O'Briens dominate opening day in Killarney
Evening Blossom and Dylan Browne McMonagle win the TXOdds Handicap at Killarney. Pic: HEALY RACING
The O’Brien family dominated day one of the July festival in Killarney, taking five of the seven races, and it was Joseph O’Brien, ably assisted from the saddle by Dylan Browne McMonagle, who was in the ascendency, completing a 16.5-1 treble.
Tribal Nation being turned over at odds of 1-3 in the second race proved just a blip and the turnaround in fortune began with Evening Blossom in the TXODDS Handicap.
The filly had to carry top weight, but it proved little burden as this was the smoothest of successes. Browne McMonagle was happy to race in second place behind leader Expound and he simply eased his mount to the front in the straight and she readily accounted for the running-on Grey Leader.
Leg two required a little more work but, ultimately, Defiantly, was just as impressive in the Median Auction Maiden. In every notebook following his debut effort, he looked to be in trouble when the pace picked up initially on this occasion but put his head down and galloped with real purpose to the line to consign long-time leader Edge Of Seventeen to the runner-up spot.
The treble came in the finale, the Harrow Handicap, in which Browne McMonagle sent Magnolia Drive to the front quite early, dictated at a sensible pace in the deteriorating conditions, and eased his mount clear for a facile success.
“It was a great evening,” said the rider. “I had a nice book of rides, and thankfully we got a few winners.” Of the last winner, he reported: “She’s straightforward. Cheekpieces on first time sharpened her a little bit, and being up in trip definitely helped. She travelled well and picked up nicely.”
The unmistakable promise in Benvenuto Cellini’s debut was built upon in the opener as Aidan O’Brien’s exciting colt made all the running for a facile success over stablemate Endorsement.
By Frankel out of Newspaperofrecord, who won two Grade 1s in America, including a wide-margin success in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies’ Turf, he is all class, and showed it despite some signs of greenness as he strode clear under Wayne Lordan.
“He had a lovely run at the Curragh,” said Chris Armstrong. “He was very babyish at the Curragh and again going around there today. He jumped, he led, but Wayne said he was looking at the cars on the inside and was still very babyish. He went away and won, and it was probably a decent maiden, so it’s a good sign.
“He improved from the Curragh to here, and he’ll improve again from here to his next run. We’ll probably look at the Futurity next, but whatever he does at two you’d think would be a bonus because he’ll make up into a smashing middle-distance horse for next year. He’s one with a touch of class.” Stablemate Lambourn won at this meeting in 2024 and became a dual Derby winner, and while that is a long way off for this winner, it highlights the fact that this is a venue where the juvenile maidens take quite a bit of winning.
“You’ve only got to look at the previous winners here and even the horses in behind, you need a stakes horse to come here,” added Armstrong. “There aren’t too many have won here that haven’t turned out to be well above average.”
Donnacha O’Brien put his shoulder to the wheel for the family effort by taking the TXODDS Fillies’ Maiden with Drama Queen. The underfoot conditions appeared to prompt improvement in the lightly raced sort, and she showed a good attitude to beat well-backed favourite Plaza Athenee.
The Irish Stallion Farms EBF Race was the second on the card and while Barbizon was returned 12-1 third-favourite in a four-runner race, it was far from a surprise to connections. Trained by John Murphy and ridden by Shane Foley, the once-raced three-year-old moved up to and swiftly by long-odds-on favourite Tribal Nation halfway up the straight and strode out in great style to beat the patiently ridden Rion Rubette.
Said assistant trainer George Murphy: “We liked him an awful lot before his run in the Curragh, he was just a bit green and fresh that day, a bit keen, and he got caught out on a wing and got a bit tired. He still ran a lovely race that day, but he was very impressive there today. I’d say he’s a very nice horse. Shane said he thinks he’ll come on a lot for that and will end up a very, very smart horse.”
Vlhova was given a fine front-running ride by Rory Cleary to take the SIS Supporting Irish Racing Handicap for trainer Kevin Coleman, doing so at the expense of Vega’s Muse, with Far From Dandy catching the eye with his third-place finish, achieved after he walked from the stalls and left himself in a most difficult position.
