Keane guides Purview to deserved victory in Mallow

Purview and Colin Keane win for trainer Dermot Weld. Pic: Healy Racing

Purview wasn’t winning out of turn when taking the listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Navigation Stakes, the feature on Tuesday’s card in Cork.

Trained by Dermot Weld and ridden by Colin Keane, the Juddmonte colt chased home Delacroix earlier in the season and was just touched off in a Group 3 on his next start. 

A trip to Deauville didn’t yield the desired result but this was a step in the right direction for the Kingman colt, and he did it with the benefit of a superb ride from Keane.

A decent pace up front, courtesy of Tangapour, had the field quite well strung out, but the winner travelled nicely into the straight, and Keane gave him as easy a race as he could whilst ensuring victory. Running nicely to the line, he beat Cadogan by a length and a quarter, and there was a distinct promise of more from the colt.

Said Kris Weld: “He’s a very talented colt. We thought today’s race would suit him, and thankfully it worked out. Colin gave him a lovely ride.

“He had only won a maiden prior to today but his form, particularly earlier in the year, was top drawer, so he deserved to go and win a stakes race today.

“He was second to Delacroix but the frustrating day, if there was one, was the Meld Stakes as things just didn’t pan out. That can happen, particularly in a small field, but he showed today what he’s capable of, and it’s onwards and upwards hopefully.

“We hadn’t looked beyond this but Dad will have a word with the family and with Barry (Mahon, Juddmonte) and come up with a plan.” 

Dylan Browne McMonagle’s quest for a first jockeys’ championship continues apace, and while reigning champion Keane was on the board in the feature, the Donegal man ensured that his five-winner lead remained at the close of day by taking the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies’ Handicap aboard Winters Breath.

Riding for trainer Willie McCreery in the Al Shira’aa Racing colours he has enjoyed plenty of success in, he got a great late tune out of his mount and despite veering left at a late stage, she got up on the line to deny Likedbymike, who did a similar manoeuvre twice.

“She had a good run the last day, and stepping up a furlong was going to help,” said the winning rider. “I just kept it smooth on her. She rolled around a bit in the last furlong and probably would have been unlucky if I didn’t get up. She’s still a baby, she hasn’t many miles on the clock, and she’s probably only going to get faster with experience.

“I ride a good bit for Al Shira’aa, they’re good supporters of mine, and Willie was great to me when Billy (Lee) was out – I got a couple of winners for him – so it’s good to get another one for him.” 

Andy Slattery is a trainer enjoying a fine season and he and son Andy teamed up to take the opener, the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden, with odds-on favourite Tornado Kiss. 

Runner-up on her first two starts, she was a touch keen in the early stages of this race but travelled better as the race progressed and won with far more in hand than the winning margin of half a length might suggest.

Numerically, Johnny Murtagh and Ben Coen are going to have the best season of their respective careers to date, and the latest addition to the team’s success came from Nakamura, who followed up his Navan success with a gutsy display in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Nursery.

The tidiest of gambles was landed in the Mallow Handicap when Ukiyo got on top late to land the spoils with a bit to spare. 

Having just her third run for Gavin Cromwell, and just the seventh outing of her career, initially she was a drifter, to a price of 28-1, but sustained market support saw those odds collapse to just 100-30.

Sovereign Banter travelled strongly and held every chance going into the final furlong, but Robert Whearty got a great tune out of the Ukiyo, and she got on top late to land the plunge.

Jack Cleary is another man enjoying the season of his young career and he put winner number 15 for the year on his card when getting the Aidan O’Brien-trained Bloom up in the dying strides of the Irish EBF Fillies’ Maiden. 

The winner, a daughter of listed race winner Laburnum, Jessica Harrington’s Falls Of Acharn, who won his maiden in August at Leopardstown, followed up with a winning handicap debut in the Port Of Cork Handicap. 

Shane Foley’s mount travelled stylishly and readily put the race to bed. On this evidence, the progressive son of Sea The Moon is one to keep on side.

The meeting concluded with a gutsy display from La Tulipe Noire, who was having just her second run for Aengus King. 

The vastly experienced mare, whose only previous success came on the all-weather, travelled kindly most of the way and when Micasso edged ahead at the furlong marker, she battled back gamely to win under a fine ride by Jessica O’Gorman.