ALPHERATZ (10/11 favourite) kept her classic aspirations alive at Killarney on Tuesday where the Joe Murphy-trained filly was the battling winner of the Irish Stallion Farms EBF (Fillies) Race, under jockey Gary Carroll.

The Phoenix Of Spain-sired filly had finished second at Group 3 level in March and while performing slightly below that level in April, today made virtually all and held the strong challenge of Uluru by a neck.

Alpheratz carries the colours of Gerard Kervick & Crampscastle Bloodstock Ltd and afterwards the trainer’s son and namesake Joe Murphy junior reported: “We’ve always felt she wanted to go up in trip and we ran her here to confirm that, and I think we did.

“She’s in the Guineas and maybe if it was a heavy-ground Guineas, she might run, but she’s in the Ribblesdale and the Irish Oaks and that’s probably the route she’ll go down.

Take her chance

“Maybe she’s going to be better on good ground and we’ll try it in the Oaks or the Ribblesdale and we’ll see. If she’s flying it on Irish Oaks weekend, and it’s good-to-firm ground, she’ll probably take her chance.

“We came on a fact-finding mission, and got an answer. We probably knew the answer, but got it confirmed. I’d be excited enough about her.”

Connections of Boher Road (3/1 favourite) are dreaming of a possible Royal Ascot bid as the front-runner blitzed his 11 rivals to land the Fexco Handicap for owner/breeder Pat McCarthy, jockey Ronan Whelan and trainer Jarlath Fahey.

The Vadamos gelding travelled strongly throughout and eventually easily beat The Banger Doyle by six and a half lengths.

Royal success

Trainer Fahey and Whelan have previously teamed up for Royal success with Jennies Jewel, and today the jockey reported: “Boher Road is thriving and today from the get-go, he pinged the lids and pricked his ears straight away.

“He was a little harder to settle the last day and the whole way around I was really happy and knew he was conserving energy.

“Jarlath told me not to interfere with him and let him do whatever he wants to do. The big thing was he loved the track and I’m just a passenger really.

“I think there was a mention of the Ascot Stakes again (which he won on Jennies Jewel) and she was a front-runner too. If we could do that again it would be nice.”

IN-FORM jockey Shane Foley provided trainer Ross O’Sullivan with a double, as the pair won consecutive races with See Me Through and Slurricane.

See Me Through began by making all for a two and a half length win over Free Flow, with O’Sullivan reporting: “We were disappointed the last day when we thought he’d nearly win in Leopardstown, but maybe his first run back maybe took a little out of him. He had a nice little space between runs today.

“Dusty (Foley) said he had plenty left, felt he loved the ground and has big feet on him. He probably wants a ease in the ground and did everything nicely. He is an improver and it is grand to have him. We’ll look for a similar handicap.”

Referencing winning owner Norman Williamson’s Saturday breeze-up sale of a Justify colt to Godolphin for €2.3m, O’Sullivan quipped: “It is great Norman and Janet (Williamson) were here and it’s Janet’s first winner - they’re going well!”

Half an hour later O’Sullivan’s Eleanora Kennedy-owned Slurricane (5/1) arrived from well off the pace to lead inside the final furlong, to eventually score by a neck from Currumbin.

O’Sullivan was strong in his praise of jockey Foley, reporting “Dusty (Foley) said they went very quick today and it fell into his lap, but we were using a jockey who is riding with so much confidence at the moment.

“I left tactics to him and at one stage he was five lengths last, but he is on fire. We have him riding work at the Curragh two or three days a week and that is making an awful difference.”

He added: “He is a lovely horse, he got gelded last year and it was his first run in a handicap. He concentrated more today. He has improved and will want further.”

THERE were two other owner/breeding organisations to get on the mark, as Thor’s Hammer (11/10 favourite) gained a hard-fought head win over Babich in the opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden, for Newtown Anner Stud Farm.

Winning trainer Johnny Murtagh wasn’t present and afterwards successful jockey Ben Coen commented “I could have done with Wayne’s horse (leader Master Of The Hunt) bringing me a little further as I was travelling very well and, when I gave him the go-ahead, he idled a little. To be fair when the second horse came to me again he found again.

“I think he has matured mentally a lot between two (years) and three, and being gelded has helped as well.

“I think he can get a little further and hopefully he can improve from that.”

Made all

Flaxman Stables Ireland landed the concluding Outlook Publications Race with the Joseph O’Brien-trained Uxmal (11/8), under jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle.

Rated 106, Uxmal made all and scored readily from staying on Enjoy The Dream, with Browne McMonagle reporting: “He did it well - he jumped and nobody bothered me in front and he loved it. He pricked his ears around every bend and he enjoyed the turning track.

“He quickened up well when I asked him and is only going to get better. He will have no problem stepping up into group company now, I’d imagine, and is definitely a fun horse for the year.”

Improved

The Andy Slattery-trained Passionate (9/2) improved one placing on Wednesday’s unlucky Gowran defeat, when easily landing the Celtic Steps Handicap, under his son Andrew Slattery and for owner Eimear O’Brien.

The Churchill filly raced with the pace, led two furlongs out and finished strongly to beat Status Green by six lengths.

Slattery commented: “She had her problems when she was in (Fozzy) Stack’s, but Andrew liked her and recently she had been working well - although I didn’t want to win six lengths!

“She should have won in Gowran last Wednesday as she was tailed off coming down the hill, but ran on (in second) and I couldn’t believe how she was beaten.

“She is also in at Leopardstown on Friday, but we’ll have to see how she is.”