Battling Albert Hall fights off Merger

ALBERT HALL propelled himself to the forefront of Aidan O’Brien’s juvenile team with a battling success in the Juddmonte Beresford Stakes at the Curragh yesterday.

Sent off the odds-on favourite, Jamie Spencer’s mount set out to make all the running but found himself strongly pressed by Merger with just under a quarter of a mile to run in the Group Two contest.

Merger looked poised to win at one stage, but as the two horses came close together inside the distance Albert Hall refused to give in and at the line had half a length to spare.