Poet scatters royal runner to the four winds
In many ways it was most appropriate that the current master of Ballydoyle should take a contest which was run in memory of the greatest trainer this country has ever produced.
“We are really thrilled to win this”, said Annemarie O’Brien, representing her husband.
“He’s a fine big horse and improving all of the time. I’d imagine he will step up to Group 3 level now.”
Sean Levey rode a fine race, sending Poet to the front with two and a half furlongs to run.
Jamie Spencer, severely cautioned by the stewards concerning his use of the whip, and Four Winds were soon giving chase, but the blinkered gelding didn’t appear the most enthusiastic and was never going to close down the winner.
Four Winds’ trainer, Michael Bell, said: “He’s run a very satisfactory race, it’s a shame Aidan had to spoil the party! I mentioned to the Queen that this was suitable and she said go for it.”
O’Brien’s top weight Mikhail Glinka was a costly failure in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Premier Nursery.
He had shown signs of temperament when scoring on his debut at Galway and looked far from straightforward here as well.
He cantered ahead for Joseph O’Brien with over two furlongs to cover, but then began to weave about a fair bit.
In the meantime, Declan McDonogh was threading his way through from a less than promising position on Famous Warrior, having been badly hampered approaching the home turn.
McDonogh, however, was now in full flow and Famous Warrior cut down the favourite inside the furlong pole to score by three parts of a length.
The mildly frustrating O’Brien-trained Totally Devoted, however, found her level with a comfortable success in the William O’Carroll Memorial Maiden.
Well handled by Levey, like O’Brien, initiating a double, she lengthened into the lead well over a furlong down to beat Ceannline.
A shot at black type could be next for the choicely-bred daughter of Seeking The Gold, according to Annemarie O’Brien.
Chirkova then completed an Aidan O’Brien treble when outclassing her rivals in the Irish Stallion Farms’ EBF Fillies Maiden.
Beautifully handled by young Josepeh, this was his sixth success, Chirkova came from mid-field to prove far too good for High Queen.
The Easy Clean Ltd Handicap was so open the layers felt going 7-1 the field wasn’t out of the way.
In any case it was a candidate near the top of the market, 15-2 chance Clodova, who delivered.
Across The Rhine flattered for much of the straight, but had no answer when Chris Hayes powered the winner past inside the furlong pole to beat the fast-finishing Barack.
Manavic, absent since last September, gave trainer Patrick Tallis a welcome turn when landing the Joe O’Shea Electrical Handicap.
Leap The Liffey looked certain to score when bounding into the final furlong a couple of lengths to the good, but Ben Curtis brought Manavic with a last-gasp effort to get up on the line.
The Pier, already a winner on the track this season, coasted past the front-running Another Jayjay to easily win the Tadhg Clifford Groundcare Handicap.
