JESSICA Harrington’s juvenile team have been making quite an impression over the last fortnight and she unleashed another smart type in Dandys Ocean who kicked off the 2018 season at the Curragh yesterday with a debut success in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden.

This victory was also notable for the fact that the winner took part in Ireland’s first barrier trials at Dundalk last Sunday and this success represents a notable early boost for this new initiative.

Heavy rain throughout the morning meant that the conditions were quite testing and, while she would prefer better ground, Dandys Ocean coped well with the surface to look as if she will be able to hold her own at a higher level. Not too many of the runners ever got involved in this five-furlong event and the winner was always nicely positioned in second for Colm O’Donoghue.

Over the course of the last furlong, Dandys Ocean took the measure of the pace-setting Yolo Again and she went to the line well to finish two and a quarter lengths ahead of Lethal Promise who shaped up nicely in coming from off the pace. The winner was a €30,000 purchase at Goffs last September by Chinese owner Zhang Yuesheng.

“It’s great to get a winner for Mr Zhang. She would like better ground but could do no more than go and win. She travelled well for Colm and picked up well when she needed to,” reported Mrs Harrington.

Colm O’Donoghue went on to make it a double when Michael Halford’s Arcanears (20/1) showed excellent progress from his debut run at Navan last month to bag the six-furlong maiden. In the colours of long-standing Halford patron Carol Roper, the Arcano three-year-old picked off the trail-blazing Hawaam inside the last furlong to score by a length and three quarters from the newcomer Excelling Spirit.

“Carol is a great patron of ours, she’s had horses with us for a long time. He’s from a family that have done well for us although they usually come into their own when they are four,” observed Halford. “He got a good ride from Colm and handled the conditions well and we thought that he’d come forward well from Navan.”

BREEZE-UP WINNER

Michael O’Callaghan sent out his first winner of the season as Recon Mission, a £180,000 purchase at last month’s Goffs UK Breeze-Up Sale, made a successful debut in the five-furlong Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden. In a race where the three Ballydoyle runners were scratched on account of the ground, Recon Mission turned in a nice effort for Leigh Roche. The well-backed 7/2 shot held every chance from over a furlong out and then finished out his race well to defeat fellow Kodiac colt by Wartime Hero by a length and a half. Recon Mission is out of a half-sister to Maarek.

“He’s a lovely colt who came highly recommended by Roger O’Callaghan who we have been lucky buying off before through the likes of Blue De Vega and Now Or Never,” declared the trainer. “Leigh said that he’d be better on better ground and we’ll have a look at the Rochestown Stakes at Naas next weekend with him. Hopefully, he’ll make an Ascot horse.”

Hand On Heart built on her promising debut victory at Limerick last month by landing the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Race over a mile. The 4/1 shot tackled a quartet of last time out winners and coped well with this rise in class. After keeping close to the pace for Chris Hayes, the daughter of Mastercraftsman started to get the better of the pace-setting Bond Street as the final furlong loomed and she went on to defeat that opponent by a length and three-quarters.

“She’s done that nicely. At home she’s not the best of work horses but she obviously keeps it for the track and she’s handled the step-up in grade today. We might now look at the Victor McCalmont Memorial Stakes at Gowran at the end of the month,” reported Fozzy Stack.

O’BRIEN IN FORM

Richard O’Brien’s impressive run of form continued as he reeled off a double which was completed by Maths Prize (6/1) in the mile handicap. The Frank Lynch and Michael Hartnett-owned four-year-old ran quite respectably on his debut for O’Brien when finishing eighth in the Lincoln and was clearly all the better for that outing.

The four-year-old was going nicely for Billy Lee when he moved into a share of the lead with a quarter of a mile to run and he knuckled down well under pressure to hold Prosecution by two and a quarter lengths.

Earlier the O’Brien-trained Alans Pride was an utterly dominant winner of the 30-runner six-furlong handicap. The six-year-old was returned the 11/2 favourite under Gary Halpin and his supporters hardly ever had an anxious moment. Alans Pride stretched clear of the field over the last couple of furlongs for a three and three quarter lengths victory over Keep Believing. The winner carries the colours of Charles Maguire.

Slattery’s €8,000 buy proves Decisive

ANDY Slattery sent out his second two-year-old winner from as many runners this season as Decisive Action (20/1) overcame distinct inexperience to secure the Foran Equine Irish EBF Auction Maiden. A mere £8,000 yearling, the son of Rip Van Winkle began to drift right under Ben Coen when he loomed up to challenge with over a furlong to run.

Decisive Action continued to drift right after heading Engles Rock but he was firmly on top at the line where he had a length to spare and, as expected, a stewards’ enquiry left the placings unchanged.

“He’s a nice horse and we’ve liked him but he’s bred to be a mile and a half horse. He’s lucky the weather has been so bad as I was going to geld him and left him off. We might still geld him and leave him for the summer before coming back for the final of this series in the autumn,” reported Andy Slattery.

Wisdom Mind, who had chased home Hand On Heart at Limerick last time, got her turn in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden. The 3/1 favourite took up a forward position for Donnacha O’Brien and responded well to her rider’s promptings to open up a decent lead over the pack with over a furlong to run. Athena finished strongly when she got into the clear but the line arrived in time for the Sun Bloodstock-owned daughter of Dark Angel to prevail by half a length.

“She’s a very well-bred filly (half-sister to Barney Roy) so it’s great to win a maiden with her and that’s my first winner for Sun Bloodstock too. With the pedigree she has blacktype will be the aim and I think she’ll appreciate better ground,” remarked Joseph O’Brien.

ACTING STEWARDS

P. Caffrey, S. Barry, P. Coveney, J. Martin-Smith, P.D. Matthews

HORSE TO FOLLOW

EXCELLING SPIRIT (W. McCreery): This daughter of Invincible Spirit made an encouraging start to her career by finishing second in the maiden won by Arcanears and she can soon make her mark in a sprint maiden.

Jockeys’ bans

BEN Coen was given a three-day careless riding ban after winning on Decisive Action while Daniel Redmond was given a two-day careless riding suspension after finishing third on Muzbid in the 10-furlong handicap.