Mooneista leaves Davison on cloud nine

“I’m never short of words and this filly is able to walk the walk which is really good for both of us, she has backed me up.

Mooniesta and Colin Keane win the Paddy Power Sapphire Stakes (Group 2) from Gustavus Weston.

Given the Coolmore dominance of the 2021 Irish Juddmonte Irish Oaks, it made for a refreshing change to see an unfamiliar name alongside the winner of the chief supporting race, the Group 2 Paddy Power Sapphire Stakes, after Mooneista did the business for 33-year-old Meath trainer Jack Davison at odds of 10-1.

“This is huge, absolutely huge,” an elated Davison said. “It’s a really, really tough game, it’s very hard to get these horses and I’m very lucky to have her. We’ve 25 horses and we put in a lot to training all of them but it’s just nice when you have one that they can compete and win at this level. It really keeps you going and encourages you to push forward.