Irish round-up: Agartha gets back to winning ways in Tipperary
BACK IN BUSINESS: Agartha and Declan McDonogh, right, win the Group 3 Coolmore Stud No Nay Never Fairy Bridge Stakes at Tipperary. The 6-4 favourite kept on gamely in the closing stages to beat stable-companion Night Of Romance by a length. Picture: Healy Racing
Back from a lacklustre run in the Belmont Oaks, the Joseph O’Brien-trained Agartha made all to land the Group 3 Coolmore No Nay Never Fairy Bridge Stakes in Tipperary.
Ridden by Declan McDonogh, the Caravaggio filly, a Group 2 winner as a juvenile and sent off 6-4 favourite, kept on gamely in the closing stages to beat stable-companion Night Of Romance by a length, with Spring Feeling third.
“She deserved to ger her head in front again,” said a delighted McDonogh. “Things didn’t work out for her in America, but Joseph gave her a chance when she came home and she’s been working really well.
“She was lugging off the rail a bit and idling in front, but she had plenty left. She loves Leopardstown and I’d say she might head back there for the Matron now.”
The other stakes event on the card, the listed Abergwaun Stakes proved a thriller as British raider Tees Spirit, drawn high, made all under Barry McHugh and pipped favourite Erosandpsyche and Moss Tucker by a nose and the same, in a time of 56.47 seconds.
Tees Spirit was a second listed winner for trainer Adrian Nicholls, who won the race three times as a jockey, for his late father Dandy, on Inxile 2011 and 2012 and Peace Offering back in 2006.
“Ireland has always been good to me,” he explained. "It’s great to train a winner over here. He’s a good horse, on the up. I picked this race a while back, because I thought the track would suit him and it has worked out great.”
Winning rider McHugh added: “He’s a very speedy horse and the track played to his advantage. It rode like a very good race and, to be honest, I thought I was pipped.”
The Aidan O’Brien-trained Library made it third time lucky when taking the Camas Park Stud 2-Y-0 Fillies Maiden.
Ridden by Seamus Heffernan, the Ballydoyle filly was in front after more than a furlong, dictated things until skipping clear turning for home, and stayed on to beat promising debutante Bella Blue Eyes.
O’Brien said: “The plan was to get a lead, but there was no early pace, so Seamus let her dawdle along in front, gave her a breather on the turn before kicking for home. We’ll look for a stakes race now, probably the Ingabelle at Leopardstown on Champions Weekend.”
On a night when the O’Briens bagged four winners, Donnacha completed an early double, highlighted by the comeback success of English Cambridgeshire entry Emporio, confidently ridden by Gavin Ryan to see off Alessandro Algardi and favourite Longbourn.
Gelded since his last outing, in June of last year, Emporio triumphed by three-quarters of a length.
“He’s had plenty of soundness issues, but he’s a horse with a lot of talent, so he was worth waiting for,” his trainer explained. “We’ll see how he comes out of this before making plans.”
First leg of Donnacha’s double was Blindsided (Paddy Harnett) who made all to beat longshot Fendi in the two-year-old claimer, prompting his trainer to comment: “He’s a grand horse, with ability, and the blinkers helped him - he’ll probably go back into nurseries.”
A three-time winner at the 2019 Galway Festival but without a success since the September of that year, the Matt Smith-trained One Cool Poet bounced back to winning ways when, under a perfectly-judged ride by Bryan Cooper, he landed the Pilgrims Handicap Hurdle in Down Royal.
The 10-year-old came from off the pace for a smooth, six-length victory over Doyenna, prompting Cooper to declare: “He was like a bull going to the start, fresh and well, and rode like a five-furlong sprinter. Matt told me he barely gets the trip and to ride him for luck.”
The Gordon Elliott-trained The Insider (Davy Russell) retained his unbeaten record over hurdles when justifying 6-4 favouritism in the opening Hovis 3-Y-0 Hurdle, outpointing Bringbackmemories.
He was first leg of a double for Cullentra House, secured when 2-1 favourite Salvador Ziggy (Jack Kennedy) completed a hurdling four-timer and remained unbeaten since joining Elliott when landing the featured Linden Foods Hurdler at the expense of Off You Go, following the dramatic exit of Home By The Lee (ran out) at the second last.
