The Scallionator gives jockey Wesley Joyce landmark win in Cork
The Scallionator & Wesley Joyce win the Irish EBF Auction Series Race. Pic: HEALY RACING.
The Scallionator provided jockey Wesley Joyce with a landmark success when making all to justify 4-7 favouritism in the Irish EBF Auction Series Race at Cork on Wednesday.
The biggest race on the card had the smallest field, one that was reduced to just five runners when leading fancy Fighting Tears was declared a late non-runner.
Her absence simplified the task facing The Scallionator and the Michael Mulvany-trained Calyx colt ran out a cosy two-length winner as Limerick jockey Joyce, who almost died in a horror fall at Galway in 2022, rode out his claim.
“From going around housing estates on ponies in Limerick to doing this today, is a big achievement for me,” 23-year-old Joyce said. “A big thanks to Mick Mulvany and to Johnny Murtagh who was so good to me early in my career. They are good people and have guided me all the way.
“Mick has big faith in me and I’m grateful for the Clearys Syndicate for letting me ride The Scallionator as well.
“The next step is to find that good horse who will bring me to the next level. I rode The Scallionator in Royal Ascot and in the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes this year, so hopefully I can get one of those type horses.”
Paying tribute to his jockey, Mulvany said: “I have given Wesley a lot of his winners and it is nice for him to do this. Things [injuries] have happened along the way but is where he is now and he is my stable jockey now.”
A crack at the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes is on the agenda for Marco Polo after the Aidan O’Brien-trained Night Of Thunder colt bolted up in the Coolmore Stud Gleneagles Irish EBF Maiden.
A day after Najidi Storm was beaten at odds of 1-33 at Goodwood, there was never any danger of 1-8 hotpot Marco Polo suffering a similar fate here as he bounced back from a disappointing run in the Gimcrack Stakes at York last month to score by five and a half lengths in the hands of Wayne Lordan.
Ballydoyle representative Chris Armstong said: “He had a very good run the first day [when second at the Curragh] and the form of that race worked out well, that’s why Aidan pitched him in the good race at York on his next start where he did everything wrong and Ryan [Moore] said to but a line through that run.
“Aidan brought him back to a maiden to give him confidence and the race worked out lovely for him. He’s in Newbury next week but that will probably come a bit too quick for him but I wouldn’t be surprised if he pitched up in the Middle Park.
“He’s a horse of potential and, hopefully, there’s plenty of nice races to be won between now and the end of the season with him.” Lordan later doubled up when partnering the Laura Hourigan-trained She's On The Ball to victory in the Follow Us On X Handicap, the 7-1 shot scoring by half a lengths from Cisterna.
Billy Lee extended his lead over Colin Keane in the title race to three wins when riding 100-30 shot Alpine Wedding to victory in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden.
“She’s rated 89 and I had previously taken the scenic route with her,” winning trainer Paddy Twomey said. “She was drawn 18 of 16 at Gowran last week but the only reason I ran was because we were running out of Goffs bonus race options. Today's race was the final one.
“Billy thought she could run again this season and there are a few fillies' stakes races for her. She's also in the Goffs Million so that is a live option too.” The Follow Us On Social Media Maiden provided a welcome boost to the John Murphy team as 7-4 shot Enigma Code landed the spoils in the hands of Gary Carroll.
River Trieux looked to have the race at his mercy two furlongs out but Enigma Code showed a potent turn of foot to reel in and pass the longtime leader.
George Murphy, son and assistant of the winning trainer, said: “We’ve had a tough time, we’ve had a bit of sickness through the middle of the summer and we pulled up stumps for a while and got them all right. Everything that’s run since has been running very well.”
Paying tribute to Enigma Code, he added: “He’s a very nice horse. He had a lovely run in Gowran the last day, drawn wide again there and he did that very well there, he came from a far way back and quickened very impressively.”
The Joey Sheridan-ridden Tokyo Treasure, an 11-1 shot, got up late to thwart Nouvel Espoir in the Follow Us On Instagram Handicap, much to the delight of winning trainer Pat Foley.
“He probably deserved that given he was second, only barely beaten, at Gowran, and ran very well at Roscommon the last day,” Foley said.
“Seven and a half furlongs probably just caught him there — he does get seven — but we felt if we could try him over six, he has the early speed for it and we’ll probably keep at six now.”
Star Strewn ran out a shock winner of the finale, the Racing Again September 29th Handicap, the Cormac Farrell-trained 40-1 shot getting the better of 100-30 favourite Highbury See See by a neck.
