Rio grand at the Curragh

Richard Whittler’s Captain Rio made a stunning comeback at the Curragh this afternoon when running away with the Listed Waterford Testimonial Stakes to complete a first-ever treble for jockey Fran Berry.

Operated on to remove a chip from a knee after fading out of contention in the French 2,000 Guineas behind Landseer in early May, the sTon of Pivotal started the 100-30 joint favourite with the other English runner, Kier Park, over the six furlongs trip on ground that rode soft after rain throughout the afternoon.

“He felt like a Group horse and was always travelling strongly for me,” was the post-race comment of jockey Berry, who had earlier scored a lucrative double for local trainer Charles O’Brien aboard Vettriano (12-1) and American Gothic (6-1).

“This horse had to have an operation after the French Guineas and we are delighted to see him back in such form,” said Simon Whitaker, son of the winning trainer.

“We will have to discuss where to go next with the owners but he has lots of options including possibly going back to Dubai.”

Captain Rio had won a Group Two race at Maisons-Laffitte as a two-year-old on his favourite soft ground and scored by no less than eight lengths here from One Won One in a time more than five seconds faster than when Spencers Wood took the same race on heavy ground 12 months previously.

Vettriano took the inaugural running of the Euro 200,000 Irish Breeders Foal Levy Stakes in a desperate finish with the fast-finishing Miss Emma and the lone English raider Ikan from the Nick Littmoden stable.

Odds on favourite Hanabad faded back into seventh place.

However, Hanabad’s trainer John Oxx and jockey Johnny Murtagh had better luck in the preceding Juddmonte Beresford Stakes and the Listed Barathea Finale Stakes with Alamshar (7-1) and Millstreet (9-4).

Alamshar which had scored on his debut at Listowel last month took the step-up to Group Three level in his stride as he pounced late for Murtagh to beat the the Aidan O’Brien-trained 2-1 favourite Brian Boru by a head.

“This horse stays well and I was happy the way he was travelling in the straight though he had some ground to make up on the favourite Brian Boru,” said Oxx.

“He is tough and genuine but does not show much at home.”

Millstreet was a desperately unlucky loser on his previous outing at Listowel, but made no mistake when justifying favouritism at Listed level when quickening away from Starbourne in the Barathea Finale Stakes.

Home-bred by Sheikh Mohammed, Millstreet stays in training next season according to Oxx.

But American Gothic, who pounced late to defeat Holy Orders in the Irish Cesarewitch, is going to the Horses In Training Sale at Newmarket, according to his handler Charles O’Brien.