Dallas Star looking to continue Adrian Murray lucky streak at Dundalk
Dallas Star and Seamie Heffernan win for owners Amo Racing Limited and trainer Adrian Murray at Leopardstown
Lightly-raced Dallas Star might continue Adrian Murray’s rich vein of form in tonight’s William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Race in Dundalk, having his first run since contesting the Betfred Derby in Epsom last June.
This Cloth Of Stars colt didn’t perform at Epsom, trailing in a distant fourteenth behind City Of Troy and sustaining an injury.
A colt who campaigned for Dominic Ffrench-Davis in Britain (he won a ‘novice’ in Bath), he is better-judged on his earlier victory in the Group 3 PW McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes, a recognised Derby trial, at Leopardstown.
On that occasion, Dallas Star was sent off an unconsidered 50/1 shot but made most of the running under Seamie Heffernan and stayed on dourly to beat the Ballydoyle pair The Euphrates and Illinois.
The subsequent exploits of his immediate victims look rock-solid in the context of tonight's conditions event.
The Euphrates progressed to win an Irish Cesarewitch off 105, for which he earned a 9lb. hike in the ratings, while Illinois went on to win the Queen’s Vase (Group 2) at Royal Ascot, failed narrowly to stable-companions and subsequent Irish Derby winner Los Angeles (in York’s Great Voltigeur) and Jan Breughel (English St.Leger).
The task facing Dallas Star tonight is less daunting. He’s returning from a 272-day absence caused by an injury. But with the Murray team in such good form, the 107-rated colt, the mount of David Egan, gets the vote.
Joseph O’Brien relies on a nine-year-old course specialist with Julian Pietropaolo claiming 7lb. Natalia Lupini runs Barnso who was third in listed company last summer and was last seen finishing fifth to Fighter in the ‘Petingo’ at Leopardstown in September.
Ger Lyons - always a force to be reckoned with at this track - has his first runners of 2025 when saddling both Heather and Study The Lady in the Floodlit Friday Nights At Dundalk Maiden over just short of eleven furlongs.
Champion-jockey Colin Keane will be on board once-raced Heather, a full-sister to 2018 Irish Derby victor Latrobe and a confident choice to open her account.
This Camelot filly was an uneasy favourite for her debut (over a mile) here in December and, having held every chance up the straight, failed by a neck to Joseph O’Brien’s Sweet Illusions.
She’s crying out for this longer trip and, helped by that experience, should prove too strong for her rivals.
And veteran Harry’s Bar, an eight-time winner on Dundalk’s polytrack and runner-up five times in ten outings since his last win (in October 2023), looks a cut above his rivals in the opening six-furlong claimer.
3.50. Harry’s Bar (n.b.)
4.25. Gran Habano
5.00. Lyle The Crocodile
5.30. Clonmacash
6.00. Athlumney Warrior
6.30. Dallas Star
7.00. Heather (Nap)
7.30. Tara Power
3.50. Dontspoilasale
4.25. Temperance
5.00. Endless Dawn
5.30. Volatile Analyst
6.00. Ze Do Asfalto
6.30. Barnso
7.00. Study The Lady
7.30. Doctor Grace
