Murtagh sits pretty with Ambivalent

Leading rider at Royal Ascot last week, Johnny Murtagh again stole the show at the Curragh yesterday when giving the Roger Varian-trained 10/1 shot Ambivalent a superb front-running rider to land the Group 1 Oxigen Environmental Pretty Polly Stakes.

A first winner in Ireland for her trainer, the daughter of Authorized dictated the pace and kept finding for Murtagh up the long Curragh straight as her rivals queued-up to deliver a challenge.

Ambivalent fought tenaciously through the final furlong to hold last year’s Investec Oaks winner and runner-up Was and Shirocco Sta by a half-length and a neck, with Harasiya faring best of the three-year-olds in fourth in a race from which morning favourite Alive Alive Oh was withdrawn (reported to be in season).