THE Cesarewitch almost inevitably went the way of Willie Mullins, with the ante-post gamble Great White Shark producing an irresistible surge to win the marathon under Jason Watson, the striking grey mare beating last year’s third Summer Moon (Mark Johnston/Joe Fanning) and bringing up a hat-trick of wins in the Cesarewitch for the Master of Muine Bheag.
Last year, Willie’s brother Tony saddled Party Playboy to be placed at 50/1, while this time it was Tom’s turn to hit the frame at a big price, with Takarengo third at the same odds. Hughie Morrison’s Not So Sleepy reprised his 2019 effort by finishing fourth again.
Lady Wannabe, a listed winner at Listowel on her previous outing, took the step up to Group 3 in grand style, beating Dream Castle (Saeed Bin Suroor/James Doyle) and Epic Hero (Simon & Ed Crisford) to land the Darley Stakes, and giving Fozzy Stack a pleasant surprise by getting a bit more blacktype than he had bargained for.
The daughter of Camelot was a 28/1 shot here, but she enjoyed a clear run under a classic Jamie Spencer ride, and proved a length and three quarters too good for the runner-up at the line. Epic Hero had to weave his way through into third place, but he could hardly be called an unlucky loser, all things considered.
The winner, owned in partnership by Marie Gaffney and Barbara Murphy, was getting reward for her undoubted durability, and this win will have made a marked difference in her value as a broodmare prospect.
Jamie Spencer, who has seen his own campaign ravaged by injury, was chalking up only his sixth win of the turf season.
Lady Wannabe’s win made it a treble for Irish stables on the day.