Beat Surrender gives in-form Lyons tenth juvenile winner
Beat Surrender, owned by the stable’s chief patron Sean Jones, made a successful debut in the opening juvenile maiden, defying odds of 20/1 to outpoint Ballydoyle representative Black Quartz and the well-touted and well-backed Kevin Prendergast-trained newcomer Famous Warrior in a tight finish.
A son of Bertolini, Beat Surrender was a tenth two-year-old winner of the season for Lyons, who commented: “As I’ve told you before, we have a nice bunch of two-year-old this season and got value for money, for a change, when we bought last year.
“We give them plenty of time, but they know their job when they come racing and always improve from their first run.
“This colt is on a par with a lot of the others and I expected him to run well.
“It’s always nice to see them doing on the track what they show at home. This colt cost €30,000 in Fairyhouse last year and will go for a winners’ race somewhere. He should be a listed colt.”
South African stable-jockey Keagan Latham partnered Beat Surrender to victory. But it was champion apprentice Emmet McNamara who was on board Kinetic Quest which completed Lyons’ double in the Brophy Farrell Real Estate Allian Handicap over seven furlongs, edging past favourite Final Approach inside the final furlong to score by a neck in a slowly-run race.
“I knew he was in good order and, on such nice ground, we decided to run both Kinetic Quest and Chebona Bula (which finished fourth), although I thought the handicapper had a leg of this fellow.
“It fell nicely for Kinetic Quest and Emmet was good on him. It’s the horse’s third win and his first outside Dundalk. He should make a nice jumping prospect for somebody later on.”
With Johnny Murtagh in Newmarket, Seamus Heffernan partnered Francisco Goya to win the ten-furlong Naas Racecourse Supporting Club Kildare Maiden from favourite Blue Ridge Lane.
The winner, a son of Galileo which set a scorching pace in the Leopardstown maiden dominated by his stable-companions Dixie Music and Yankee Doodle back in May, was always close up and stayed on strongly up the hill to triumph by three lengths.
O’Brien said: “He took a little bit of time to come right but he should improve from this. We’ll step him up in trip next time, probably in a handicap.”
Rebel Acclaim, enterprisingly ridden by Ben Curtis, landed a tidy gamble for Paul Cashman in the Michael Higgins & Co. Handicap.
Backed from 7/1 to 4/1, the four-year-old filly set sail for home at the two-furlong pole and battled well under strong Driving by Curtis to keep Dawn Eclipse at bay by a half-length, prompting her trainer to observe, not surprisingly: “Both the winner and runner-up are by Acclamation!”
Cashman added: “She ran well the last day, but needed the run and that put her right. She’s as tough as nails and game as a nut. She’ll probably head back to Galway, where the hill will suit her. Seven furlongs is her ideal trip.”
Harry Rogers savoured a welcome and long overdue change of luck when Allegra Tak made all win the seven-furlong Irish Stallion Farms Fillies Maiden under in-form apprentice Shane Foley.
The Invincible Spirit filly, sent off at 50/1, slipped clear with more than two furlongs to race and kept going to hold Oasis Fire by a length, giving Rogers his first success of the season.
Rogers commented: “She ran well enough the last day. She travelled well and showed enough to suggest she might have a day. It’s a first winner for her owner Con O’Leary and she’ll go handicapping now.”
Shane Foley went on to complete the second double of his career when Andre Mon Ami, trained by Andrew Kinsella, repeated a course and distance win in the Derrinstown Stud Apprentice Handicap.
Unlucky not to collect at Fairyhouse last time, when idling in front, Andre Mon Ami was giving Foley his twelfth win of the season.
Trainer Kinsella commented: “He has always idled in front but I think he has turned the corner and ran to the line tonight. He ran well in Galway last year and will head there again.”
A big disappointment when well-backed at Tipperary last time, the Peter Casey-trained Dotada was another shock winner, taking the six-furlong Susan Hill And Val Bond Birthday Handicap under the trainer’s son Oliver, at the expense of Bipasha.
“She hated the soft ground in Tipperary, when I had my few quid on,” declared Casey. “She needs a straight track and ground like the road. She’s a bit funny at the stalls and jumped today with the hood still on.”
