Bradsell, Lake Victoria win Ireland Group 1s, Breeders’ Cup berths

Bradsell put in a class performance Sunday to deny Believing in the Group 1 Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh in Ireland, securing back-to-back Group 1 victories, one of the two Breeders’ Cup qualifying races on Sunday’s card.

The 4-year-old son of Tasleet already qualified for the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint with a win-and-you’re-in victory in the Aug. 23 Nunthorpe Stakes (G1).

Lake Victoria, winner of the Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1), earned an automatic position in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf.

The Breeders’ Cup challenge series is an international series of 82 graded and group stakes whose winners receive automatic starting positions in the championship races Nov. 1 and 2 at Del Mar.

Bradsell, trained by Archie Watson, has won three in a row after returning from an 11-month hiatus. In Sunday’s race, he broke smartly under Hollie Doyle and gained a nice lead over Washington Heights in the stand-side group. When Doyle gave the signal, he shot clear of his nearest pursuers and put in a scintillating kick to win by 1 1/4 lengths.

Four-year-old filly Believing, a Group 2 winner who was second to Bradsell at York, again mounted a challenge and flew home in the closing stages of a thrilling finish to pick up second place.

Five-year-old mare Makaraova finished third under Tom Marquand with Clive Cox-trained Kerdos, Washington Heights and Desperate Hero completing a clean sweep for the U.K. sprinters.

The Flying Five Stakes has been a contest in which Britain yards have fared well in recent years. Bradsell’s victory taking the winning streak to seven of the last 11 renewals.

“He’s quick,” Doyle said. “It was an easy five (furlongs) at York, but he’s just proven how good he is, and it wasn’t a one-off. ... We’ve run here twice before and haven’t had the luck of the draw, but he’s never been in better form. He’s improved with age and got stronger and quicker. This is his third Group 1, the King’s Stand, Nunthorpe and now a Flying Five winner. ... These sprinters do improve with age, and he’s in a really good place mentally. He could go to the Abbaye (G1 at ParisLongchamp) or the Breeders’ Cup.”

Bradsell covered five furlongs in 57:25 seconds over a course listed as good.

Lake Victoria defies favorite in Moyglare Stud

Coolmore-owned Lake Victoria dominated a high-class renewal of the Moyglare Stud (G1), beating the sole U.K. challenger Simmering by 1 1/4 lengths.

Well-fancied Bedtime Story, the impressive Royal Ascot-winning choice of Ryan Moore for trainer Aidan O’Brien, lead the tightly bunched field of five until the furlong pole, where she became hard-pressed by Simmering and Lake Victoria and faded to finish last.

Lake Victoria, an unbeaten daughter of Frankel and winner of the Sweet Solera Stakes (G3) for O’Brien last time out, switched left and was ridden along under Wayne Lordan in the final furlong, moving from last to first in the last 110 yards and showing an impressive turn of foot.

“She’s a lovely filly,” Lordan said. “She has a bit of pace, she can quicken, and she got to the line well. ... I didn’t know whether she had the experience. Bedtime Story is after a good few runs now, and she’s a hearty filly to get by. I was hoping for a big run, and she stepped up on the day."

The victory marks O’Brien’s 10th win in this seven-furlong Group 1.

Simmering, who relished the step up to seven furlongs when impressively landing the Prix du Calvados (G2) by three lengths for Ollie Sangster on her most recent start, finished second with Exactly in third by a short head. Juddmonte’s Red Letter, who was denied by the barest of margins by Lake Victoria on debut, finished fourth under Colin Keane, beaten by a head.

Lake Victoria covered seven furlongs in 1:23:73 over a course listed as good.