Rest of card

SHANE Foley expertly deputised for the injured Ben Coen when delivering a peach of a ride on Hanalia to capture the Group 2 Moyglare “Jewels’’ Blandford Stakes for Johnny Murtagh and the Aga Khan.

The 12/1 chance had run promising races in defeat when sixth in the Irish Oaks and second in the Snow Fairy Fillies Stakes the previous twice, and raised her game another notch to reverse the form of her Irish Oaks encounter with 2/1 favourite Purple Lily, who was beaten just under a length in third.

Ryan Moore dictated matters on the front end aboard runner-up Wingspan and his mount responded gamely when pressed strongly by Hanalia inside the final furlong, but it wasn’t enough to deny the improving three-year-old winner.

Murtagh, who trained (and rode) Belle De Crecy to win the race in 2013, said: “I thought she had improved from her last run here a couple of weeks ago. I might have left her one gallop short with the eye on this race but I did think she’d nearly win that day.

“With the little bit of rain last night and the extra furlong, I think this is the ideal trip for her. There are a lot of good fillies in Ireland at the moment but we were coming here quietly confident. The races are hard to win this weekend so we’re thrilled to get this. She’s in the Prix de l’Opera and hopefully that’s the next target.”

Hernon strikes for France

A rare French challenger at the Curragh proved the answer to the wide-open €250,000 Tattersalls Ireland Super Auction Sales Stakes, as Chantilly-based Co Cork native Gavin Hernon executed a fine piece of placing to collect with Spirit D’or (13/2) in the colours of FTP Equine Holdings Ltd.

Ronan Whelan, making it a big-money double on the weekend, appeared to get plenty of satisfaction out of the two-length success over a running-on Gloriously Glam (Jessica Harrington).

With the winning trainer absent, Whelan said: “It couldn’t have worked out any better. Watching her videos and speaking to everyone involved, she’s quite a forward-going filly but has a great attitude and is tough.

“It was a big call from Gavin to bring her over here and I got a good kick out of that. Myself and Gavin worked in Jim Bolger’s many moons ago, so that’s how the connection came.

“He rang me during the week and we had a discussion about whether it was worth bringing her and we both thought it was a good idea. Little fish are nice; it’s a great pot to get. It was a great training performance because she’s not simple.”

GER Lyons so often makes the Irish Champions Festival a happy hunting ground, and he brought up a double on the weekend when My Mate Alfie (12/1) posted a highly admirable performance to defy top-weight in the €150,000 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Bold Lad Premier Sprint Handicap.

Dropping down from Group 3 company to handicap level played to the Austin Whelan-owned three-year-old’s strengths, finding generously for Colin Keane’s urgings to score by a length and a quarter from 7/1 joint-favourite Torivega (Sheila Lavery), with another neck back to Tango Flare (Pat Foley).

Lyons said: “He’s a lovely horse and is almost invisible at home. I’ve been training this lad with the future in mind. I’ve kept saying to Austin that we’ll travel next year, I wanted to let me teach him how to sprint.

“Whether he’s a Group 1 sprinter next year, it’s a huge jump from Group 3, but he’s definitely going to mature into a better horse.”

Keane continued an excellent weekend’s work when wrapping up leading rider honours for the Irish Champions Festival aboard This Songisforyou in the concluding €150,000 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Northfields Handicap - the champion jockey’s third winner in the two days.

Cambridgeshire possible

Emmet Mullins has creativity campaigned the Annette Mee-owned six-year-old in terms of trying distances, going from a bumper win on debut at the 2022 Galway Festival to a couple of starts over hurdles and now a major flat handicap at 10 furlongs.

Speaking after the 9/1 winner struck by a length and a half, Mullins said: “I thought he might need the run because he had thrived so well since Galway. It was a last-minute declaration and thankfully it worked out.

“It was a very good ride from Colin, though I probably didn’t fill him or Michael [Mee] with confidence! I said that he might need the run. He’s in the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket and if it turned up nice ground, he might go.”