,6 ...

, Prix Rothschild and

Sun Chariot Stakes The Sun Chariot Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to fillies and mares aged three years or older. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 ...

and running second in both the

Irish 1,000 Guineas The Irish 1,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it is scheduled ...

and the

Coronation Stakes The Coronation Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 7 furlong and 213 yards (1,603 metres), and it is sched ...

Background

Roly Poly is a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a nar ...

mare with a white blaze bred in Kentucky by the Misty For Me Syndicate. As a

yearling Yearling may refer to: *Yearling (horse), a horse between one and two years old *''The Yearling ''The Yearling'' is a novel by American writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, published in March 1938. It was the main selection of the Book of the Mo ...

in September 2015 she was offered for sale at

Keeneland Keeneland Association, Inc. is an equine business based in Lexington, Kentucky. It includes two distinct divisions: the Keeneland Race Course, a Thoroughbred racing facility, and Keeneland Sales, a horse auction complex. It is also known for i ...

but failed to reach her

reserve price In economics, a reservation (or reserve) price is a limit on the price of a good or a service. On the demand side, it is the highest price that a buyer is willing to pay; on the supply side, it is the lowest price a seller is willing to accept ...

of $575,000. She was then sent to Europe and entered training with

Aidan O'Brien Aidan Patrick O'Brien (born 16 October 1969 in County Wexford, Ireland) Aidan O'Brien bio NTRA ...

Ballydoyle Ballydoyle is a racehorse training facility located in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is a sister thoroughbred facility to Coolmore Stud, and both are owned by John Magnier, son in law to the racehorse trainer Vincent O'Brien. The current train ...

. She is owned by John Magnier's Coolmore Stud partnership (officially Michael Tabor, Susan Magnier and Derrick Smith). She was sired by War Front who won the Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap in 2006. Since retiring War Front has also sired War Command, Declaration of War, and Air Force Blue. Roly Poly's dam Misty For Me was an outstanding racemare whose wins included the

Moyglare Stud Stakes The Moyglare Stud Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to two-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres), and it is schedul ...

Prix Marcel Boussac The Prix Marcel Boussac is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to two-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run at Longchamp over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile), and it is sch ...

and Pretty Polly Stakes. As a broodmare, she has also produced Roly Poly's full brother

U S Navy Flag U S Navy Flag (foaled 6 February 2015) is an American-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. In 2017 he became the first horse in 35 years to win both the Middle Park Stakes and the Dewhurst Stakes. As two-year-old he was beaten in his first ...

. Misty For Me's dam Butterfly Cove was a half-sister to Fasliyev.

Racing career

2016: two-year-old season

Roly Poly made a successful racecourse debut on 25 April when she won a

maiden race In horse racing a maiden race is an event for horses that have not won a race. Horses that have not won a race are referred to as maidens. Maiden horse races are held over a variety of distances and under conditions with eligibility based on the s ...

over five

furlongs A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and United States customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, 10 chains or approximately 201 metres. It is now mostly confined to use in hors ...

Naas Racecourse Naas Racecourse is a horse racing venue in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland, approximately 18 miles from Dublin. The course stages both Flat racing and National Hunt racing and in 2010 fifteen race meetings were held there. The Naas Races Company ...

, starting at odds of 10/1 and prevailing by a short head from the

David Wachman David Wachman (born 5 July 1971) is a retired Irish racehorse trainer who specialised in flat racing. Before taking out his own licence to train horses, Wachman worked for trainers in Ireland ( Jessica Harrington, Michael Hourigan and Jim Bolg ...

-trained Gone To Russia. The filly was immediately stepped up in class and matched against male opposition for the Listed Marble Hill Stakes at the

Curragh The Curragh ( ; ga, An Currach ) is a flat open plain of almost of common land in County Kildare. This area is well known for Irish horse breeding and training. The Irish National Stud is located on the edge of Kildare town, beside the ...

in which she finished fourth behind her stablemate

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of hi ...

. She was then sent to England for the

Group 2 The term Group 2 may refer to: * Alkaline earth metal, a chemical element classification * Astronaut Group 2, also known as The New Nine, the second group of astronauts selected by NASA in 1962 * Group 2 (racing), an FIA classification for cars in a ...

Queen Mary Stakes The Queen Mary Stakes is a Group 2 flat horse race in Great Britain open to two-year-old fillies. It is run at Ascot over a distance of 5 furlongs (1,006 metres), and it is scheduled to take place ...

Royal Ascot Ascot Racecourse ("ascot" pronounced , often pronounced ) is a dual-purpose British racecourse, located in Ascot, Berkshire, England, which is used for thoroughbred horse racing. It hosts 13 of Britain's 36 annual Flat Group 1 horse races a ...

on 15 June but proved no threat to the American filly Lady Aurelia and came home in eighth place. Eleven days after her run at Ascot Roly Poly was made 3/1 favourite for the Grangecon Stud Stakes over six furlongs on yielding ground at the Curragh. Ridden by Ryan Moore she settled behind the leaders before making steady progress in the last quarter mile, gaining the advantage in the final strides and winning by a neck from the English challenger Seafront. On 8 July Roly Poly was back in England for the Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes at

Newmarket Racecourse Newmarket Racecourse is a British Thoroughbred horse racing venue in Newmarket, Suffolk, Newmarket, Suffolk, comprising two individual racecourses: the Rowley Mile and the July Course. Newmarket is often referred to as the headquarters of ...

and started the 6/1 third choice in the betting behind Bletchley (runner-up in the Albany Stakes) and the Godolphin representative Nasimi. With Moore again in the saddle she was among the leaders from the start and went to the front inside the final furlong despite hanging left under pressure. She kept on well in the final strides to win by half a

length Length is a measure of distance. In the International System of Quantities, length is a quantity with dimension distance. In most systems of measurement a base unit for length is chosen, from which all other units are derived. In the Inte ...

, a head and a short head from Magical Fire, Nations Alexander and Kilmah. After the race Moore said "I’m delighted with her. It was too soft for her at Ascot and it was a fast race. She was very brave at the Curragh and she's backed up in under two weeks. She's very tough and genuine and has plenty of pace". The filly's busy schedule continued in August when she was sent to

York Racecourse York Racecourse is a horse racing venue in York, North Yorkshire, England. It is the third biggest racecourse in Britain in terms of total prize money offered, and second behind Ascot in prize money offered per meeting. It attracts around 350, ...

for the

and finished second to Queen Kindly having led until well inside the final furlong. In the Group 1

at Newmarket Roly Poly started third favourite behind Lady Aurelia and Queen Kindly in a six-runner field. After tracking the front-running Lady Aurelia she overhauled the American filly 50 yards from the finish but was caught on the line and beaten a short head by her unfancied stablemate Brave Anna. Roly Poly ended her season with a trip to California to contest the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf is a one-mile turf stakes race for thoroughbred fillies two years old. As its name implies, it is part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the ''de facto'' year-end championship for North American thor ...

Santa Anita Park Santa Anita Park is a Thoroughbred racetrack in Arcadia, California, United States. It offers some of the prominent horse racing events in the United States during early fall, winter and in spring. The track is home to numerous prestigious races ...

on 4 November. She started but never looked likely to win and finished ninth of the fourteen runners behind

Good Money Honey In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil and is of interest in the study of ethics, morality, p ...

2017: three-year-old season

Spring

On her three-year-old debut Roly Poly started favourite for the

Nell Gwyn Stakes The Nell Gwyn Stakes is a Group 3 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run over a distance of 7 furlongs (1,408 metres) on the Rowley Mile at N ...

(a trial race for the

1000 Guineas The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group 1 flat horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket over a distance of 1 mile (1,60 ...

) over seven furlongs at Newmarket but finished only seventh behind Daban. In the

Poule d'Essai des Pouliches The Poule d'Essai des Pouliches is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to three-year-old thoroughbred fillies. It is run over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile) at ...

run that year at

Deauville Racecourse Hippodrome Deauville-La Touques is a race track for thoroughbred horse racing located in Deauville in the Calvados département, in the Normandy '' région'' of France. Originally called Hippodrome de la Touques, it was named for the Touques Rive ...

on 13 May, Roly Poly briefly took the lead 300 metres from the finish but was outpaced in the closing stages and came home sixth behind Precieuse. Two weeks later in the

at the Curragh she produced a better effort as she stayed on well in the closing stages to take second place, four and three quarter lengths behind her stablemate

Winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in Polar regions of Earth, polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring (season), spring. The tilt of Axial tilt#Earth, Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a Hemi ...

with

Hydrangea ''Hydrangea'', () commonly named the hortensia, is a genus of over 75 species of flowering plants native to Asia and the Americas. By far the greatest species diversity is in eastern Asia, notably China, Korea, and Japan. Most are shrubs tall ...

in third place.

Summer

The filly continued her progress in the

at Royal Ascot in June as she finished two and a quarter lengths second to Winter with Hydrangea in third and Precieuse in seventh. On 14 July Roly Poly started 6/4 favourite for the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes over one mile at Newmarket. Her six rivals were Wuheida (

), Sea of Grace (runner-up in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches), Arabian Hope (

Ganton Stakes The Ganton Stakes was a Listed flat horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged three years or older. It is run at York over a distance of 7 furlongs and 192 yards (1,584 metres), and was scheduled to take place each year ...

), Delectation ( Schwarzgold-Rennen), Opal Tiara (

Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...

) and the Argentinian Grade I winner Greta G. In a tactical change, Moore sent the favourite into the lead from the start and Roly Poly was never seriously challenged, establishing a clear advantage in the final furlong and winning "comfortably" by one and a quarter lengths from Wuheida. After the race her co-owner Michael Tabor commented "It was pretty straightforward. She loves this ground, that's for sure. Ryan said when he came into the paddock that he thought the best thing would be to take her to the front, and she did it well. She's a tough, hardy filly; she's small but she battles well and this surface really suits her". Sixteen days after her win in the Falmouth, Roly Poly was sent to France for the Group 1 Prix Rothschild over 1600 metres at Deauville and started the 3.2/1 second favourite behind

Qemah Qemah (foaled 19 February 2013) is an Irish-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She showed considerable promise as a juvenile in 2015 when she won one minor race and finished third in the Prix Marcel Boussac. The followin ...

. The other eight runners included Usherette ( Duke of Cambridge Stakes), Persuasive, Dame du Roi ( Prix Miesque), Via Ravenna ( Prix Imprudence), Siyoushake (

Prix Perth The Prix Perth is a Group 3 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Saint-Cloud over a distance of 1,600 metres (about 1 mile), and it is scheduled to take ...

) and Furia Cruzada ( Al Maktoum Challenge, Round 2). Roly Poly was up with the leaders from the start and took the advantage 500 metres out. She kept on strongly in the closing stages and held on to win in a four-way photo-finish from Via Ravenna, Siyoushake and Qemah. Ryan Moore commented "All through the season she has continued to progress and this was her best-ever performance. She tries so hard and is a high-class filly who seems to thrive on her racing".

Autumn

On 9 September Roly Poly started 13/2 fourth choice in a strongly contested edition of the Matron Stakes at Leopardstown. After leading for most of the way she was overtaken approaching the final furlong and faded in the closing stages to finish sixth behind Hydrangea, Winter, Persuasive, Wuheida and Qemah. Four weeks after her run in the Matron the filly had her eighth run in England when she started 4/1 second favourite behind Persuasive in the Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket. The other eleven fillies and mares included Qemah, Usherette, Siyoushake, Aljazzi ( Atalanta Stakes) and Muffri'Ha ( Darley Stakes). After leading for most of the way she was overtaken by the outsider Dawn of Hope but rallied to regain the advantage inside the final furlong. She drew away from her rivals in the last strides and won by one and quarter lengths from Persuasive. Her win brought took Aidan O'Brien's total of Group 1 wins for the season to 23, two behind

Bobby Frankel Robert Julian Frankel (July 9, 1941 – November 16, 2009) was an American thoroughbred race horse trainer whom ESPN called "one of the most successful and respected trainers in the history of thoroughbred racing."Privman, Jay"Robert Frankel Dies ...

's record. The trainer commented "She's a great filly, with a great heart. She's tactical and tough, amazing really". As in the previous year, Roly Poly produced a disappointing run in the

Breeders Cup The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Grade I Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was a single-day event; starting in 2007, i ...

. On this occasion she started third favourite for the

Breeders' Cup Mile The Breeders' Cup Mile is a Grade 1 Weight for Age stakes race for thoroughbred racehorses three years old and up, run on a grass course. It has been conducted annually as part of the Breeders' Cup World Championships since the event's incept ...

Del Mar Racetrack The Del Mar Fairgrounds is a event venue in Del Mar, California. The annual San Diego County Fair is held here, which was called the Del Mar Fair from 1984 to 2001. In 1936, the Del Mar Racetrack was built by the Thoroughbred Club with foundin ...

on 4 November but finished unplaced behind

World Approval World Approval (foaled February 23, 2012) is a retired American Thoroughbred racehorse best known for winning the 2017 Breeders' Cup Mile. A minor stakes winner at age three, he won his first Grade I race at age four in the United Nations Stak ...

. She ended the season with a trip to Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Mile at

Sha Tin Racecourse Sha Tin Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing in Hong Kong. It is located in Sha Tin in the New Territories. It is managed by Hong Kong Jockey Club. Penfold Park is encircled by the track, and the Hong Kong Sports Ins ...

on 10 December but came home last of the fourteen runners.

Assessment and awards

In the Cartier Racing Awards for 2016, Roly Poly was nominated for the Champion Two-year-old Filly award. In the following year, Roly Poly was one of four nominees for the Champion Three-year-old Filly title, but lost out to Enable.

Pedigree

*Roly Poly was

inbred Inbreeding is the production of offspring from the mating or breeding of individuals or organisms that are closely related genetically. By analogy, the term is used in human reproduction Human reproduction is sexual reproduction that result ...

3 × 4 to Northern Dancer, meaning that this stallion appears in both the third and fourth generations of her pedigree.

References

{{Reflist 2014 racehorse births Racehorses bred in Kentucky Racehorses trained in Ireland Thoroughbred family 16-h