Harasiya shows classic credentials
Johnny Murtagh rode the Aga Khan’s Pivotal with confidence. And she responded, quickening well down the outside to take command with a furlong and a half to race. She appeared to idle in front inside the final furlong and had more in hand than her official winning margin of two and half lengths over My Special J’s might suggest.
Winning trainer Oxx was typically forthright in his post-race comments: “She did it nicely and is a good filly. It was nice to see her step-up from her maiden win. She quickened up, but didn’t do much in front.”
He added: “She goes through that ground (officially ‘soft’) and would definitely prefer soft to ‘good to firm’, so there’s a little question-mark over her.”
“That was her second run and she was quite professional. She’s in the Debutante, but she’ll probably tell us if she want to run again before the Moyglare.
Off the track since disappointing in the Supreme Novices at Cheltenham in March, Galileo’s Choice, in the colours of Dr Ronan Lambe, proved too strong for his five rivals in the listed Challenge Stakes.
The Pat Smullen ridden six-year-old got the better of front-running Aklan to score by two lengths, giving Dermot Weld his fifth Challenge Stakes in-a-row.
And a delighted trainer commented: “That was a pleasing comeback. And it’s nice to win a stakes race for the fifth consecutive years (he won it with Profound Beauty three times and Sense Of Purpose last year).
“We’ll pick races for him for the second half of the season and the Irish St. Leger is obviously a major target. He likes to be fresh, so he’ll probably have one run before then. After that we’ll see what happens, but he’ll definitely be entered for the Melbourne Cup.”
Joseph O’Brien has enjoyed a remarkable week and brought his seasonal tally to 40 with a double on odds-on favourite Nevis in the two-year-old maiden and Unanimous in the leopardstown.com Maiden. This brace brought the teenager’s tally to an amazing 12 winners in six days, starting with Imperial Monarch’s Grand Prix de Paris win in Longchamp last Saturday.
Soon in front, Nevis dictated the pace and stretched clear in the straight to beat debutant Ralston Road by three lengths in the one-mile Irish Stallion Farms 2-Y-0 Maiden, a race won by Camelot last year.
The winning rider said: “He came on for his first run at the Curragh. It wasn’t ideal to make the running. But there was no early pace, so I decided to make the best of it. He’s a nice horse, going the right way.”
O’Brien adopted similar front-running tactics on the previously consistent but luckless Unanimous. And, despite tiring in the final furlong, the Dansili colt held on by a length and a quarter from newcomer Massini’s Trap.
No luck for the Ballydoyle team with another front-runner, Battle Of Saratoga, which faded quickly when tackled and headed in the Roy Seven Rated Race, victory going to the Chris Hayes-ridden Footprint, a sixth winner in a fortnight for trainer-in-form Pat Martin.
“I’m delighted with that — the ground can’t be too bad when he won on it,” declared Jessica Harrington after Back Burner (backed from 8/1 to 6/1) and Fran Berry captured the valuable Stillorgan Handicap convincingly, at the expense of Vastonea and Castle Bar Sling.
“We’ll see what the handicapper does to him. But this horse won’t handle Galway”
It was a night to remember for Tipperary teenager Joe Doyle (16) who, at his 33rd attempt, savoured his first success, on board hot-pot Inis Meain (2/5 favourite) in the opening Leopardstown Apprentice Handicap.
A very easy winner at Killarney on Monday, a performance which prompted a 22lb. hike in the ratings, Denis Hogan’s charge was 17lb ‘well-in’ here under a mandatory penalty and, soon in front, sprinted clear in the final furlong when tackled by Regal Tramp.
