NOT content with carrying all before him over jumps, Henry de Bromhead has also been breaking new ground on the flat this year and just over a month after a first pattern race success in Britain he bagged the €90,000 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Nasrullah Handicap with Mosala.
This Carmel Acheson-owned son of Kodiac shaped like a potential premier handicap horse when he was just touched off by Tauran Shaman over this course and distance two months ago.
The latter was the one that gave Mosala (8/1) most to do here but a 2lb swing in the weights was sufficient for Chris Hayes’s mount to turn the tables this time.
Very few of the runners got meaningfully involved in this 10-furlong affair but Mosala was always nicely positioned amongst the leading half dozen and then he quickened smartly to strike the front nearing the last furlong.
Tauran Shaman emerged to give chase but never looked as though he would find a way past and there was three-quarters of a length separating the front pair at the line.
“He surprised me how well he quickened up and the other horse coming at him helped as my horse was only idling,” reported Hayes. “A strong pace would suit him really well and I could see him being a very good ride in the Colm Quinn BMW Mile.”
Hayes also struck aboard the Harry Rogers-trained Clifftop (22/1) in the 45-65 rated nine-furlong handicap. The five-year-old had plenty to do from midfield with over a furlong to run but finished strongly to edge out Duquesa Beach by a nose and record his first win in just under two years.
Rogers indicated that the Bernard Carroll, Ralph Kelly and Thomas Cox-owned gelding could head to Navan on Saturday before going back hurdling.
THE card also featured a successful Irish raid by Roger Varian’s Believe In Love in the Group 3 Irish Stallion Farms EBF Stanerra Stakes under Ronan Whelan. This daughter of Make Believe won five of her last six starts which included a Group 3 triumph in France and she looked a major player despite her penalty for that Saint-Cloud triumph.
Believe In Love had a lacklustre comeback run to overcome but here she ran out a ready winner of this one-and-three-quarter-mile affair. She picked up well to lead over a furlong out and she sustained that effort to defeat Frederic Sophia by a length and a half.
“Roger said her homework had been very good and to disregard her last run,” said Whelan. “He said she only really started coming to herself this time last year so she could have a good few months ahead of her.”
Capable Chiricahua
Another nice staying effort was in the extended mile-and-a-half handicap where Chiricahua notched up his second victory of the season. This very capable 90-rated performer, who is owned by American Mark Breen and trained by Ger Lyons, dictated a tempo to suit himself under Colin Keane and when he quickened up early in the straight, he was never hard pressed. He finished just under two lengths ahead of the favourite, Iowa.
“He’s a lovely, fun horse who enjoys making the running. He’ll get two miles as well and we’ll mix it in terms of trip over the rest of the season,” stated the trainer’s brother Shane.
The card concluded with a useful one-mile, seven-furlong amateur riders’ conditions race where Ever Present (7/2) and Mikey McGuane followed up their maiden success over this course and distance last month.
The Anamoine Limited-owned five-year-old overhauled the front-running Shoshone Warrior before getting home by half a length from The Names Jock.
“He loves good ground and he loves it around here so he could be back here for something,” said Jessica Harrington.
DERMOT Weld unveiled a two-year-old of some potential in Homeless Songs (8/1) with a debut triumph in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden.
This Moyglare Stud-owned Frankel half-sister to the classy Reve De Vol had plenty to do turning for home in this seven-furlong affair, but when she found her best stride for Oisin Orr she produced an impressive last-furlong charge to defeat the front-running Agartha by two lengths.
“I thought that she could be hard to beat. She’s in the Moyglare Stud Stakes and that would be the aim with a run somewhere beforehand,” commented Weld.
Weld double
The Rosewell House trainer and Moyglare went on to enjoy a double with the Dylan Browne McMonagle-ridden Blue For You who sprang a 22/1 surprise in the Plusvital three-year-old handicap over a mile.
The 91-rated son of New Approach had struggled on his first two runs this season but he beat Wembley in a Galway maiden last year. After getting to the front, he rallied splendidly when joined by the oncoming Diamil to shade the photo finish by a short head. “He won at Galway last year we’ll look at going back there for one of the handicaps,” declared Weld.
Dylan Browne McMonagle had earlier teamed up with his boss Joseph O’Brien to strike with Giustino who defied a mark that was some 19lb higher than the one he won off at Listowel last month in the 50-80 rated mile handicap.
The front-running Kosman stretched many of his rivals to breaking point but not Giustino who closed down the leader in the straight and moved on inside the last furlong to score by a neck. The owner-breeder is William Slattery.