Frost proves too hot for rivals
The last two winners of the Group Three contest, Grey Swallow and Footstepsinthesand, went on to Classic glory.
And it was a useful performance by O’Brien’s son of Giant’s Causeway, who had finished a promising third on his debut at Doncaster 10 days ago.
Kieren Fallon sent the 4-1 chance into the lead with well over a furlong to go and after quickening clear, he was always going too well for Abigail Pett, who was three lengths adrift at the line.
Jioconda, the 2-1 favourite, faded to finish third after setting the early pace.
Fallon was pleased with Frost Giant's performance and said: “He felt good and he's improved so much from Doncaster. It was just the way he felt and how tough he was.
“It’s soft ground here and it’s a stiff track but he went away and did it nicely at the finish.
“He was idling in front and the horse he beat has done nothing wrong and is a Group winner.
“I wasn’t hard on him at Doncaster and he obviously enjoyed his outing.
“He stayed well to go round here on this stiff track and he’s got a big future. There is plenty to look forward to with this fellow.
“He proved how good he is and with another winter on his back he’ll be a nice horse to follow next year.”
Fallon and O’Brien went on to complete a near 8-1 double with James Joyce in the Irish Stallion Farms European Breeders Fund Maiden.
The jockey elected to bring the 8-11 favourite down the stands side and the son of Danehill just held on by a neck from Baron De’l.
“Sometimes if you go over to that side it’s a help and I tried but I nearly got beaten,” added Fallon.
“He had nothing to race with and he thought he’d gone and done his job. Kevin (Manning) finished quick on the far side and my fellow didn’t see him and then we ran out of rail.
“He’ll be a nice horse next year and better ground will suit him.”
The Ballydoyle duo made it a 55-1 three-timer when Fallon brought Briolette (11-2) down the outside to take the Listed Trigo Stakes.
O’Brien’s filly came from off the pace to hit the front a furlong out and hold the challenge of Gift Range by a length.
With Pat Smullen on Melbourne Cup duty on Vinnie Roe, Pat Shanahan partnered the Dermot Weld-trained Polished Gem to a decisive win over uneasy favourite Sharapova in the opening two-year-old fillies maiden.
Kris Weld, representing his father, explained: “She's a full-sister to Dress To Thrill and we were worried about the ground, although she had been working well on it at home. She should develop into a nice stakes filly next year.”
Teenager Chris Hayes, who will be crowned champion apprentice on Sunday, notched his 38th success of the season on board Oliver Brady's Dancing Water in the finale, the Elmwood Handicap but picked up a four-day suspension for using his whip with excessive force and frequency, a ban which rule him out of the opening stages of the 2006 Irish flat season.
After welcoming his second winner in 48hours, winning trainer Brady was in typically ebullient form, entertaining the crowd around the winner's enclosure, calling for “three cheers” for Hayes and declaring, “Brady's my name and racing's my game” and, later, “I'm like Muhammad Ali. I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.”
Harry Rogers has enjoyed his best ever season and brought his flat tally to twenty when Our Jaffa landed the J.R.A. Handicap, giving Willie Supple his first win in Ireland this season.
“I thought she'd win at Navan the last day,” explained Rogers, who was saddling his first winner since Listowel, “But she didn't get home over a mile and a quarter. Willie says a mile is her trip. She might come back here next Sunday.”
And Pat Martin was full of praise for apprentice Christy Geoghegan after he partnered top-weight Iundian Pace to victory in the Hawthorn Handicap, his second win for the stable in 24 hours.
Martin said: “We lost faith in him a bit last week when he ran too freely in an apprentice race. But Christy did a great job on him and the horse deserves a holiday now. He'll mix it, on the flat and over hurdles, next summer.”
