ONE of a number of winners by Fastnet Rock at Killarney, The Blue Brilliant (100/30) landed the featured Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Handicap on Tuesday’s card.
Jessica Harrington and Shane Foley, successful with Citronnade at the Kerry venue the previous evening, kept up the good work in this extended mile-and-three-furlong heat.
Owned in partnership by Mrs Magnier, and her breeder Mrs Nagle, The Blue Brilliant got the better of Magic Chegaga towards the finish to score nicely by three-quarters of a length.
Billy Lee reported Maoilin (5/1 into 100/30), a length and three-quarters back in third, hung left from inside the two-furlong pole.
After The Blue Brilliant’s triumphant handicap debut, on the back of her maiden win at Fairyhouse in May, Harrington said: “We’ll look for blacktype before the end of the year. She took on the older horses there, which is hard to do because they are battle-hardened.”
Another Rock
Another three-year-old filly by Coolmore’s Fastnet Rock, Sincerest (the well-supported 16/5 favourite) looked a winner waiting to happen for a while, and she came good for owner/breeder Sue Ann Foley and trainer Joseph O’Brien in the Kenmare Handicap.
Like The Blue Brilliant, Mrs Magnier part-owns Sincerest too, with the Foleys, and out of the Galileo mare, It’s My Pleasure, this was an important success.
Albeit it came from a mark of just 56 with cheekpieces swapped for blinkers but there could be more to come after this confidence-boosting four-and-three-quarter-length success under Wayne Lordan.
“I think first-time blinkers helped and she travelled good today on the bit of better ground,” said O’Brien’s representative Brendan Powell.
Unruly in the stalls, Evergreen And Red took the silver medal.
FOLLOWING on from an Ulster Oaks-third placing last time, Celtic Crown ran out a convincing winner of the Sneem Handicap to give the man to follow at Killarney, John Murphy, an 80/1 double.
Robbie Colgan rode the earlier Highfort Stud scorer, Turbulence, at odds of 22/1, but the win of Celtic Crown was much more clearly anticipated by the market pre-race.
She went off at the top of the betting at 5/2, and in the hands of Colin Keane, after leading a furlong and a half out she soon asserted, staying-on well inside the final furlong to beat Imposing Supreme by two and a quarter lengths.
Florida
“Her owners have had a hard time with Covid, they are Florida based and come over regularly but it has been difficult this year. Robert (Moran, in attendance here) is an owner/breeder and while she’ll continue in handicaps, it would be great if she eventually got blacktype,” said Murphy.
Jamie Powell, rider of the fourth home, Royal Pippen, picked up a three-day careless riding suspension. His mount caused ninth-placer Well Suited to check when tight for room about a furlong out.
Division two of the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden saw aforementioned 22/1 chance Turbulence strike for Murphy’s wife Carolan, Colgan getting him home by a length and a half from Great Realisation.
“He’ll keep improving and is one to look forward to. We might look at a winners’ race next,” remarked Murphy’s son George.
Nose win
Murphy was denied a treble by the minimum nose margin as the Muckross Maiden went the way of Optimistic Belief (12/1) for Michael O’Callaghan and Leigh Roche.
The winner made all, and though Lusaka came home strongly for Murphy and Colgan, he just failed to get there in an event where favourite Lord Of The Manor ran no sort of race back in ninth.
Colgan got a three-day ban for using his whip excessively. Lord Of The Manor (6/4) was found to have pulled a right fore shoe but to be otherwise post race normal.
SECOND elsewhere with Imposing Supreme and Magic Chegaga, Tom Gibney deservedly got on the board in the Carrauntoohil Handicap courtesy of the Gary Carroll-ridden Great Bear (17/2).
Carroll gave the Tom O’Connor-owned Dansili gelding a fine front-running ride and the five-year-old ultimately and gamely held No Thanks and Landa Beach by a neck and the same.
Grade 1-winning hurdler and uneasy favourite here, Jeff Kidder couldn’t find the required change of gear up the straight and ended up in seventh place.
“He is very tough and I’m delighted for the horse to get his head in front and delighted for his owner Tom O’Connor as he has been second a clatter of times for us,” commented Gibney of the winner.
Disco drive
Disco Boots was a third winner in July for the Peter Fahey yard when landing the first split of the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Maiden.
With Declan McDonogh up, the successful Belardo filly took aim at Fictitious Lady from over a furlong out.
To the three-year-old’s great credit, on her first outing since November, she gained the upper hand in the closing stages to triumph by a length at odds of 14/1.
“I texted the owner (John Heffernan) before today’s race and said this is as quick as she’d want it and Declan said she got away with it,” revealed Fahey.
“I’m delighted for John, who was a couple of years below me in school. He bred her and is only up the road from me and I’m delighted to train a winner for him. He has the whole family and I’d love to think she could get blacktype somewhere along the line.”
Trainer Sam Curling was keen to deflect praise elsewhere after his Monas Melody (7/2) saw off Magic Tricks by two and a half lengths in the Gap Of Dunloe (Q.R.) Maiden.
“Pa (King, winning pilot) gave her a great ride, he rides lots of our point-to-pointers and it is great he got a winner there,” said the Skehanagh Stables operator in the aftermath.
“I’ll speak to Alfie (Sweetnam, owner) as regards plans. She is still for sale.”