Bred in the purple being from 2007 Champion European 3YO Filly Peeping Fawn, progressive American Pharoah filly Willow showed her staying credentials at Naas in Ireland overnight winning the Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Oaks Trial (1m2f).
Trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Seamie Heffernan, Willow bounced back from a last start failure in the Group I Epsom Oaks to score a tenacious half length win.
Group III placed previously, Willow was tasting her first Black Type success and has the overall record of two wins and two placings from seven starts.
“Willow won nice but I thought at the start of the year she was a real good filly. She arrived late last year so hopefully she can progress again,” said Seamie Heffernan.
A homebred for the Coolmore partners, Willow holds an entry for the Group I Irish Oaks next month.
Willow is a half-sister to stakes-winner September and is the second stakes-winner among five winners out of Peeping Fawn, who is also the grand-dam of Alzire.
Willow is the 18th stakes-winner for Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (USA), who shuttles back to Coolmore Australia this spring at a fee of $49,500.
