Kastoria handed Leger assignment
Kastoria set up a possible clash with Ascot Gold Cup winner Yeats as she ran out a convincing winner of the Ballyroan Stakes at Leopardstown.
John Oxx’s five-year-old mare booked her ticket for next month’s Irish Field St Leger with a comfortable three-length call over British raider Foreign Affairs.
The 4-5 favourite was settled in behind Sir Mark Prescott’s pace-setter before accelerating away in the final furlong under Mick Kinane.
Oxx is now hoping Kastoria can step up again and give Yeats, who also won the Goodwood Cup, something to think about at the Curragh on September 16.
He said: “She’s a lovely mare and I wish we could have one of her every year.
“She dosses a bit in front but hopefully she will step up again from this.
“We will go for the Irish Leger and we will see if we can get her placed in a Group One. Hopefully she will get into the frame.”
Outsider King Jock pulled off a 20-1 surprise in the Group Three Desmond Stakes for trainer Robbie Osborne and jockey Pat Shanahan.
Osborne was double-handed in the race and according to the jockey bookings his other runner, Latino Magic, appeared to be his first string.
However, Shanahan produced the five-year-old with a telling run down the outside to account for 5-2 favourite Arch Rebel by three-quarters of a length with Aidan O’Brien’s Arabian Prince back in third.
Osborne said: “It’s only his second start for me. He’s only been placed in black type races up to now so it’s great to get a Group race out of him. I’m absolutely delighted.
“That’s my second Group winner, my first was with Latino Magic – who finished fourth in this.
“He ran well in a Listed race at Cork last time and he stayed at it lovely today – he showed a nice turn of foot.
“He will probably go back to Dubai as the owner, a Scotsman called Jim Long, lives there. I don’t know if we might go to England next though.”
The father-and-son combination of Peter and Oliver Casey landed a 17-1 double thanks to prolific winners Ireland’s Call and Cool Touch.
It was a fifth successive win for Ireland’s Son in the Alaska Distributing Handicap while Cool Touch eased to a fourth straight victory under the 7lb-claimer in the Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund August Handicap.
