EASILY the most appropriate winner of the day came in the three-year-old fillies’ maiden where Pearls Galore, who has a strong ancestral connection to Limerick racecourse, made an impressive Irish debut for Paddy Twomey.
After two respectable runs in France this daughter of Invincible Spirit, who is owned by Haras De Saint Pair, signalled that she will be able to hold her own in decent company through the second half of 2020. She travelled smoothly in second for Billy Lee before brushing aside the front running Darkest early in the straight. From this point on it was entirely straightforward for the 9/4 favourite who defeated Sindhia by three lengths.
“She’s quite a nice filly and she’s been with us since January. That was a nice start for her and we’ll see how she takes this before deciding where to go,” said Twomey. “Her grandam Pearly Shells was a top-class filly and she was bred at this track by Lord Harrington so she’s come home to win her maiden.”
Galway ticket
Comfort Line booked his place at Galway with a victory in the first divide of mile maiden which saw him return to the form that saw him finish fourth to Russian Emperor at Naas back in March. Mick Mulvany’s charge appreciated coming back to a mile after trying his hand over longer trips and he accounted for a number of better-fancied rivals. The 9/1 shot went to the front for Gary Carroll with well over a furlong to run and contained the effort of Mosala by three parts of a length.
“Leigh Roche rode him the last day in Fairyhouse and felt he was cantering turning in but that he didn’t get home over the 10 furlongs,” declared Mulvany whose father Larry owns the winner. “I think he will get farther in time but he is still only maturing. I’d say he’ll head to Galway for a three-year-old-only mile handicap.”
After making it 20 winners for the season at Leopardstown the previous evening Johnny Murtagh quickly set his sights on reaching the 30 mark by landing the second division of the mile maiden with Call Me Rocky (11/8). The Fitzwilliam Racing-owned son of Society Rock, who had been placed on his first two starts, held a definite lead for Shane Kelly entering the last quarter of a mile and he stuck to his task well to hold off Big White Chief by a length and a quarter.
“He was just a bit fresh and got tired on the heavy ground at Roscommon last week (third to Bolivar). The shorter trip and better ground were in his favour today,” commented Murtagh.
APPRENTICE Ryan Sexton (16) enjoyed a dream start to his career in the saddle as he made his first ride on the track a winning one on Peter Fahey’s Stellar Enfant in the 45-65 rated apprentice handicap over a mile.
Sexton, whose elder brother Kevin is a former champion conditional over jumps in addition to enjoying many great days on the Fahey-trained Peregrine Run, looked right at home in getting the 22/1 shot home by half a length on her first start for 397 days.
“That’s great for Ryan, I think his first ride in pony racing was a winner as well. He graduated from the apprentice school earlier this year and he’s been riding out for us during summer holidays for the last couple of years,” stated Fahey. “The Sport Racing Club have been a very lucky syndicate for me and they leased this filly about a month or six weeks ago. I’m glad she’s won as she’s in-foal and only has about a month left.”
Better luck
Andrew McNamara supplied the half-length runner-up Dragon Belle in Stellar Enfant’s race but he enjoyed better luck with the Joe Doyle-ridden Mandarin Monarch (10/1) in the two-mile handicap. The seven-year-old, who was winning his sixth race for the trainer and is owned by the Galway-based Red Or Black Syndicate, led over a furlong from home and stayed on doggedly to defeat Cabalgata by a length and three quarters.
“Joe rode him the last day at Fairyhouse and said to step him up to this trip. He’ll go to Galway now, probably for a two-mile handicap hurdle,” stated the trainer.
Joseph O’Brien’s blistering run of form continued into this fixture as Scholastic (9/1) and Shane Crosse made it 22 flat winners for the trainer in the last three weeks in the 45-65 rated three-year-old mile handicap. On her first start since March, the Anne Marie O’Brien-owned daughter of Zoffany had something to spare in defeating Ya Ya Baby by three parts of a length.
AHEAD of a big weekend at the Curragh, Aidan O’Brien and Wayne Lordan came out the right side of two photo finishes in the opening two-year-old maidens.
The pair struck first with Finest, who achieved the distinction of becoming the first winner for her sire and former Ballydoyle inmate The Gurkha in the two-year-old fillies’ maiden over an extended six furlongs. After a fifth-place finish in a hot Bellewstown maiden won by Pretty Gorgeous, Finest (15/2) overcame a wide draw to show in front from early on and she lasted home by a nose from the oncoming market leader Amber Kite.
There was once again a nose in the verdict for the colts and geldings’ maiden where the O’Brien-trained and Lordan-ridden Giorgio Vasari (3/1) bounced back from a somewhat disappointing effort at this track last month. The first-time-blinkered son of Air Force Blue returned to the promise of his debut second at Fairyhouse to strike the front with over a furlong to run and hold off Alex D who, like Amber Kite, was representing Ger Lyons and Colin Keane.