Eytarna can build on her promising debut effort

By John Ryan

Friday, July 10, 2009

EYTARNA should build on her promising debut effort at the Curragh to land tonight’s Irish Stallion Farms Fillies Maiden at Gowran Park.

A daughter of Dubai Destination, this John Oxx-trained filly ran a cracker to finish second to L’Impressario in a ten-furlong maiden, finishing a short-head in front of odds-on favourite Changingoftheguard.

Eytarna’s conqueror missed an intended Group 3 engagement at the Curragh due to lameness while the third, an Aidan O’Brien-trained colt, went on ton win a Navan maiden before landing the Ulster Derby readily off a mark of 95.

A sister to a host of winners, including 1999 Ascot Gold Cup winner Enzeli, Eytarna should be capable of a maiden success before stepping into listed company and she has a good opportunity here.

Expected to build on her debut run, when the leading trio pulled five lengths clear of the remainder, Eytarna is napped to beat Onatha, runner-up to Anywaysmile at Naas, and Dermot Weld’s Dazzle Dancer, off the track since disappointing at Killarney back in May.

The combination of John Oxx and Michael Kinane might also strike in the opening Bennettsbridge Maiden with Tarankali, a Selkirk gelding which operated as a pacemaker for subsequent Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby third Mourayan in his first two starts of the season, the ‘Ballysax’ and Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown.

Last time, Tarankali was no match for Bangalore Gold in a seven-furlong Roscommon maiden, form boosted by the winner when he landed a Leopardstown handicap.

Drawn high and likely to race prominently, Tarankali is preferred to Dermot Weld’s blinkered filly Grandiflora, runner-up to Magic Mornings on her debut at Fairyhouse.

The Weld team has prospects with Cool Marble, fourth to subsequent listed winner Perfect Symmetry at Leopardstown, which has Ballydoyle hope At First Sight to beat in the two-year-old maiden.

And, although he’s not straight-forward, the Aidan O’Brien-trained Drumbeat, out of his depth in the French and Irish Derbys in his last two starts, has a good opportunity to put his head in front in the Gowran Park Race.

Meanwhile, in Cork, the David Wachman-trained Pirate Ship should open his account in the Kostal Ireland Gmbh Maiden.

An eye-catching second to Rockhampton on his debut at Leopardstown, Pirate Ship was then turned over, by Signal Fire, when long odds-on at Dundalk in April and hasn’t raced since.

Expected to relish today’s fast surface and facing apparently moderate opposition, it will be surprising if Wayne Lordan’s mount fails to deliver at his third attempt.

This story appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Friday, July 10, 2009