JOCKEY Billy Lee completed a Gowran double on Saturday and made the most of an opportunity for Ballydoyle when winning the inaugural running of the featured Listed Irish Stallion Farms EBF Marble City Stakes on The Euphrates (6/4 favourite).

Running for the Brant, Magnier, Tabor, Westerberg and Smith alliance, the Frankel-sired colt made all the running and defeated this season’s earlier Gowran Classic winner Kinesiology by a half-length.

Aidan O’Brien’s representative Chris Armstrong reported: “Billy gave him a lovely ride, he kept it straightforward, uncomplicated, and let him find his own rhythm and just dictate his own terms.

“He ran well enough in the Irish Derby and finished off nicely and obviously it was a drop in class so it will be a nice confidence booster for him.

“We might have a look at putting him in the Voltigeur next at York and see if he turns into a Leger horse. We’ll just let him go back up now into group company.”

Soaring success

Lee had earlier won the Lyrath Estate & MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre Ladies Day Handicap (Division II) on the Pat Flynn-trained Harriet Eagle (14/1) for owner Gavin O’Mahoney.

The four-year-old was overcoming form figures of 0658800 and a 232-day layoff but held on well for a half-length win over runner-up Share The Treasure. 

Flynn said: “She’s given us a few problems with her hind and has gone a bit stiff at times so we had masseurs in rubbing her.

“I said to Billy (Lee) that she’s as fit as a flea and to have her as prominent as you like and that she should run a good race. She should improve from that again hopefully. She’s a nice well-bred filly and is by Free Eagle, one of my favourite sires.”

GAVIN Cromwell was another to record a double, beginning by landing the opening Irish EBF Auction Series Fillies Maiden with An Chorr Dubh, which was the trainer’s second consecutive debutante juvenile to defy odds of 33/1.

Cromwell’s outsider Diego Ventura scored at those odds at Naas on Wednesday and today the Nigel O’Hare & Kabin Racing Syndicate-owned An Chorr Dubh finished well to beat 4/5 favourite Canto Della Terra by a length and a quarter.

Winning jockey Robert Whearty reported: “She can be very forward-going, even at home so today we took her down to the start nice and steady. She was a great ride throughout the race.

“I got there and she had a little bit of a look and she was plenty green. It was seven (furlongs) there and she hit the line well. She travels really strong but it wasn’t like she was going to run away or anything like that.”

Super Snellen

Snellen provided Cromwell with his double as last year’s Royal Ascot winner landed the concluding SP Or Better With The Tote Race under jockey Gary Carroll.

Successful in the 2023 Chesham Stakes, the Expert Eye-filly opened her account for this year at Limerick in June and and today improved on a recent runner-up effort at premier handicap level, when beating Shayzann by a neck.

Carroll commented: “It took a while for her to come to hand this summer but she’s improving. I thought I was going to pick up and win well but she probably waits when she gets to the front.

“When the other horse (Shayzann) came, I thought he had the beating of me but in fairness to her she stuck her head out well. She’s getting there and hopefully she’s getting up towards having a go at blacktype again.”

Golden girl

Golden Days (13/2) followed up her win in the second division of last year’s Lyrath Estate & MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre Ladies Day Handicap with a success in the opening ‘division’ of the same race, scoring for joint-trainers Tracey Collins and Michael Halford, and owner Caroline Hendron and jockey Ronan Whelan.

Collins reported: “She’s been the model of consistency, she’s done it well and obviously likes the track. Those 47-65s can throw up anything and anytime they run around they are different races. We’re pleased with her and delighted for the owners.”

THE Joseph O’Brien-trained, Declan McDonogh-partnered Evening Blossom (11/8 favourite, for owner Brian Dolan) gained a deserved first success in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden.

The Australia-filly had been placed in four of her five previous runs and today battled well to beat Eternal Reign by a half-length.

O’Brien said “she deserved to win, she had been consistent in all her runs this year and she was tough when she needed to be today.

“We thought she would have been rated a little bit higher (than 79) so hopefully she might be on an upward curve. The obvious thing would be to go for a fillies’ handicap somewhere.”

Switching codes

Jack Kearney has recently switched codes to ride over jumps but bagged a winner for one of his principal supporters, trainer Ger Lyons, in landing the Gowran Park Handicap on Pier Pressure (17/2).

Afterwards Lyons said “it’s a pity for Amy Jo (Hayes, jockey) as I used to work with her father and she was claimed for one of her regular stables today, so we went back to Jack who has gone jumping.

“The horse loves getting into trouble and he’s due that win. We kept him on the team, he leads work at home and he’ll pay his way.”

Monthly victory

Mayo For Sam was a topical winner on All-Ireland football final weekend as the Ado McGuinness-trained filly bagged consecutive monthly wins, when landing the Get Galway Races Ready With tote.ie Apprentice Handicap under Daniel King.

McGuinness later quipped “we ran her the other night but she just can’t seem to win down in Mayo! She ran well in Ballinrobe but the ground probably went against her and we were over a mile and five furlongs.

“I felt this was probably her right trip and Dan was very good on her - he didn’t panic.”

He added “I thought the handicapper had her and we couldn’t get her into Galway, so we said we’d come here and it’s after working out.

“The boys are great bunch of lads, Brendan (Geraghty) owns her and if she gets into Galway the boys will go, as they are west of Ireland lads.”