Profound Beauty takes win at Leopardstown
Profound Beauty took the first step to another possible crack at the Melbourne Cup when making a winning seasonal debut at Leopardstown.
Fifth in the race that stops a nation in 2008, the six-year-old mare took her prize money total to over £300,000 when flooring Age Of Aquarius in the Seamus & Rosemary McGrath Memorial Saval Beg Stakes.
Dermot Weld’s charge was having her first race since finishing fourth in the Irish St Leger last September, but she still had the edge over the race-fit Aidan O’Brien-trained odds-on shot.
Johnny Murtagh took the favourite into the lead over three furlongs out after Donegal had made the running but Pat Smullen always had him in his sights.
He brought Profound Beauty (4-1) alongside and eased into the lead with a furlong to go to get the verdict by half a length.
“Profound Beauty is a very good racemare and she may finish her career in the Melbourne Cup in November,” said Weld.
“The ground today was beautiful and she loved the surface.”
Smullen added: “I may have got there too soon on her as she got tired in the last 100 yards after I let her go, but class always tells and she got me home.
“I think all those staying races are open to her now. I think she’s even better now than she was last year and if anything she’s probably getting a shade quicker. She’s a great advertisement for keeping older horses in training.
“There’s no doubt the Melbourne Cup will be the long-term plan again, but she doesn’t want firm ground,” he told At The Races.
Six Of Hearts (10-1) gave Cecil Ross his biggest training success when taking the Vodafone Ireland Foundation Supports Gaisce Ballycorus Stakes.
Last year’s winner Duff set out to make all the running but the odds-on shot could not shake off the opposition.
He was pressed first by King Jock and then by Six Of Hearts, who got his head in front inside the final furlong and kept on gamely for Davy Moran to land this Group Three prize by half a length.
“We bought him for 11,000 guineas out of Jamie Osborne’s yard at a Horses In Training Sale in October 2007 – he was rated just 58 then and we sent him hurdling without success,” said Mullingar-based Ross.
“We were hoping for second place today but he is the type of horse which always has his chance as he is dog tough.
“We left off the cheekpieces today, he was always wearing some type of jewellery, and it seems to have rejuvenated him.”
