Nephrite enters Guineas picture
The Ballydoyle colt, impressive on his debut at the Curragh, tracked the favourite before quickening well to win readily by a length and a half and is now 10/1 (from 20) with Paddy Power for next year’s English 2,000 Guineas.
After the winner’s stable companion Vault and Ishvana guaranteed a strong pace, Johnny Murtagh angled out to challenge on Born To Sea early in the straight. But, just as the Invincible Spirit colt launched his effort Nephrite, confidently ridden by Joseph O’Brien, loomed large before asserting in the last hundred yards.
Aidan O’Brien said: “Everybody saw at the Curragh what a nice horse he is and he has done well since then. He travelled well today and Joseph gave him a confident ride. He’d prefer quicker ground and I don’t think he’ll have a problem with a mile next year.”
John Oxx, trainer of runner-up Born To Sea, commented: “I’m happy enough. He just didn’t show his usual turn of foot today. Johnny said the ground didn’t play to his strengths.”
Nephrite was the first leg of a double for Ballydoyle, completed when Thomasgainsborough, ridden by Seamus Heffernan, pipped better fancied stable companion I Have A Dream in the mile two-year-old maiden. Both colts are considered middle-distance prospects for next season by their trainer.
The Coolmore team also dominated the opening two-year-old fillies maidenm. But O’Brien’s Wonderful, ridden by Joseph, came off second best in a tight finish, beaten by the David Wachman-trained, Wayne Lordan-ridden Eternal Bounty.
Wachman said; “She’ll be a nice middle-distance filly at listed or Group 3 level next season. She was a shade unlucky on her debut and was still quite green today.”
The rest of the day belonged to six-times champion Pat Smullen who completed a treble on Coolnagree, Zaminast and Midnight Music to keep the title-race very much alive going into next weekend’s action at Dundalk (Friday) and Leopardstown (Sunday), the last two meetings of the season.
Trailing arch-rival and four-times champion Johnny Murtagh by five after the Meath man recorded a double at Dundalk on Friday, Smullen’s haul here cut Murtagh’s lead to just two 79-77.
Highlight of Smullen’s treble was the victory of Zaminast in the listed Trigo Stakes, the champion having switched to the three-year-old filly after the withdrawal of her half-brother Famous Name.
Apparently struggling for a few strides early in the straight, Zaminast responded to Smullen’s urgings, took command approaching the furlong pole and stayed on dourly to beat Defining Year and longtime leader Amazing Beauty.
Winning trainer Dermot Weld said: “We’ve had a wonderful year and this is another stakes winner for Juddmonte Farms. Unfortunately, Famous Name was a bit sore this morning and we decided not to risk him. But this filly was a good deputy. She’s a very delicate filly and we had to take our time with her. But the patience has paid off !”
He added: “I must speak to Lord Grimthorpe (Khalid Abdulla’s Racing Manager) but I think both Famous Name and this filly, a progressive individual, will stay in training.”
Midnight Music completed Smullen’s treble and a double for Weld when getting the better of Sun Disc in the concluding Follow Leopardstown On Facebook Handicap.
