Creek leads British to a clean sweep in Challenge
The well-supported second favourite took command at the furlong pole to beat compatriot Danesmead by a length and a half with Edgar Byrne’s Euro Route fairing best of the Irish runners in fifth place.
County Limerick-born Meehan, who spent two years studying at the nearby Irish National Stud, was recording his first success at the Curragh and described Carrizo Creek as “a fairly serious horse”.
He added: “He wasn’t wound up when he ran at Goodwood and improved from the run to win at Brighton. He has progressed again and Kieran advised us to avoid Royal Ascot with him. This was the plan for a long time and it’s great that it’s paid off. It looks like he’ll stay further and we’ll look at one of the better races for him now. The July Stakes comes too soon for him but I think this fellow could be very very good.”
The 100-30 winner cost 42,000 at Goffs last October and Meehan added: “It was plenty on the day, but he’s good value now.” Fallon had travelled by light aircraft from Newmarket, where he won the 3.35 race on Courageous Duke. “We took off from the July course and landed close to the track. It was an easy trip and worth coming for,” he said.
The ground was officially yielding after 19mm of rain in the previous 24 hours.
Trainer John Oxx confirmed that a decision on Alamshar’s participation in the Budweiser Irish Derby will not be made until Sunday morning. “He has had this problem before, but it responded quicker. He wouldn’t have run today or tomorrow, and we’re just hoping he comes right for Sunday.”
In the meantime Oxx was happy to visit the winners enclosure after the victory of Chartres in the Derrinstown Stud Apprentice Derby.
Oxx was full of praise for winning rider Cathy Gannon whom he described as “strong as any of the lads in a finish and stronger than most”, while explaining that both the conditions of the race and the rain greatly helped Chartres’ cause.
Odds-on favourite Grey Swallow and Chestnut Gallinule were both withdrawn from the opening two-year-old race following incidents at the start. Trainer Dermot Weld was incensed by the circumstances which led to the favourite’s withdrawal explaining: “I asked for permission to load him last, in the interest of safety but the request was refused and there was also a shortage of stall handlers at the start.”
Victory here went to the Tommy Stack-trained debutante Kanisfluh, ridden by Wayne Lordan who scored a narrow victory over Akinola.
Weld enjoyed better luck when Creux Noir, owned by the Bon Cheval Syndicate (headed by RTÉ's Colm Murray), captured the Silken Thomas Handicap while Tom McCourt will aim Raining at the Rockingham Handicap following her return to winning form in the Noel Conlan and Sons Handicap.
Champion jockey Michael Kinane sent punters home happy when he made all the running on the Aidan O’Brien-trained Ingres in the Curragh Equine Groundcare Maiden, running on strongly under pressure to give Kinane his 33rd success of the season, five ahead of his nearest pursuer Johnny Murtagh.
