AS expected the title battle between Colin Keane and Billy Lee was the focal point of the day and the latter moved one ahead in the gripping struggle for supremacy when Nightcliff bagged the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Fillies Maiden over seven furlongs.

A first winner for one horse trainer David Geary since 2020, this Stacey Fitzgibbon-owned filly was running for the first time since finishing an excellent fourth to Never Ending Story in a maiden here on Derby Weekend. The well-supported 11/2 shot faced vastly differing ground here but coped admirably with the conditions and arrived travelling smoothly with a quarter of a mile to run. She then took charge inside the distance for a likeable half-length success over the newcomer Azazat.

“I was very concerned about the ground being heavy as her form was on good to firm. The fresh strip of ground made up our minds to run her. She missed a lot of the season with a splint and we’ll put her away now,” commented Geary. “She’s a big filly, has filled into her frame since June and hopefully there will be a bit more to come from her next year.”

A Force to be reckoned

Willie McCreery’s end of season surge means that he has now equalled his previous best tally for an Irish flat season as he made it 29 winners for the campaign with the evergreen Downforce (14/1) in the Bet Builder At Novibet Handicap over six furlongs. After spending over four years with a rating in excess of 100 the McCreery-owned Downforce had dropped to an attractive mark of 73 and he also had his favoured testing ground to aid his cause.

Nathan Crosse blazed a trail on the 10-year-old who fought back valiantly after losing the lead to Secret Magician inside the distance. Downforce got back up to force a bobbing finish which went his way by a flared nostril. He is likely to turn out again at Naas on the final day of the flat season next Sunday.

Another trainer finishing off in great style is Aidan O’Brien who made it 15 domestic winners in three weeks when Found’s younger sister Champagne (7/2) claimed a precious winning bracket in the Big Picture Communications Fillies Maiden over 10 furlongs. Seamie Heffernan’s mount finished strongly over the last furlong to defeat the odds on River Rain by just under four lengths. The daughter of Galileo could turn out again in the Finale Stakes at Naas on Sunday week.

Premier target

A tilt at the last major prize of the season could beckon for Joupe (25/1) who came out the right side of a great finish to the one-and-three-quarter-mile handicap. Owned and trained by Wicklow-based restricted licence holder Peter Lawlor, this Lope De Vega filly notched up the first of her four victories over seven furlongs 11 months ago. She has steadily climbed in trip and in the ratings since then and reserved her best effort yet for her first try at this distance.

The Daniel King-ridden Joupe went toe-to-toe with Advantage Point in a gripping last furlong duel before hitting the line with a short head to spare.

“She’s entered in the Naas November Handicap but needed to win to have a chance of getting into that. If she gets in that’s where she goes. She’s a mare with plenty of pace and she got a tremendous ride from Daniel,” stated Lawlor.

Rutledge strikes with Mr Rango

IT was a day to savour for Siobhan Rutledge who rode her first winner at the Curragh when the Ross O’Sullivan-trained Mr Rango (25/1-14/1) won his second race of the season in the 47-70 rated Novibet-sponsored handicap over 10 furlongs. The John Harney and Paul Brophy-owned four-year-old was under pressure in midfield nearing the straight but came with an unfaltering charge from the turn-in and struck the front inside the last furlong before clearing away to score by three and a half lengths. The winner could now try his hand over hurdles.

Trachonitus, who had posted some reasonable maiden efforts recently, belied his position as the 10/1 outsider of the five-runner field in the Novibet-sponsored nursery over a mile. The Jim Bolger-trained and Jackie Bolger-owned son of Teofilo arrived with a strong challenge for Kevin Manning inside the last quarter of a mile and answered his rider’s every call all the way to the line to defeat the top-weight and favourite Immutable by half a length.

Zoff breezes in

Gavin Cromwell struck with a 25/1 shot in the last race of the year at the Curragh for professional riders as Breezy Zoff returned to form in the 47-65 rated seven-furlong handicap. An 11-race maiden, the Formidable Syndicate-owned filly had shown promise in the early part of the summer and she was restored to the peak of her powers under Gary Carroll.

Breezy Zoff got on top in the last furlong to see off the favourite Soilse by a length and a half and she could now take in the winter campaign at Dundalk.

The year at the Curragh concluded with the Horseware Student Derby, a race confined to third level students with a riding licence, and the mile-and-a-half affair went to Joseph O’Brien’s Global Equity. She was ridden by Cheltenham Festival winner Mark McDonagh who is currently in his final year of studies at UL. The useful mare was sent off the 4/6 favourite and got home by a length and a quarter from Winnie Woodnutt.